sass & bide founders Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton resign as directors

SASS & Bide founders Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton have resigned as directors but will still be involved in the running of the business.

sass & bide founders Heidi Middleton (orange) and Sarah-Jane Clarke have resigned from the board but will still be involved in the business. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

THE fashion duo behind the successful label sass & bide, a favourite of international celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, have stepped down from the board of their business.

Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton headed the company since its inception in 1999, when they took off for England to try their luck selling their quirky, customised three-quarter-length jeans at London's Portobello Road markets.

The pair took London by storm, and went on to develop a fashion label worth more than $50 million.

But on Friday they announced they had stepped down from the board. They will remain closely involved with the business and will sit on an advisory board.

Middleton will keep her role as creative director and Clarke will keep her role as a brand director.

"Both will also be involved in the management, creative direction and strategic direction of the company," the representative said.

"There are no changes planned for the sass & bide business. It will continue to operate completely separately and with complete autonomy from the Myer business. Myer is the board."

Sass & bide will remain autonomous in terms of management and design, she said.

"It's always been our dream to see sass & bide flourish internationally and now that's a reality, we couldn't be happier," Middleton said. "Sass & bide is our baby and always will be."

Clarke said: "It's been close to 15 years since we launched sass & bide and we're looking forward to the next chapter. The September ASX announcement brings with it a fresh energy for the future and as we expand internationally it's an exciting time for the business."

Clarke and Middleton, who met at school in Brisbane, started off respectively as an accountant and an art director - not the usual path to fashion success, let alone the international success they became.

In 2001 they returned to Sydney, showing their eclectic vintage-inspired clothing collection at Australian Fashion Week. Before long sass & bide's unique style was being championed by celebrities including Parker, Kate Bosworth, even Kim Kardashian.

In February 2011 Myer invested $42.3 million in the business, giving it a 65 per cent shareholding. In September 2013 it purchased the remaining 35 per cent of sass & bide, making Myer the sole shareholder.