Luella Fashion Line Closing Up Shop

The talented Luella Bartley, anointed Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2008, is the latest fashion victim of the recession. Her label, Luella, is being forced to close down following the loss of one of its main suppliers and has stopped trading. Last month Luella's Italian production company Carla Carini shut down which meant that the orders for the spring/summer 2010 collection could not be fulfilled. This started a chain reaction in which the company in charge of distribution, VSQ, announced it was withdrawing its backing.

Luella's punk-meets-pretty aesthetic has been much beloved by England's young and fashionable including Alexa Chung, Lily Allen and Pixie Geldof. Bartley launched Luella in 1999 and opened her flagship store on Mayfair's Brook Street in 2007. In a statement she said that she hopes the Luella girl aesthetic can go on in some form and is considering ways to keep the brand alive.