The designer-departures lounge must be getting crowded. After 12 years in business, Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders announced on Tuesday that he is stepping down and closing his label “for personal reasons,” the Business of Fashion reports. “It is not a decision that I take lightly and I am eternally grateful to my team for all their hard work and dedication,” he said. Saunders was the recipient of the BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2012, and prominent women from Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton to Madonna and Lady Gaga have all worn his designs.
The designer was known for his bold, colorful Op Art prints — early on in his career, he created prints for Alexander McQueen — and his affection for retro ‘50s silhouettes. Saunders’s next move has not been announced. But as with any fashion figure who’s currently making big changes, the Dior speculation has already started.
