Jeffrey Rudes has put his luxury men’s wear collection on hold.
In May, the Los Angeles-based Rudes closed his 5,800-square-foot store at 57 Greene Street in Soho. The store opened in July 2015 and it was home to his eponymously named collection. It was his only brick and mortar store and had also served as the setting for his menswear presentations during the New York Fashion Week.
During the closing of his store, Rudes said he was planning to focus on the brand’s more booming online business and select wholesale accounts. Last Week, there was an eviction notice pinned to the front door of the shop, citing nonpayment of rent and a return of the empty retail location to the landlord, 57-63 Greene Realty LLC.
Via e-mail, Rudes said he “gave the store back to the landlord last month.” At the same time, he addressed a line on his former e-commerce site that read: “Coming back soon.”
Rudes also wrote: “I put the business on hiatus for a while. I am reworking the business model to enter into the luxury designer market from another point of view.”
Rudes is best known as the founder of J Brand, a business he started off in 2005. He resigned as Chief Executive Officer back in May 2014 after he sold his equity in the business. Fast Retailing Co. acquired control of 80.1 percent of the brand for $300 million in December 2012.
He launched the Jeffrey Rudes collection in 2015 with headquarters in Los Angeles and a design and production studio in Bologna, Italy. The business was self-funded.
