If you attended an Australian private school in the early to mid 2000’s (or hung out with people who went to an Australian private school in the early to mid 2000’s) news of Bettina Liano’s financial woes might seem confounding. EVERYONE had a pair. Regardless, the once ubiquitous denim brand went into voluntary administration earlier this month with creditors set to meet next week to access the brand’s financial position. When we interviewed founder Bettina Liano last year, she identified the tough financial climate, online shopping and the invading high street as key issues facing today’s local labels: “The Australia fashion landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years with new designers emerging, and many affected by the change in financial climate. In the last few years the majority of Australian fashion labels have taken their manufacturing offshore. Bettina Liano is one of the very few Australian designers still manufacturing locally – something we are very proud of.”
According to Ragtrader, the first meeting of creditors will be held next week at Bettina Liano’s Melbourne offices where “the company will be traded as a going concern as [administrators] Lindholm and Richards assess its financial position.” Yikes. It’s hard out there for an Aussie fashion brand.
