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The edgier and cheaper brand spinoff to Kate Sylvester is to wind down operations.
Sylvester, an iteration of the classic New Zealand brand Kate Sylvester, announced the closure on Wednesday.
The brand that is now helmed by the designer’s three sons told customers in an email on Wednesday morning this would happen by February next year.
This summer’s collection will be Sylvester's final, the email read.
The announcement marks the end of another influential New Zealand fashion brand, after Wynn Hamlyn and made-to-order setup Rachel Mills also said they would close this year.
“We are so proud of all that we have created, but the hard reality is that the economic climate is so much tougher than we anticipated,” read the email that was signed off by Tom, Ike and Cosmo Conway, the sons of Kate Sylvester.
“We knew trying to build a business would be tough, but just trying to keep afloat in this current climate has been too intensely stressful for our entire team.”
Sylvester walked away from the Kate Sylvester brand in 2024 after 31 years of designing.
In 2004, she created the more casual and edgier Sylvester brand. Her three sons, whom she shares with partner in life and business Wayne Conway, relaunched Sylvester in 2024.
“When we started this, Kate & Wayne made it clear to us that a business must pay for itself and we listened,” read the email.
Ike Conway told RNZ in an email that the family was "devastated" by the pending closure, but the company's priority was to look after its employees and suppliers.
As to the professional future for the brothers, "fashion runs in our DNA. I'm sure we will get involved in the industry again in the future," Ike added.
