It's the (abrupt) end of an era for the celebrity-driven fashion label Roberto Cavalli. The brand behind Beyoncé's The Mrs. Carter World Tour costumes shuttered its US operations on Friday while looking for a creditor to salvage the business.
On Friday, the Italian fashion house unceremoniously shut its doors to all of its US stores. Business of Fashion reports the label closed seven full-line stores and a few off-price outlets in preparation to liquidate its North American operations. 93 people in total lost their jobs, and security reportedly ushered employees out of the existing stores. BoF is also reporting the US corporate team was notified on March 22 that the North American operation would need to close all doors, resulting in CEO Salavtore Tramuto's resignation. The e-commerce business will be rerouted through the European business operation, but is temporarily shut down in the meantime.
Since Cavalli himself stepped down four years ago, the label has seen quite a high turnover on the exec side. Peter Dundas only stayed 19 months, and last week, his successor Paul Surridge left after less than two years. He posted his decision to leave on his Instagram: “I have given much consideration to this decision and reached the conclusion that the mission I have signed on has changed and enters a new direction with a new perspective,” the statement read. “I now wish to focus on other projects that I put aside in order to achieve our common goals with Roberto Cavalli Group.”
We'll be sure to update this story as we learn more.