On day three of the latest Deciem saga, the company’s web site was replaced with a blank red page, and most of the company’s stores were closed.
Stores that were open Tuesday — like New York’s Prince Street location — were closed Wednesday. The Ordinary store on West Broadway in SoHo even had a chain lock on the door.
The web site disruption and further store closures are just in the latest odd happenings at the fast-growing company. Founder Brandon Truaxe announced on Instagram on Monday that the business would close until further notice, but that day, Deciem’s storefronts remained open.
“This is the final post of Deciem, which we will shut down all operations until further notice, which is about two months…Please take me seriously… almost everyone at Deciem has been involved in a major criminal activity, which includes financial crimes,” Truaxe said.
The site had been taken down before, replaced with a mathematical Pi sign on Monday, but was back up and functioning normally after that incident. Shoppers looking to buy Deciem’s products can still access them through the brand web sites — on Wednesday morning, TheOrdinary.com was up and running, as was Niod.com. Truaxe did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
The Deciem web site shut down follows that of nearly all Deciem store locations. On Tuesday, stores in Canada, the U.S. and London appeared to be closed. One location on New York’s Fifth Avenue had a sign on the door that read, “Please Don’t Get Mad. We are currently closed for an unforeseen concern.” Wednesday, all stores except those in Mexico City, appeared to be closed.
These are just the latest in a string of unusual events for Deciem — which bills itself as The Abnormal Beauty Company — in 2018. Early in the year, Truaxe started posting erratically on Instagram, where he’d reveal things like business announcements, or that he was changing his title from chief executive officer to “worker.” Then, co-ceo Nicola Kilner was let go from her position. She rejoined the business in July.
It’s a departure from the momentum the business had built in prior years, garnering attention for its low-priced, clinical-sounding products and adoption of radical transparency. The brand even launched with Sephora that year but quickly pulled out.
Through all of that, Deciem’s sales were said to be soaring. The business did about $140 million in sales for 2017, and as of July, sales were said to be at about $300 million.
For more from WWD.com, see:
What’s Happening at Deciem?
Deciem Stores Close, After Founder Announces ‘Shut Down’ on Instagram
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