Designer behind the iconic fashion dress worn by Victoria Beckham, Meghan Markle and others has put his fashion house in administration.
Roland Mouret 60, the designer of the ‘Mouret galaxy dress’ and a friend of the Duchess has fallen back to Earth after closing the Mayfair shop in London.
Beyonce, Scarlett Johansson and Nicole Kidman were seen wearing the Galaxy dress, which has a square neckline, on Hollywood A-Listers like Scarlett Johansson, Beyonce and Halle Berry.
This highly-sought garment was also popular with the royal family. Meghan Markle is pictured in one of the designer’s dresses.
Now, however, the luxury brand’s 84 devastate employees are without work. In shock statements to staff, they claim that coronavirus is responsible for the fast fall from grace.
One worker, who was pictured in the Mayfair shop on Thursday with administrators and workers for removals, admitted that the shut down had occurred’super abruptly.
Designer Roland Mouret, 60, has placed his luxury fashion house into administration. Above, he is seen with Meghan Markle at Toronto’s 2016 Fashion Week.
Roland Mouret closed the flagship Mayfair London store (pictured) to make way for creditors
This highly-anticipated garment was also popular with the royal family. Meghan Markle was pictured in one of the designer’s dresses.
Following its 2005 introduction, the Roland Mouret Galaxy Dress became fashion’s most desired’must-have item’.
Initially retailing at £990, it sold out at Harvey Nichols with a waiting list stretching back months.
This underlay is made of Powerflex material, which was previously used in corsets during the 1950s.
It pulled the waist in, raised the hips and pushed the bottom up. Its genius also included the origami-draped shoulders that made it a fashion icon in fashion circles around the world.
Carol Vorderman said about the famous dress, “The Galaxy saw my curves. Instead of hiding them, this gown made me feel beautiful.” It’s still hanging in my wardrobe.
And as the suave French-born Mouret, who lives in Suffolk, said: ‘When I design a dress for a woman, I also think of the man who is going to take it off her.’
Topshop was able to sell up to 5,000 Galaxy dresses per week due its huge success.
It seems that even famous customers like the Duchess of Sussex and Cambridge have not been able save Mouret’s financial future from the consequences of this pandemic.
On Thursday, only administrators and men with removals vehicles were allowed to enter the Mayfair shop as expensive pieces were being removed.
There were large plants and a chess board, as well as a statue depicting a black bear.
In an interview with the Financial Times earlier this year, Mouret claimed he would be the industry’s ‘last man standing’ after competitors collapsed during the pandemic.
In 2010, the label survived bankruptcy fears. The designer generated sales of £16million in 2019, but made a profit of just £950,000.
A former employee, who chose not to be identified, said that yesterday was very difficult for all. Roland Mouret can be described as a member of a large family. All of us were very emotional.
“It was yesterday. It was very difficult to hear, even though it was pleasant.
“It is a sad and sad story, because I had a wonderful job here. People are so crushed.
“We suspected it was coming due to the coronavirus. This is it.
“We lost 95% of our customers, and the revenue was down.”
Victoria Beckham in the Galaxy in 2007, just two years after its iconic debut
Halle Berry was seen in this flattering look in 2012 Its seductive form was due to the elasticised mesh underlay made of Powerflex, a thick material that was originally used for corsets back in 1950s.
According to the woman, “There will be probably a new owner because it is in administration.”
“We don’t even know when, because everything happened so abruptly.
‘It’s difficult. Roland is a wonderful person. That’s not what the name means.
“It’s unclear if they’re searching for a new owner right now. Although they may know certain things, senior management won’t tell us.
An ex-staffer who declined to be named said, “I can’t talk about it. It’s been difficult.”
M. Mouret, in an interview with The Financial Times on September 2, blamed coronavirus.
He said, “We lost 20 years in a single day.” It will probably take five years, I think. [to fully recover].’