Yesterday the business sections of newspapers and websites published news of fashion designer Lisa Ho’s business demise. After 30 years as one of Australia’s most successful fashion brands, Lisa Ho has been forced into administration and is closing down all stores.
Lisa’s fame as a household fashion name has been a double-edged sword. Instant brand name recognition can be an enormous advantage when times are good. But it can seem terribly intrusive during bad times. Most of the country would be aware of the personal and financial issues that have plagued her during the past few years.
I have known Lisa on a personal level since 1997 when I took on the editorship of ELLE Australia. I was drawn to her unique mix of success and humility. Sixteen years ago Lisa Ho was one of the few very successful Australian fashion brands. The brand was a beacon of financial success in an industry that so many others found hard to crack. Supermodels and celebrities were regularly wearing her signature gowns on red carpets internationally. She was also expanding her brand into new lines, namely lingerie and swimwear.
Every editor loves a scoop and a monthly fashion magazine editor is no different. When I was informed of Lisa’s impending splash into swimwear in early 1999, I wanted to launch it first to the public on my September ELLE cover. It was an exciting time to be leading with that exclusive. We dressed Australia’s model of the moment and ELLE magazine favourite Sarah O’Hare (now Murdoch) in a luxurious pastel green Lisa Ho bikini and stood her in front of a fire engine red wall. The cover was stunning and September 1999 remains one of my proudest ELLE editions. It sold like crazy. Back then anything bearing the Lisa Ho label did too.
In the late nineties, my sons were still dancing to The Wiggles and I was at the height of my career/motherhood juggling act. I would take my young sons to the evening sessions at Australian Fashion Week and they would sit cross-legged at my feet in the front row during the Lisa Ho show as she didn’t seem to mind. Lisa’s children were roughly the same age and sitting front row too.
Years later my dealings with Lisa became purely personal when I moved on from the world of fashion media. Our eldest sons were in the same year at school and we have close friends in common. She is a wonderful friend to those she is close to and a devoted mother to her three children.
It doesn’t matter why things have fallen apart for Lisa. In days and weeks to come media outlets may well pick over the detail of her life, highlighting the decisions that may have caused the unraveling. All that matters now to friends and family is that Lisa is given the support and respect she deserves. After an incredible 30-year ride at the top of the fickle retail industry, Lisa Ho can hold her head high.