The final curtain is falling on the sartorial theatre of ready-to-wear.
Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren confirmed today that their a/w 2015 womenswear collection will be their last, and that they won't be showing it on the catwalk during Paris Fashion Week as usual next month.
Going forward, they will focus on their couture line and lucrative frangrances and other licensed products, unshackled by RTW deadlines which they have increasingly found 'creatively restricting.'
'We feel a strong need to refocus on our artistic roots,' said Horsting in an interview with WWD about the move. 'We have always used fashion to communicate, it is our primary means of artistic expression.'
Added Snoeren: 'We are extremely excited to push the boundaries of our vision in new, unexpected territories.'
Viktor & Rolf burst onto the fashion scene in 1993 and have made ready-to-wear their primary focus since 2000.
Their new strategy has the backing of the businesses majority shareholder, OTB Group, which is headed up by fashion-world impressario Renzo Rosso. He applauded the decision to 'position the Viktor & Rolf brand in the highest luxury segment of fashion'.
