The B-Corp was known for its nostalgic styles and celebrity collaborations and focused on ‘slow fashion’
Joanie, known for its vintage designs, has ceased trading(Image: )
All jobs have been lost at a popular Yorkshire fashion retailer after administrators were officially appointed following its sudden closure. Skipton-based Joanie announced its immediate closure on social media earlier this week after nine years of trading, selling vintage-inspired clothing collections to a list of loyal customers around the world.
The firm – an online-only, B Corp – focused on retro-inspired, sustainable fashions, selling knitwear and dresses with bright nostalgic prints and knitwear. It also frequently collaborating with celebrities and institutions like the Natural History Museum and Dawn O’Porter, and branched out into footwear two years ago.
The firm was founded in Manchester by entrepreneur Lucy Gledhill, on a mission to make feel-good garments infused with a touch of nostalgia. The brand, named in honour of Lucy’s Great Auntie Joanie, the moved its headquarters in Ardwick, Manchester, to Broughton Business Park in Skipton last year.
Alastair Massey and Phil Armstrong of FRP have been appointed as joint administrators of Joanie Limited and say that, regrettably, all 13 employees have been made redundant. The joint administrators said they are supporting affected employees and providing information on making claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.
They said that, despite building a loyal customer base known for its distinctive womenswear collections and strong ethical values, the business faced sustained financial challenges in recent years arising from a combination of Brexit-related disruption, the impact of Covid-19, ongoing economic uncertainty and increased barriers to international trade.
In addition to supporting employees, the joint administrators are focused on realising the remaining assets of the business for the benefit of creditors.
Alastair Massey, restructuring advisory partner at FRP and Joint Administrator of Joanie Limited, said: “Joanie established a well-regarded brand with a loyal following, but a prolonged period of difficult trading conditions ultimately proved insurmountable. Our immediate priority is to support affected employees and to maximise realisations for the benefit of creditors.”
All jobs have been lost at Joanie(Image: Joanie)
Whilst the website remains accessible, orders can no longer be processed. In an extensive Instagram statement, directors cited the “challenges of recent years” for the closure.
The statement said: “Thank you! Joanie has entered its final chapter. We created Joanie over many years of hard work, and have been a proudly independent brand and business for over 9 years. We’ve enjoyed many successful, fun moments along the way but in recent years we have met with so many challenges too, many outside of our control.
“Brexit, Covid, economic uncertainty, and most recently barriers to international growth in the form of new tariffs and conflicts, each have taken their toll. We’ve tried our very best to respond to the adverse trading conditions we’ve faced and find the strength and means to keep going, but unfortunately there is no more.
“To the good ship Joanie, and all who’s sailed in her, everyone who’s given us a leg up, helped, listened, advised, freelanced, lugged stuff, bought stuff, made stuff and supported our little business idea along the way we’d like to say a huge thank you.
“To our talented, hard-working team who helped create this lovely, responsible, brand, we say well done, it’s been a privilege to do things our way, with pride and resilience. We wish to thank all the skilled freelancers, suppliers and partners who have helped us make, promote and sell our collections. We are so sorry that the situation has forced us to end our fantastic work together.
“We are hugely grateful to our loyal Joanie Gals around the world who have bought our clothes and, in many cases, filled whole wardrobes with our label. We have been so proud to dress you, to help you look and feel the best version of you.”
