Rhode Fashion Label Shutting Down
Rhode, the Los Angeles-based contemporary brand built on the foundation of fun, escapist prints, and available in 170 retailers worldwide, is shutting down.
The news follows a high-profile homewares collaboration with West Elm that launched this summer, and the settlement in July of a 2022 lawsuit against Hailey Bieber and her beauty brand Rhode alleging trademark infringement.
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The fashion brand’s founders Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers made an announcement Thursday on Instagram, stating, “After 10 incredible years, we have some news to share: Rhode will be closing its doors in the coming weeks. This wasn’t an easy decision for us, but ultimately, new and exciting dreams are calling us forward.”
Rhode was launched in 2014 by Khatau and Vickers who met as freshman roommates at Hamilton College and discovered they had the same taste during their very first shopping trip to stock their dorm room.
After their time at school, Khatau entered the fashion world as a buyer for Harvey Nichols in London, while Vickers went into advertising in New York. They reconnected in 2013 and created a resortwear collection, making clothing in India, where Khatau grew up.
Under a new company president, Marla Toplitzky, Rhode had been ramping up its direct-to-consumer distribution, and the digital business grew 90 percent in 2023, the founders told WWD in June.
Dresses drove the most sales, and in 2023, the brand launched a successful new swim category, and debuted a collaboration with Target.
The closing comes at a particularly tough time for smaller brands with the upheaval of the wholesale market, the challenging economic climate and competition from fast fashion. Mara Hoffman, The Vampire’s Wife and Dion Lee all shuttered in 2024.
The Rhode founders could not be reached for comment on the news.
Over the years, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Tracee Ellis Ross, Khloé Kardashian, Busy Philipps, Jamie Chung, Whitney Port, Zoey Deutch and other celebs wore Rhode.
“Rhode has always been about joy, and it has been a profound joy to have been #ontheRhode with all of you,” the founders said in their IG post.
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