Interest
Gothic Lolita Clothing Brand Algonquins Declared Bankrupt
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Gothic Lolita clothing brand Algonquins was declared bankrupt by the Tokyo district court on March 1. The business had a debt of approximately 260 million yen (US$2.3 million).
Algonquins was first established in 1987, and gained a name for itself by providing the clothing worn by youth-oriented magazine models and visual-kei bands. At its peak, it had approximately 20 branches throughout Japan. In 2007, it reported sales of 1.5 billion yen (US$14 million). The business cited the increased competition and the wane of the visual-kei boom as the reason for its declining sales. On January 20, 2019, Algonquins closed its Umeda branch.
Since the closure, the official website still sells products, but only in a limited capacity. The shop website closed for maintenance on February 28.
Gothic lolita is a fashion subculture from Japan that is influenced by Victorian and Edwardian children's clothing and styles. The subculture gained prominence in the 1990s and 2000s, but has waned in the 2010s. In 2017, lolita fashion magazine FRUiTS ceased publication, while Gothic & Lolita Bible was put on hiatus.
Source: Tokyo Shoko Research, Algonquins official blog via Nijimen
