Twenty-seven names announces closure of last Auckland store

Twenty-seven names will close their last remaining Auckland store in Newmarket. Photo / Instagram

An independent New Zealand fashion store has announced the closure of its last remaining Auckland store.

Twenty-seven names shared on social media that “after 10 years, we’re closing our Newmarket store”.

Their last day of retail trade on Newmarket’s Teed St is February 15.

The closure ends almost 12 years of retail operations in the city, the brand opened their first Auckland store on Ponsonby Rd in April 2014.

Their Wellington store on Ghuznee St in Te Aro, remains open.

The brand admit closing Teed St was a sad decision, saying “we’re a little emo about it”.

“But we’re not in a position to renew the lease, and we’re choosing to honour the decade we had in that beautiful space rather than stretch it beyond what feels right.”

The Teed St shuttering comes eight months after brand founders Rachel Easting and Anjali Stewart announced they would be closing their Commercial Bay boutique at the end of May 2025, after five years in the downtown Auckland mall.

At the time of that announcement the brand said: “It’s no secret that retail is tough right now, so we’re grateful for every one of you who supported our city store and will continue to visit us IRL.

“Keep shopping local, and supporting NZ-made whenever you can - it truly makes a difference.”

Twenty-seven names designers Rachel Easting and Anjali Stewart.

Lifelong best friends, Easting and Stewart began making clothing together while studying at Otago Polytechnic. They established their fashion business straight away, initially called Love Lies Bleeding, their label re-branded as twenty-seven names in 2007 when an American company gained control of international copyright usage of ‘love-lies-bleeding’.

Known for their appealing prints, artistic references and playful designs the brand has produced their garments locally since inception, aligning with their commitment to sustainability, ethical production and supporting local industry.

Reflecting on this closure and their decade operating in Newmarket, the brand say “we opened Newmarket with the collection Still Life, inspired by Judy Chicago’s iconic feminist artwork The Dinner Party - which feels fitting, because everything we do is, in some way, a feminist statement about the capacity of ‘female craft’ to shape culture and challenge the status quo.

“And that includes knowing when to tell the truth and step away with integrity.”

The Wellington store remains open. Photo / Supplied

Earlier this month clothing brand Ruby announced it is closing its Auckland High St store after 24 years, citing safety concerns, a changing energy in the CBD and a need for a bigger space.

At the end of last year designer James Dobson announced plans to wind down most operations of his label Jimmy D by February.