Designer Kit Willow dismissed from own label National Fashion Dismissed: Fashion designer Kit Willow. Fashion pioneer Kit Willow has left the brand she launched a decade ago, and one insider described the nature of her departure as "disgraceful." Sources said Ms Willow had not walked away from the Willow label as had been reported but was "dismissed in a horrible way" by the Apparel Group, which acquired a majority shareholding in the business in September 2011. Ms Willow was appointed creative director. A spokeswoman for the Apparel Group, which also owns Sportscraft and Saba, said on Thursday that Ms Willow "is no longer a part of Willow or the Apparel Group." She said Ms Willow and the retail group had reached an agreement on her departure "a few weeks ago." She would not shed any light on why the partnership ended. It's business as usual and, at this point in time, there's nothing further to say. A spokeswoman for Ms Willow said the designer was away and currently unavailable for comment but said "walking away is probably not the right word" for what happened. Another source said Ms Willow's dismissal had come as a "complete shock" and described the Apparel Group's treatment of the designer as "extraordinary." Ms Willow's departure follows a string of fashion departures including Collette Dinnigan, Lisa Ho and Alannah Hill and the announcement this month that sass & bide co-founders Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton had resigned as directors.