Nick Cave on the closure of wife Susie’s fashion company The Vampire’s Wife – and how it helped her deal with the loss of their son
Nick Cave has spoken about the closure of his wife Susie’s fashion brand The Vampire’s Wife, revealing that the venture helped her to process the loss of their son.
It was announced last month that the company would be shutting its doors. “After ten years as The Creative Director of The Vampire’s Wife, it is time for me to say goodbye,” read an Instagram post from Susie Cave.
“I say this with great sadness and want to express my undying gratitude to you all for your support. I wish to thank my extended family at The Vampire’s Wife who helped me create such beautiful things. I cannot describe how much you have all meant to me. I love you all, Susie x.”
And now, in a post on his blog The Red Hand Files, Nick Cave has responded to fan questions about the closure.
“For Susie, the label’s end amounts to a kind of grief, but she is an extraordinarily resilient woman, sometimes shockingly so,” he wrote. “She feels many things at the moment – sad, happy, angry, nostalgic, regretful and proud, but most importantly, she feels suddenly free.”
He continued: “And as much as I don’t want this post to appear as me shamelessly venerating my wife (as I am occasionally disposed to do), I do want to tell you this – The Vampire’s Wife was not just a clothing company, it was a pure and necessary articulation of the grief that Susie felt in the wake of the death of our son, Arthur.”
In July 2015, Arthur Cave died after falling from a cliff near Brighton at the age of 15. The 2019 album ‘Ghosteen’ was written in the aftermath of the tragedy.
“The Vampire’s Wife was Susie’s Ghosteen,” Cave’s post continued. “Just as I tried through music to create a place for Arthur to be, real or imagined, Susie’s dresses were an attempt to give her grief form by throwing fabric over an invisible boy, as an act of love, an act of mercy, and an act of contrition.
“That is the truth of it – as softly spoken and dream-like as the dresses themselves – the clothes Susie created were objects of devotion, sacred things that will live on regardless of the brand’s fortunes.”
The high-end brand, sported by the likes of Florence Welch, Kate Moss, Kylie Minogue, the Princess of Wales, first opened in 2014. It was known for its Falconetti dress which featured sharp shoulder pads and a cinched waist as well as its use of jewel-toned and brightly coloured lamé fabrics.
The brand was also known for its custom beaded tote bags worn by Harry Styles, Brad Pitt and more.
“Despite a period of positive growth and sales, the upheaval in the wholesale market has had dramatic implications for the brand,” read a statement from the brand.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, meanwhile, are preparing to release their 18th studio album ‘Wild God’ on August 30. It will be comprised of 10 songs and will see the band move between themes of convention and experimentation – introducing left-turns that heighten the rich imagery and emotive narratives created by the frontman. You can pre-order the LP here.
“I hope the album has the effect on listeners that it’s had on me. It bursts out of the speaker, and I get swept up with it. It’s a complicated record, but it’s also deeply and joyously infectious,” Cave said of the upcoming release.
In preparation for the album’s release, the band have shared part one of ‘The Making Of Wild God’ featuring Radiohead‘s Colin Greenwood.
Directed by Megan Cullen and recorded at Miraval Studios in France, the new exclusive footage provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds created their LP.
Two singles have been released from the album so far, in the form of the title track and ‘Frogs’.
Cave has also announced a 2024 UK and Europe tour set to kick off in Germany this September, continuing through October before a UK leg in November. You can buy tickets here (UK and Ireland) and here (Europe).
The post Nick Cave on the closure of wife Susie’s fashion company The Vampire’s Wife – and how it helped her deal with the loss of their son appeared first on NME.
Max Pilley
NME
