We've know for some weeks now that NexCen-owned Bill Blass was pretty much doomed. And now it's official: The label is closing. The New York Times reports that the company will shutter its Seventh Avenue showroom and eliminate the 30 remaining jobs there as soon as Friday. From 2003 to 2007, Michael Vollbracht designed the line. He told the Times that he'd heard the company had to close owing to the crap economy. “The demise of Bill Blass is not just saddening,” he lamented. “It’s another rude awakening to this industry, I think.”

Indeed, things have been especially rocky these past six months for the label. Peter Som left, NexCen couldn't find a buyer, and retailers passed on Som's spring 2009 line because of so much uncertainty within the company. NexCen is still trying to sell the Bill Blass name with the hope that someone else can revive the runway collection.

Blass to Close [On the Runway/NYT]