According to Fashionista, which has spoken to a few people within Band of Outsiders, the brand is "done." The L.A.-based prep staple has laid off a majority of its staff and cancelled wholesale orders for its F/W 15 collection. BoO has been a menswear staple since Scott Sternberg (pictured above) founded the brand in 2004 as a men's tie and shirting company, since expanding into other areas including women's along the way. The news that it is presumably in the process of shutting its doors forever comes as a surprise, especially when considering the brand's accolades, from a GQ's Best New Menswear Designers in America nomination in the magazine's inaugural crop to a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund nomination in 2008. Band took on investment in 2013 that led to the brand's first ever store in Tokyo and even opened its first U.S. stand alone retail location in New York just last fall. Whether the company had been going through deeper, hidden financial troubles or if this is just the period on the statement that prep is finally dead (though we could just as easily point to Rugby's closing on that front) we'll have to wait and see as more details emerge. The brand's press team declined to comment.
