Top 10 Fashion Brands That Don't Exist Anymore
#10: Cheap Monday
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It would be easy to mistake the original logo for Cheap Monday as that of an extreme heavy metal band. And, given the former clothing brand’s origins were in Sweden, a hotbed for that genre, we wouldn’t fault you. However, what Cheap Monday actually did was design very cool looking jeans, shirts and hats from their Stockholm headquarters, getting them into stores all around the world. Cheap Monday gear was, at one point, distributed within Urban Outfitters, Barney’s and more, before eventually being sold to H&M. That parent company then folded the Cheap Monday brand, due to poor sales, in 2019.
#9: Martin + Osa
It isn’t uncommon for your favorite clothing retailer to try and launch their own brand inhouse. Martin + Osa was one such attempt from American Eagle Outfitters, a fashion brand that marketed its style towards American Eagle’s older clientele. A lot of jeans were offered by Martin + Osa, as well as clothing aesthetics that attempted to bridge newer trends with classic styles. Unfortunately, the brand failed to catch on in a major way, and only lasted from September of 2006 to July of 2010, not even making it to a five year anniversary.
#8: Anchor Blue Clothing Company
Whereas American Eagle’s Martin + Osa brand turned its attention to that company’s older customers, the Anchor Blue Clothing Company always focused their sales on attracting the youth market. Their branded clothing aesthetic was comfy and casual, an attempt to be as on-trend and viable an option as possible for school age kids shopping at the mall. Anchor Blue’s history actually dates back all the way to the 1940s, when it was founded under the name Miller’s Surplus. However, that company’s focus on jeans and military gear eventually saw it pivot to the Anchor Blue brand, whereby the new focus was on original apparel. The tactic flourished for a while, but Anchor Blue officially shuttered its doors in 2011.
#7: Arpeja
The fashion boom of the Swinging Sixties was what inspired Arpeja to tread similar ground after first being incorporated back in 1961. The latter part of the decade, and particularly the 1970s, saw Arpeja develop multiple fashion lines under their brand, including Young Edwardian, Young Victorian, and Organically Grown. Television’s Lynda Carter, “Wonder Woman” herself, was a famous Arpeja spokesperson, and enabled the brand to flourish into the late ‘70s. All good things came to an end, however, and Arpeja was eventually closed in 1979, with those aforementioned lines being sold to companies like Marshalls and TJ Maxx.
#6: Arden B
Hey, do you remember Wet Seal? The Los Angeles-based retailer was once a force to be reckoned with in many local malls. Arden B was a sub-fashion brand launched by Wet Seal in 1998, offering different styles of clothes than its parent brand, as well as feminine focused accessories. The Arden B brand did fairly well for Wet Seal, with over fifty stores dedicated solely to this business venture being scattered across the United States. However, Wet Seal eventually closed down the Arden B brand in the spring of 2014.
#5: Bill Gibb
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The miniskirt was a huge deal for women in the 1960s and ‘70s, and it was fashion designers like Mary Quant and Bill Gibb that helped make them that way. Gibb’s fashion brand wasn’t a one trick pony in this regard, however, and his aesthetic would incorporate everything from knits and nature designs to fur, leather…even shoe design! Famous actors and models such as Twiggy would wear Bill Gibb during the height of their fame, and the Scottish artist’s personal stamp was all over his myriad and imaginative designs. Unfortunately, Gibb’s creative soul didn’t make him good with finance, and his operations had fizzled out by the late 1980s.
#4: Thea Porter
Thea Porter was a cultured, educated and insanely talented artist who thrived within multiple mediums. She was a linguist, an artist and a notable fashion designer, graduating into the medium after experimenting with interior design. Porter had a number of high profile clients over the course of her career, from rock stars like Mick Jagger to movie icons, such as Sharon Tate. Her attempts at opening boutiques rarely lasted a couple years, but her specialty sales flourished into the seventies and eighties. Sadly, Porter, like Bill Gibb, wasn’t cut out for the financial end of things, and her business ventures could never truly thrive. Thea Porter’s eye for fashion may have fizzled out, but it will never fade away.
#3: Zac Posen
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We mentioned the iconic New York City fashion retailer Barney’s earlier in our list. The news of designer Zac Posen shutting down his fashion brand in 2019 occurred right around the same time as Barney’s announced its bankruptcy filing. It was a blow for those who had carried the torch for Posen’s majorly successful brand, which had expanded nationwide into retail stores like Target. Posen designed for Delta Airlines, and had stars like Sofia Vergara, Uma Thurman and Naomi Campbell wear his clothes. It seems strange that such a powerful force in fashion would go out with a whimper, rather than a bang, and it was truly a sad day for everyone involved at the House of Z.
#2: Sasson Jeans
If you watched any television during the 1970s, then it’s highly likely that you caught multiple different ad campaigns for Sasson Jeans. This American denim company was extremely popular during their day, and marketed their clothing in a universally approachable way. This made Sasson Jeans feel like the fancy duds you could afford, yet which also made just about anyone look good. Their appeal felt universal, but trends change, and not every fashion brand can thrive forever. The Jordache Company eventually lured away Sasson co-founder Maurice Sasson away from his company to work for the competition, and Sasson Jeans were no longer a thing by the time 1987 rolled around.
#1: Bugle Boy
Bugle Boy’s founder William Mow actually got his start working in the tech field as an electrical engineer. What does this have to do with menswear, you may ask? Absolutely nothing, which is why it's so remarkable that Mow was able to pivot in such a huge way. The Bugle Boy brand was everywhere during the 1980s and into the ‘90s, but failed financially around the dawn of the new millennium. The brand did both traditional fare, like jeans and jorts, as well as trendy experiments of the day, such as parachute pants. Ultimately, however, this Bugle Boy ended up playing “Taps” by the time 2001 came to a close. Do you wish any of these iconic fashion brands would make a stylistic comeback? Let us know in the comments!
