Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf are stopping producing ready-to-wear clothing to concentrate on high-end couture. The duo will not show during Paris fashion week in March as they usually do and their shop in Paris will close in March 2016.

Viktor & Rolf want to concentrate on their ‘artistic backgrounds’, they said earlier this week. The decision was reached together with Renzo Rosso, who owns fashion company Only The Brave which has had a majority stake in their brand since 2008.

Rosso says the decision to stop with ready-to-wear, which was only sold in a handful of shops worldwide, is strategic and will position the brand in the highest luxury segment of fashion.’

The duo also have five perfumes, made in an alliance with L’Oréal. Flowerbomb, in particular, is a big seller.

‘We feel a strong need to refocus on our artistic roots. We have always used fashion to communicate, it is our primary means of artistic expression,’ designer Viktor Horsting told Womens Wear Daily. He and his design partner Rolf Snoeren had  ‘started to feel creatively restricted’ by the ready-to-wear schedule.