A Manchester-based menswear fashion brand specialising in statement shirts, has been rescued from administration in a deal brokered by administrator Leonard Curtis.
Blake Mill was founded in 2018 by Steve French, Ken Price and Ross French, and its shirts range from more formal traditional menswear products like plain and Oxford shirts to statement design-led prints, including a fund raising 2023 collection in partnership with mental health charity MIND (main picture). The brand also hosted a pop-up shop in Manchester’s Fourways House in January, again as a fund raiser in partnership with the nationwide mental health charity.
The brand also made some high profile appointments to its advisory board over the years, including Ted Baker’s former global creative director Anthony Cuthbertson in 2023, Ken Hoang, a Silicon Valley veteran with “a rich history in identifying and leveraging market changing technologies” in the same year, and former former divisional CFO of Procter & Gamble Samy Zekhout. Farooq Ansari, the one-time business development director of Dept and CEO of Reason Digital, also joined the online-focused brand as digital director shortly after launch back in 2019, for a near-two year stint.
Last year, the business celebrated securing a listing at national department store giant John Lewis to complement its main online offering.
However, last month Hilary Pascoe and Andrew Poxon of Leonard Curtis were appointed joint administrators of Blake Mill Ltd.
Pascoe and Poxon have now successfully concluded a sale of the business and its assets, which will enable continuity of the business and the successful transfer of three employees.
Lead administrator Pascoe said: “Following a formal administration process, the business assets of Blake Mill Limited have been successfully acquired by Createx Holdings Limited. The transaction ensures continuity for the Blake Mill brand under new ownership.
“Createx Holdings Ltd is currently progressing strategic plans for the business, with a focus on strengthening its market position and delivering long-term value for the loyal customers of the Blake Mill brand.
He added: “They will share further updates in due course.”
