The rise (and fall) of The Vampire’s Wife: How the cult label founded by Nick Cave’s trendy wife Susie went from a red carpet essential for royals and A-listers – to facing liquidation over unpaid tax
- The future of the brand is uncertain after receiving a notice from HMRC
- READ MORE: The ‘go-to gown’! Stylist reveals how ‘head-turning’ £1,595 metallic mid length dress from cult label The Vampire’s Wife has become the red carpet essential for royals and A-listers alike
After designer The Vampire’s Wife has been issued with a winding-down petition by HMRC, the future of the must-have label loved by the Princess of Wales, Princess Beatrice and several A-listers is uncertain.
The British label, which was launched by former model Suzie Cave in 2014, is famed for pretty prairie dresses infused with a dose of gothic glam, which are frequently spotted on red carpets.
But after huge names including Princess Kate, Hilary Duff and Rachel Weisz have dazzled in the designer’s gowns, it now faces liquidation after it was served the petition, with a hearing set in the Royal Courts of Justice this month.
According to Drapers, the petition relates to debt built up by the brand during the pandemic and follows a delayed tax payment earlier this year.
The Vampire’s Wife claimed HMRC has rejected its request for a Time to Pay Arrangement, to slowly pay back tax debt in monthly instalments.
The Princess of Wales opted for a gown from The Vampire’s Wife during a visit to Belize on her royal tour of the Caribbean in 2022
A statement from the brand confirmed it was looking for a solution ‘agreeable for all parties’ and will continue to trade for the time being.
Since The Vampire’s Wife was founded, it has developed a fan base among A-listers for its chic gowns in metallic colours and floral prints – and has even launched a homeware collection.
The collection, called Vampire’s House, ranges from a £135 silk pouch to the £595 jewellery box.
The brand takes its name from an unfinished novel by Susie’s husband Nick Cave, and the clothes provide a wardrobe befitting such a title.
The founder of the brand, Susie Cave, was born Susie Hardie-Bick.
Princess Beatrice, 34, stepped out in Mayfair just last week with her husband, Edo Mapelli Mozzi, while wearing The Vampire’s Wife
As more and more A-listers have stepped out in the luxury brand including Hilary Duff (pictured) it has developed a cult following
Pictured: Rachel Weisz wearing a black metallic gown to the 71st BAFTA Awards in 2018
The daughter of an academic, she was brought up between Africa and Cheshire.
Her grandmother taught her how to use a sewing machine, a skill she put to good use at boarding school in the Seventies, when she used to transform her friends’ jeans from flares to drainpipes.
Age 14, she ran away from school and jetted off to New York, where she caught the eye of fashion photographer Steven Meisel.
By 16, she was modelling full-time and, on her return to England the next year, became muse to celebrity photographer David Bailey.
She was introduced to Nick, the Australian-born frontman of rock band Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, by Bella Freud, a mutual friend, who ensured their paths crossed at a party at the Natural History Museum, in London.
They married in a register office in Richmond, South-West London, followed by a blessing at a chapel in Surrey, in 1999.
The Princess of Wales first stepped out in The Vampire’s Wife in 2021, when she donned a £1,595 emerald gown as she joined Prince William for an evening reception at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.
The ensemble closely resembled the green dress by the same designer that Princess Beatrice wore to Ellie Goulding’s wedding the previous autumn.
Mother-of-one Beatrice wore a £1,695 ‘The Veneration’ tiered silk-blend lamé dress by The Vampire’s Wife to the singer’s nuptials at York Minster Cathedral.
Princess Kate, 41, also opted for a metallic gown from the brand in pink during her royal tour of the Caribbean in 2021 with the Prince of Wales, during a reception held by the governor of Belize.
As more and more celebrities began stepping out in the brand’s gowns, including Rachel Weisz, Hilary Duff and Meena Harris, niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris, it developed a cult following among A-Listers.
The Vampire’s Wife was founded by Susie Cave in 2014, and takes its name from an unfinished novel by Susie’s husband Nick Cave (the couple pictured in 2023)
Celebrity stylist Rochelle White previously told FEMAIL the emerald gown is what kicked off the popularity of The Vampire’s Wife.
She explained: ‘I think that the dress has been a go-to for celebs because it is easy to wear, but has maximum impact.
‘It has a disruptive look and quality to the design of it.’
She continued to say that many were adopting the dress because of its versatility, saying: ‘It is suitable for many events and everyday wear and can be worn for different seasons.’
Meanwhile the stylist explained that the styling could alter the formality of the dress, revealing: ‘Depending on the style, colour and texture, it could be seen as demure, outrageous, seductive and heading turning, with each dress being a unique statement.
‘Because of it’s design it has such universal appeal which is classic, trendy and chic.’
According to Drapers, The Vampire’s Wife expects sales in 2023 to reach £6.6 million, which is up 38% from 2021, when it made a loss of £2.1 million.
The brand confirmed its court hearing has been set for 12 July.
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