It’s the end of the road for DAI

Sustainable women’s performance brand Dai has today announced its closure, taking to Instagram to tell its loyal following to expect the online and the St. Christopher’s Place store to close in early December.

The B Corp-certified brand has been described as "Versatile, luxe workwear and sustainability at its core" by The Independent. It's renowned for its eco-friendly performance fabrics and elegant tailoring. Despite its recent successes, such as opening a brick-and-mortar store in Seven Dials last year, the company has decided to close its doors due to the "current financial environment".

DAI is going out with one last bang, releasing its Autumn/Winter 2023 collection, aptly named the Greatest Hits Collection.

Joanna Dai, Founder of Dai, took to social media writing: "It is with a heavy heart that I share that we are approaching the end of our Dai journey."

Dai continued by telling the story of the brand's start: "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."

Not only did Dai establish the brand to champion female empowerment, but also with a commitment to the planet and sustainability.

She continued: "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."

After six years, hitting record sales and opening eight brick-and-mortar stores, "it still wasn’t quite enough". With sustainability at its core, the company refused to take shortcuts to achieve fast-paced commercial growth.

The founder went on to explain the "near-impossible challenge" of keeping the company afloat after facing unprecedented global events as well as the macro and financial environment.

Customers can get their hands on The Greatest Hits Collection in-store and online up until December.