Every so often, a brand appears that speaks so eloquently to a cult of fabulous women that it becomes their uniform. The Vampire’s Wife is one such brand, founded ten years ago by British designer and model Susie Cave, whose darkly romantic floral frocks quickly became a celebrity favourite, spurring a trickle-down into high street stores. Today, after acknowledging financial difficulties and a turbulent year for the wholesale market, the label confirmed in a statement that it is closing its doors “with immediate effect”.
Cave, the wife of Aussie rock singer Nick Cave, started The Vampire’s Wife out of grief for her son, who died at the age of 15. “I’ve always wanted to make beautiful things, but at the same time it’s about not wanting to be a victim of what happened to Arthur,” Cave told British Vogue in 2017, “not wanting to be paralysed for the rest of my life.” The brand offered a lifeline for the once-model, and since its inception, there’s been a palpable sense of family imbued in each collection (often styled by Another Man editor-in-chief Ellie Grace Cumming), garnering a cult following that’s grown through the years to include Kate Moss, Keira Knightly, Florence Welch, Kirsten Dunst, Alexa Chung, Rachel Weisz, Sienna Miller, and many more. “We were a family of strange creatures that all had a similar understanding of beauty,” Cave told AnOther previously. “They are a family.”
Channelling an old-fashioned English sensibility into each of her pieces, which are designed flatteringly, nipped at each feminine contour, and adorned with maximal vintage touches that provide a refined, 1950s feel, Cave crafted a distinct and delicate world that fashion fell in love with. Having started her modelling career at the age of 14, after being discovered by Steven Meisel on a flight to New York, it’s a world she’s spent years immersed in, working closely with brands like Vivienne Westwood, Yohji Yamamoto, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and covering magazines like Harper’s & Queen, Elle, and i-D. Cave retired from modelling in 1997, the year she met her husband, but returned as the cover star of our Autumn/Winter 2020 issue, modelling dresses by Alessandro Michele for Gucci – their respective brands emitting a similar eccentric elegance, expressed in soft florals and goddess-like silhouettes.
Photographer Casper Sejersen, who has captured campaigns for the label, once told AnOther that The Vampire’s Wife is a “hymn to women, all sorts, mothers, young and old, power women, raw women, classic women, and all their loved ones and friends. It’s more than just another fashion brand. It is powerful and fragile at the same time, it reflects Susie’s personality; it is very personal.” The decision to close the label marks the end of an era, and is a stark reminder of the changing landscape of fashion retail with the recent closure of big players. “I wish to thank my extended family at The Vampire’s Wife who helped me create such beautiful things. I cannot describe how much you have all meant to me,” Cave shared, closing her statement.
