Cult favourite fashion brand goes into administration

BlackMilk Clothing, a cult favourite fashion brand created 17 years ago in Brisbane that enjoyed global success, has fallen into administration, the company revealed.

The brand was established by Linda and James Lillis who built the company into a social media phenomenon boasting celebrity fans such as Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Whoopi Goldberg.

At the height of its popularity, the brand’s pop culture themed collections would sell out within minutes.

“This is not an announcement I ever imagined having to make, and I wanted you to hear it directly from me,” Linda Lillis said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

“Administrators have been appointed to take control of the business and assess the options for [BlackMilk’s] future.”

The company is still trading, with its website open and orders continuing to be shipped.

“Voluntary administration gives the business an opportunity to explore what comes next,” Lillis said. “We don’t yet know what the outcome of that process will be, and I don’t want to make promises about something that is now in the hands of the administrators.

“What I can say is that entering administration does not necessarily mean the end of BlackMilk, and we very much hope it isn’t.

“What started as a side hobby at our kitchen table became a global brand and a community that has meant so much to our family.

“I’m incredibly proud of what BlackMilk has created over those 17 years. Our Australian manufacturing heritage. The extraordinary licensed collaborations we’ve had the privilege of bringing to life. The original designs that could only ever be BlackMilk. And above all, the community that grew around this little clothing brand from Brisbane.”

BlackMilk moved the last of its manufacturing overseas this year, announcing the move in a blog post in July.

The closure of the Brisbane factory affected 15 members of the production team, chief executive Jackie Kruger said in a blog post at the time.

“Our production team has played an extraordinary role in BlackMilk’s story,” Kruger said. “Their craftsmanship, skill and care have helped create products worn by hundreds of thousands of customers around the world, and their contribution to this brand cannot be overstated.

“Australian manufacturing has been part of BlackMilk since the beginning. For many customers, it has represented far more than where a product was made. It has been part of the identity of the brand itself.

“We have previously said publicly that we intended to continue manufacturing in Brisbane. That was genuinely our intention, and we worked for years to make a model of local and offshore production work together.”

Linda Lillis said on Wednesday the business had experienced significant change over the past few years in response to an evolving retail environment.

“The combination of a challenging consumer environment, rising costs and increasingly complex global trading conditions has continued to place pressure on the business,” she said.

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