Fashion

River Island-backed brand Harpenne permanently closed after less than a year


River Island-backed brand Harpenne permanently closed after less than a year

Harpenne, an online womenswear brand launched by River Island less than
a year ago, became the latest casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday
after announcing it has stopped trading.

Launched in September 2019 with its debut AW19 collection, the
affordable brand was targeted at older women and was spearheaded by
managing director of business development at River Island, Fiona
Lambert.

Lambert launched the brand after noticing a “huge gap in the market”,
and geared the label toward women who were “rediscovering themselves and
embracing their sense of style”.

The AW19 collection comprised 120 ethically sourced pieces with an entry
price point of 25 pounds, tops for 25-80 pounds and dresses for 60-100
pounds.

Harpenne ceases to trade

But on Thursday the brand announced it had been forced to suspend
trading. Consumers can still, for now, shop its items from its partners at
John Lewis and Next.

The company added that it will continue to honour all returns within its
standard terms of sale, 14 days from receipt of goods.

Sofie Willmott, lead analyst at data and analytics firm GlobalData said
in a statement: “Still in its infancy and yet to build a loyal customer
base, River Island owned Harpenne has permanently shut its website today.
With well-established clothing brands including Oasis, Warehouse, Cath
Kidston and Laura Ashley already victims of the Covid-19 crisis, their
smaller and lesser known equivalents are under immense pressure and are at
risk of not surviving the next few months as demand for clothing & footwear
continues to plummet.

“Operating as an online pureplay as well as stocking its range on Next
and John Lewis & Partners’ sites, Harpenne’s closure is evidence that
selling via the online channel is not enough to safeguard retailers.
Although online clothing & footwear spend will be better protected as
non-essential stores remain closed, we still expect it to decline 7.9
percent this year when retailers have previously been able to rely on
digital channels for growth.”

Photo credit: Harpenne, Facebook



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