After the fashion firm fell into voluntary administration in November 2019, owners initially saw the future of the brand as operating a smaller retail footprint alongside a larger focus online.
However when potential investors got cold feet due to the impact of COVID-19 on the retail sector, CEO Basil Artemedes and founder and creative director Carol Skoufis saw an opportunity for a far more radical transformation.
Repurchased by the founder, and with all of its retail doors closed during the voluntary administration process, Bardot is relaunching as a pureplay online retailer – something that the pair had considered before but were unable to achieve.
“We’ve grown through the last 23 years as a retailer, and put a lot of focus on what we can do within the four walls of a store, from a design perspective, we want to define that core DNA and put it online without the constrictions on price and volume. We can take a different direction now and focus on quality and premium design.” – Artemedes
Part of the transformation the brand is undertaking involves a significant step away from the fast-fashion space where it made its name, with Skoufis driving a push for a more premium, sustainable focus for the brand moving forward.
