Last Monday we reported on the news that Deciem founder Brandon Truaxe had announced his company would be ceasing operations until further notice, citing alleged criminal activity as the cause of the closure.

Alongside the, now deleted, Instagram announcement, WWD reported that Truaxe had sent a mass email firing Co-CEO Nicola Kilner – who he had already fired once in February, only to rehire her in July – as well as chief financial officer Anand Khanzode. Deciem stores closed the following day, Tuesday October 9th, under Truaxe’s orders and the website was shut down.  

The dramatic week continued for the brand, and on Wednesday The Estée Lauder Companies, which owns 28% of Deciem, filed an injunction against Truaxe asking for, among other things, the founder to be removed from the company and for him to be barred from posting to the Deciem social media accounts. Truaxe, as he is wont to do, posted a screenshot to Deciem’s Instagram account of an email from Estée Lauder Companies lawyer, Mark Gelowitz, informing Truaxe of this legal action.

Documents of the lawsuit filed by Lauder stated that Truaxe’s actions were causing “irreparable harm to Deciem’s business,” according to WWD, and detailed his “erratic, irrational, disturbing and highly offensive” behaviour.

On Friday October 12th, an Ontario Superior Court judge granted the injunction and removed Truaxe as Chief Executive of Deciem. Justice Michael Penny also appointed Nicola Kilner as interim CEO, and prohibited Truaxe from destroying, deleting or in any way modifying Deciem’s computer systems and infrastructure, which Estée Lauder were concerned about due to Truaxe’s prior career as a computer programmer.  

By the afternoon, Deciem stores were reopened and on Monday evening the Deciem Instagram account, which has been scrubbed of all Truaxe’s controversial posts and videos, announced the brand's reopening and looked towards the future. “Brandon will always be the founder of DECIEM,” the post states, “We will take the passion and values he has instilled within us as we continue to grow the brands we have created with transparency, integrity, authenticity, function and design. Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts to each and every person who has continued to support our journey. We look forward to sharing what's to come with you.”