Brisbane-founded fashion brand Black Milk has entered voluntary administration, 17 years after its founding.

Linda Lillis and the late James Lillis co-founded the brand, which grew to an online-first alternative fashion brand with a loyal customer base known as ‘Sharkies’. In a statement to its customers, Linda said the business “became an enormous part of our lives and grew into something neither of us could ever have imagined”.

Lillis said the voluntary administration process has not impacted trading and said that the company’s employees remain in place. Apex Advisory has been appointed as administrators.

“Voluntary administration gives the business an opportunity to explore what comes next,” she added. “We don’t yet know what the outcome of that process will be, and I don’t want to make promises about something that is now in the hands of the administrators.”

“What I can say is that entering administration does not necessarily mean the end of Black Milk, and we very much hope it isn’t.”

Earlier this year, Black Milk faced backlash from its community when it closed the last of its manufacturing operations in Australia, offshoring the process to China and moving on from its ‘Made in Australia’ label. 

“Over the past few years, BlackMilk has undertaken significant change to respond to a very different retail environment and build a more sustainable business,” Lillis said.

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