Kris van Assche shutters namesake label

New York - The news about the smaller independent high-end fashion houses going belly up just keeps getting worst. First, it seems like Band of Outsiders might be folding, and now, Kris van Assche, designer of his own namesake label as well as Creative Director of Dior Homme, has announced that he will be shuttering his namesake label to focus on his role at Dior Homme. Heart's have literally broken across the industry for those who have been fans of van Assche's work over the last ten years.

According to van Assche, one of the reasons he is folding is because "times are tough for independent labels." van Assche disclosed his reasons for folding the company in a letter to Women's Wear Daily which read, "this wonderful adventure has reached a point where I feel the need to take a break and some distance to better think about how to develop my brand in the future." Whether van Assche is hinting that his fashion house might one day make a grand come back like Schiaparelli's did is a dream his fans would love to see fulfilled.

Kris van Assche latest independent label to fold

van Assche's collection was sold in around thirty-two countries across 120 stores. Most of his business was primarily concentrated in Asia, with the rest being in Europe and North America. The folding of his brand leaves a gap in the Paris Fashion Week Men's calendar in June, as he will neither be producing or distributing his fall collection. His only freestanding store located on Rue Saint Roch in Paris is expected to go dark soon, too.

Known for making work wear a little more edgy, as well as producing a very stylish selection of sneakers and backpacks in collaboration with Eastpak, van Assche's namesake label certainly seemed like it had staying power. The brand briefly dabbled in women's wear from 2008 to 2010, but, van Assche ultimately decided his heart was in men's wear. Alas, neither was meant to be.

While van Assche has never disclosed the shareholding information for his label, he has made it clear that it was made possible with the generous support of friends. One of van Assche's final statements in his letter to WWD was, "“Awaiting the right project for my label, I will now focus on Dior Homme in order to enhance what I have been working on during my first eight years as men’s artistic director for Dior.” While it is heartbreaking to see the Kris van Assche label go, at least there is still a home for van Assche's talented design skills at Dior Homme.