Oishi-m to close early next year

TORQUAY retailer Oishi-m has announced it will close its doors early next year, with owner Miyo Fallshaw saying “we haven’t quite been able to make it work independently and profitably”.

In a statement on the Oishi-m website, Ms Fallshaw said the children’s clothing brand would release only two more ranges, with the Autumn 2019 range (to be released in early February) to be its last.

“Leaving our mission when there’s still so much to do is one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever made.”

She said Oishi-m’s mission included “empowering kids to be kids, in all their quirky and colourful splendour” and

“fostering original Australian design and creativity that could grow with your kids and hold up to their rugged adventures”.

“From humble beginnings well over a decade ago, we’ve progressed this mission every single year.

“With the support of you, our incredible customers, we’ve spread that stoke in ever greater reach.

“If we just look at last year alone, we released more original products than any other year previous, we achieved our highest quality standards ever, had record breaking days, we became B-Corp certified, we sold to customers in more countries globally, we were recognised with the Geelong region’s highest business award, and we donated to more parents facing hard times than ever before.

“And it still wasn’t quite enough.” She said “running an independent brand comes with enormous demands”, and “all these investments take time, funds and energy”.

“And despite getting super close, we haven’t quite been able to make it work independently and profitably.

“Thank you for your care, custom and kindness, and we hope we can continue to serve you well through these last months of Oishi-m. Thanks for the ride, it’s been amazing, we have learnt so much and we will be forever grateful for the experience.”