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DIOR HOMME creative director Kris Van Assche has announced that he is set to press pause on his eponymous brand. The designer revealed that he will "take a break" from producing collections under the 10-year-old label in order to focus on his Dior role.

"Times are tough for independent labels," Van Assche admitted to WWD. "This wonderful adventure has reached a point where I feel the need to take a break and some distance to better think about how to develop my brand in the future."

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Read more: Kris Van Assche Autumn/Winter 2015 Menswear

Like Band of Outsiders, which it emerged yesterday may also be set to close, Kris Van Assche is stocked in around 30 countries worldwide. Neither label will produce or distribute its autumn/winter 2015 collection.

Many LVMH-controlled brands through the years have enlisted creative directors who also operate an signature label. Unlike Marc Jacobs (who helmed Louis Vuitton), JW Anderson (currently at Loewe) and John Galliano (formerly of Dior), whose eponymous labels were also owned by LVMH, Van Assche's is currently independent of the conglomerate. Although he has not disclosed the investment structure, Van Assche confirmed that his brand's survival thus far was due to "the financial support of friends."

Read more: Dior Homme Autumn/Winter 2015 Menswear

"Awaiting the right project for my label, I will now focus on Dior Homme in order to enhance what I have been working on during my first eight years as men's artistic director for Dior," he added.