By Aimee Chanthadavong

sass & bide founders Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke have confirmed they will remain in the business as creative director and brand director respectively, following reports they had resigned from their positions.

Issuing an official statement to the media, the pair said: “There are no changes planned for the sass & bide business.  It will continue to operate completely separately and with complete autonomy from the Myer business. sass & bide will retain its autonomy of management and most importantly, of design.

“The management, creative direction and strategic direction of the company remain completely separate from Myer and in the control of executive chairman David Briskin, managing director Megan Foster, Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke.”

The statement comes after Fairfax had reported the creative duo was stepping down as directors of the label, which they created 14 years ago and claimed Myer “has filled the board positions on the fashion label’s holding company Boogie & Boogie Pty Ltd as well as a string of subsidiary companies under the sass & bide livery”.

Myer acquired the remaining 35 per cent share of the sass & bide business back in September 2013. The department store has held a majority stake in the business since February 2013 and according to Middleton and Clarke neither transactions have had “no implications in the running of the sass & bide business”.

“It’s been close to 15 years since we launched sass & bide and we’re looking forward to the next chapter. The September announcement brings with it a fresh energy for the future, and as we expand internationally, it's an exciting time for the business,” Clarke said.

Reiterating the growing success of the business, sass & bide said since 2011 the company has “delivered a consistently strong performance, growing sales by 45 per cent and more than doubling profit over the period”.

The fashion duo is also opening its first international flagship boutique in Soho, New York on 20th November 2013.

“At every stage along the way, the business has maintained its integrity, creative spirit and its autonomy. That will remain long into the future,” Middleton said.

“It’s always been our dream to see sass & bide flourish internationally and now that’s a reality, we couldn’t be happier. sass & bide is our baby and always will be.”