The label was founded by Nick Cave's model wife Susie. Photos / Getty Images
The label was founded by Nick Cave's model wife Susie. Photos / Getty Images
What started as a passion project to distract a grieving mum from an awful tragedy quickly spiralled into a sartorial go-to among models, it-girls and A-listers.
Indie rock singer Florence Welch, supermodel Kate Moss and TV presenter and fashion icon Alexa Chung have donned the label liberally, which catapulted The Vampire’s Wife into fame and solidified the brand as a red carpet and household name, reports Daily Mail.
However, once the royals got wind of the trendy brand taking the world by storm, it seems the designer’s rise in popularity may have been the reason for its swift decline.
The English fashion label was started by rocker Nick Cave’s model wife Susie. However, the brand has been issued with a winding-down petition by HMRC, meaning its future is murky.
After years of success and popularity among some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as Hilary Duff, Rachel Weisz and Sandra Oh, the label was served a fresh blow today.
Drapers reports that the petition is related to the mountain of debt that it has amassed during the Covid-19 pandemic and comes after a late tax payment this year.
The brand confirmed its court hearing has been set for July 12.
Susie says HMRC rejected her request for a time to pay arrangement, to slowly pay the tax debt in instalments every month. The brand reiterated that it was investigating whether there was a solution “agreeable for all parties” and will carry on business as usual for the time being.
“We are working with the company’s secured lender to find a solution agreeable to all parties.
“The Vampire’s Wife will continue to trade and remain open at this time and we thank our friends and clients for their support.”
Susie Cave arrives at the Gucci show during Milan Fashion Week. Photo / Getty Images
After the traumatic loss of her son, Susie told her husband that “everything is over”, feeling unable to continue building her brand after being struck with immense grief.
Arthur had taken the hallucinogenic drug LSD with a friend before his death, an inquest later heard. However, the pair soon lost each other and were separated.
The young teen then became “completely disorientated”, unable to distinguish what was real and what wasn’t. He messaged friends asking, “Where am I? Where am I?”
Scared motorists had watched horrified as the boy staggered along the edge of the cliff just a few minutes before climbing over the safety fence and falling over.
He was quickly taken to a nearby hospital but doctors could not save his life after he suffered brain haemorrhages and deadly fractures to his skull.
Musician Nick Cave, wife Susie Bick and their sons in 2007. Photo / Getty Images
Susie’s untimely loss of her son left her bereft. In 2018, she told the Mail: “I struggle with certain things that have happened in my life and sometimes can be in quite a dark place”.
“I get lost when I’m designing. Time just flies by. It’s actually an absolute gift, because the worst thing happened to me. I channel any positive energy I can into creating clothes.”
Overtaken by grief, the designer was unable to work, leave the house or see any of her old friends.
But then, three months later, she received a phone call. “I got a call from Daisy Lowe — the model daughter of Pearl Lowe and a family friend — saying she needed a dress for an awards ceremony and would I make one for her?
“So I dragged myself into the office to find the red fabric. And she wore it. And I saw it photographed. That was kind of a breakthrough. From then on I went to work every day.
Daisy Lowe attends The GQ Man of The Year Awards 2015 on September 8, 2015 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images
“Having something to do which was physically demanding enabled me temporarily not to think of anything else.”
What quickly followed was a wave of orders from high-profile clients such as Alexa Chung and Elisabeth Moss.
What’s more, the label soon took the fancy of the British monarchy.
Kate Middleton first wore The Vampire’s Wife in 2020, when she donned an emerald dress at an evening reception at Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse with her husband, Prince William.
Celebrity stylist Rochelle White previously revealed to the Mail that the dress put The Vampire’s Wife on the map.
She said: “I think that the dress has been a go-to for celebs because it is easy to wear, but has maximum impact.
“It has a disruptive look and quality to the design of it.”
The gown looked very similar to a green, tiered dress by the same designer that Princess Beatrice wore to Ellie Goulding’s wedding the year before.
The Princess of Wales then wore a metallic, The Vampire’s Wife gown in pink while touring the Caribbean in 2021 with William, during a reception held by the governor of Belize.
