‘Most difficult chapter of our lives’: Owners of collapsed activewear brand Stax issue public apology
The co-founders of collapsed activewear brand Stax have broken their silence with an emotional message to customers after the company appointed liquidators and paused orders.
Stax, which operated online and has two boutique Sydney stores, was placed into receivership in June, just four years after their founders were named on the AFR Rich List.
Stax activewear brand founders Don Robertson and partner Matilda Murray have broken their silence in a statement. James Brickwood
Founders Don Robertson and Matilda Murray spoke directly to customers in a lengthy message on social media, describing the past few weeks as “the most difficult chapter of our lives”.
The pair had not spoken publicly about the embattled brand’s future until now.
In a statement shared to Instagram, the couple acknowledged that customers are “frustrated, disappointed and understandably upset” that orders have not been fulfilled.
“I want you to know that we have heard you,” the statement continued.
“First and foremost, we’re truly sorry for this and for not communicating earlier.
“Stax was built over more than a decade with an incredible community and knowing that so many of our customers have been impacted is something we carry every day.”
Robertson and Murray said that the company is now in the hands of receivers.
Any decision regarding outstanding orders remains under their remit.
“I know that doesn’t change the frustration or disappointment so many of you are feeling,” they said in the joint statement.
“If you placed an order and haven’t received it, we completely understand why you’re upset.”
The couple told customers to contact their credit card or bank to “ask about the options available to you”, including initiating a chargeback process.
They went on to thank their community for sticking by Stax for more than 10 years.
“Thank you as well to those who have shown us kindness during what has been the most difficult chapter of our lives,” Robertson and Murray added.
The cult activewear brand officially appointed liquidators on Friday as the brand urgently seeks a buyer to save it from collapse.
Brian Raymond Silvia and Michael Charles Hird of Cascap Advisory were appointed joint liquidators for the embattled brand and its entities, including Stax Retail, Stax GPT and Stax Westfield, on Friday, according to a notice lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
The Stax store in the Sydney CBD closed after the company went into receivership. Nicole Douglas
The group is now undergoing an “urgent” assessment of its business and operations.
Stax informed customers that its Pitt Street Westfield store has since been closed, and the online store is not accepting new orders during the assessment.
Robertson started the brand in 2015 out of his mother’s house before it grew to a multimillion-dollar clothing line.
The couple relocated to Sydney in 2019, building a team of more than 50 employees and 12 physical stores, 10 of which were shut by 2022.
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