Is designers leaving their namesake labels a new trend? Just a couple of months after Simon Spurr announced his departure from six year old label Simon Spurr, WWD is reporting that Doo-Ri Chung has decided to leave Doo.Ri, the clothing company she founded in 2001. Like Spurr's move, Chung's is difficult to understand. WWD offers zero details on why Chung left or what she plans to do next and, by all accounts, the label had a pretty good couple of years. She dressed Michelle Obama for a state dinner honoring South Korea (Chung is Korean-American) and designed a high-profile Macy's capsule collections--two projects that boosted the designer's name recognition significantly.

Is designers leaving their namesake labels a new trend? Just a couple of months after Simon Spurr announced his departure from six year old label Simon Spurr, WWD is reporting that Doo-Ri Chung has decided to leave Doo.Ri, the clothing company she founded in 2001.

Like Spurr's move, Chung's is difficult to understand. WWD offers zero details on why Chung left or what she plans to do next and, by all accounts, the label had a pretty good couple of years. She dressed Michelle Obama for a state dinner honoring South Korea (Chung is Korean-American) and designed a high-profile Macy's capsule collections--two projects that boosted the designer's name recognition significantly. And, back in 2006, the talented designer, a Parsons alum, won both the CFDA Fashion Award for Swarovski/Perry Ellis’ Up and Coming Designer of the Year and the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

At the Macy's launch, Chung told us

I’m still a very small, young designer. I’m still considered ‘niche’ and I’m always hesitant about being associated with someone that’s much bigger than I am. We’re still trying to make a place for ourselves, and I think having an association with Macy’s will definitely override that. But I think in the end, the partnership was beneficial for everybody.

Guess it wasn't beneficial enough. Tharanco Group, the company that owns Doo.Ri (and a few other low-profile brands), told WWD it “wishes Chung well in all her future endeavors.” As for what's to come of the label, "market sources" told the trade that Tharanco may sell the firm or shift to a licensing model. And that's all we know. Another fashion mystery for us to ponder.