Dai Closure Announcement
Dear Dai’namic Women,
It is with a heavy heart that I share that we are approaching the end of our Dai journey.
This Autumn/Winter 2023 collection – our best ever and aptly named the Greatest Hits Collection – will be our last and final collection. We will be closing our doors online and at our St. Christopher’s Place store in early December 2023.
For me, Dai was not just another business but a brand with a daring vision to empower women through unprecedented comfort whilst unwaveringly championing sustainability. As a former investment banker, I was like you – dressed in uncomfortable, restrictive tailoring. I asked myself, could we liberate women through revolutionary workwear? Comfort is confidence, and women are unstoppable, after all.
‘Success shouldn’t cost the planet’ was our second pillar and a Post-It we guilelessly wrote at the staart. Our commitment to people and planet was unequivocal: we challenged the status quo; we obsessed over new and innovative materials; we scrutinised our supply chain; and we worked with manufacturers who prioritised human welfare. In 2020, we proudly achieved a Certified B Corp score of 97.4, above many venerated global apparel brands.
We had an incredible six years, and momentum on our side. We kept hitting record sales, received countless major press coverage, dressed unbelievable women, and opened eight prominent store locations. We built a community of 65,000+ with our timeless designs, and as a result, we were able to meaningfully support Smart Works. We felt like we were making an impact.
But it still wasn’t quite enough…
Despite our wins and successfully navigating through unprecedented global events in recent years, we found ourselves at a pivotal moment. The macro environment we and many young brands are facing meant that our path forward became a near-impossible challenge. I have tirelessly explored countless alternatives in this current financial environment.
But the cost and challenges of upholding our vision for our people and planet became insurmountable. And to survive, yet alone achieve fast-paced commercial growth, it would have meant taking shortcuts which would have compromised our integrity.
Upon reflection, was my vision too ambitious? Can a business truly do better for people and planet and achieve commercial success?
For me, this has been an impossible decision and one I did not take lightly. But after months of excruciating deliberation, it felt like the only way forward. I will look back knowing that we gave it our all in love and passion, blood, sweat and tears – and Post-Its with our dreams.
We have come so far from so little, empowered women with unparalleled comfort, and have done so knowing we’ve upheld our integrity to the end. I am confident we will have created a lasting influence.
Our sincerest gratitude is to you:
A sincere and heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey. You have been the most loyal and trusting in our brand vision, and we couldn’t have accomplished so much without you.
I am grateful to each and every one of you who has touched this journey: our inspiring customers, the investors who backed our vision, our visionary suppliers, and especially our team, past and present.
What happens from here:
We are committed to serving you well through to early December as we celebrate this final run together.
- The Greatest Hits Collection, a compilation of our newest designs and bestselling icons, is our last and final season. After this, we will not be restocking any more styles or sizes
- Our website and customer experience will continue to serve you with excellence
- Our St. Christopher’s Place store is open until early December, and our DAI DNA™ Styling Appointments are here to help you find your perfect fit and ensure the best chance of your style and sizing availability
For the remaining Dai team, we are committed to making sure they are supported through this period too. We have extended notice periods and above-statutory packages to support their transition into the next phase of their careers. If you love what we do, please feel free to reach out and ask about our team.
Time to celebrate:
Whilst this is particularly difficult news, I believe this is also a time of celebration. It has been an amazing, unforgettable ride, and we will be forever grateful for the experience. We hope you will join us and celebrate the brand in these final months – please do share our message far and wide so we can empower as many women as possible in this final chapter.
With love and gratitude,
