Fashion designer Charlie Brown has closed her Sydney boutique but denies her label is in financial strife.
Brown says she closed her Paddington store because traditional bricks and mortar stores are no longer key to her success.
"It's simply not something I need anymore. Business has changed and shopfronts are no longer critical to business," she told News Corp Australia on Wednesday.
"Business has moved online."
Given the current retail conditions and after 13 years in Paddington, it was an easy decision not to renew her lease, she said.
"Some stores are making it and some aren't," Brown said.
"It is a bit tough out there but we just decided that now is the right time."
It brings the number of Charlie Brown boutiques in Australia down to two - one in Melbourne and Brisbane. The label is also a part of Myer's designer collection.
Brown said increased competition from international designers and online shopping was making it tougher for local designers.
"You're only as good as your last collection and you are always under pressure to reinvent yourself," she said.
