LONDON — Jean Muir, the 40-year-old London fashion house famous for its matte black and navy jersey knits and feminine shapes, will close in the spring.
In a statement Monday, the company said it would shutter its Conduit Street store — which opened a little over two years ago — after the Easter holiday in April. The store will stock the house’s last, spring 2007 collection.
The statement said Jean Muir Ltd. was in the process of an “orderly wind down.” A spokeswoman said the decision to shut the business was made last week.
The news was unexpected: In November, the fashion house founded by the late Jean Muir marked its 40th anniversary with a book, “Jean Muir: Beyond Fashion,” and a big party at the store.
At the time, Sinty Stemp, the company’s sales and marketing director, said there were plans for a second store, in New York, which was to open this year.
Scottish-born designer Jean Muir was a fixture of British fashion from the Sixties until she died of cancer in 1995.
Her spare designs focused on fabric and cut, and her collections presented in her showroom in Bruton Street were one of the major draws of London Fashion Week throughout the Eighties and early Nineties, and were carried by such U.S. stores as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. Muir was a champion of British design, and she often used jewelry and accessories made by English craftsmen.
Following her death, the company forged ahead with the design team she had assembled in the Nineties. Sales in 2005 — the latest figures available — were 2.5 million pounds, or $4.9 million at current exchange.
Harry Leuckert, Muir’s widower, who has been running the business since her death, said, “It is with great regret and sadness that I am making this announcement. There comes a time when a company needs to grow, and for us I felt we should take the retail route, based on the success of the Conduit Street shop.
“This, of course, requires substantial outside investment, and as we have not been able to come to any agreement with interested parties, we have decided on the current course of action,” he said.
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The complete Jean Muir archive has been donated to the National Museums of Scotland, and Leuckert said it represents one of the largest collections of one designer’s work anywhere in the world. The archive will be open to the public in the near future.
There is no doubt the closing will enhance the popularity of Muir’s vintage designs on the Internet and in vintage stores worldwide. Although Muir fans include Lady Antonia Fraser; “Absolutely Fabulous” actress Joanna Lumley, who was once Muir’s house model; sculptor Elizabeth Frink; Dame Maggie Smith, and Dame Judi Dench, her designs recently have been attracting a younger clientele. Sienna Miller is said to cherish her vintage Muir suede cape.