Aristocratic designer Lady Serena Bute announces her fashion label is closing

Lady Serena Bute, the aristocratic designer known as the Marchioness of Bute, has announced that her eponymous fashion label will close in November, saying she wants to spend more time with her family and grandchildren. The 66-year-old former model launched the brand in 2015, building it into a favourite with celebrities including Kate Moss, Rita Ora and Vogue Williams, and the closure marks the end of a business that became closely tied to her family's prominent role in British fashion and society.

Announcing the decision on social media, Bute said it had been "a very difficult decision" after many years in the industry, adding that she was proud of what the label had achieved and grateful for its loyal community. The brand's current autumn/winter collection will be its last before winding down. Bute's daughters, Jazzy and Lola, run their own label, Debute, continuing the family's fashion connections, while the closure announcement drew messages of support from celebrities including Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley.