Cult Aussie fashion label Sass & Bide hit by store closures

Aussie label Sass & Bide, once adorned by celebrities Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna and Beyonce, is the latest brand to be hit with store closures.

Cult Aussie fashion label Sass & Bide, once adorned by celebrities from Sarah Jessica Parker, to Madonna and Beyonce, is the latest brand to be hit with closures.

Myer announced it will shut the majority of its Sass & Bide boutiques, including Melbourne’s Chadstone and Emporium stores, as part of a major overhaul.

With telltale metallic embellishments, or the famously dubbed “Rats”, think the slick, ruched leggings in classic black, PVC, rocked by every Aussie “it” girl in the noughties, the label was the go-to for Miranda Kerr, Nicole Richie and Vanessa Hudgens.

Founded by Australian designers Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton as a stall selling jeans on London’s Portobello Road Market in 1999, Myer paid $42.3 million to purchase a controlling stake in 2011 before later buying the remainder.

Sass & Bide founders Heidi Middleton & Sarah-Jane Clark. Picture Renee Nowytarger

The department store giant, which has billionaire businessman Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments as its largest shareholder, announced in a statement sent to the Herald Sun from chief executive officer Paula Mackenzie, that they had made the “difficult decision” to close 10 Sass & Bide boutiques across the country from October 6.

Four stand-alone stores will continue to operate Australia in different states, including Melbourne’s South Wharf. The brand will also be available at the company’s department stores and online.

“We have been reviewing the store footprint for S & B to ensure it is aligned with our popular in-store concessions and growing online business, meeting the needs of our loyal customers and operating sustainably,” Ms Mackenzie said.

“In response to this review, we are intending to expand our successful S & B concession model and have made the difficult decision to close 10 of our stand alone S & B stores on 6 October 2024.”

Miranda Kerr wearing a Sass & Bide design.

“With the planned closure of S & B stand-alone stores, there will be a reduction in roles in our Support Office.

“We are mindful that this difficult decision will have an impact on affected team members. We will be offering all available support to them and will offer redeployment, where possible for our store team members.”

The news comes after this year’s appointment of its new executive chairman, former Qantas executive Olivia Wirth.

The changes have been made ahead of the first Myer result to be handed down by Ms Wirth, with further announcement labels Marcs and David Lawrence will expand its presence in Myer stores.

“We will also be expanding the presence of Marcs and David Lawrence in Myer stores. These brands are highly popular and in-demand with customers, and look forward to saying more on this soon,” the statement read.

“These decisions were not taken lightly but they are necessary to ensure the business is repositioned for growth and is sustainable into the future. It ensures we have the appropriate sustainable balance between online, concessions and stand-alone stores to meet our customer’s needs. It also structures our SSO in the most effective way to support our team.”