Margie Romney-Aslett Out At Authentique Paper

Authentique Paper, which will make its official debut at CHA Summer 2011 in Chicago next week, has announced the departure of headline designer Margie Romney-Aslett.

The formation of Authentique had only been publicly announced in mid-June. The company's first four product lines are already shipping to stores ahead of the CHA Summer 2011 show, and are moving well and generating a lot of positive buzz for the company. Authentique is widely expected to be one of the hits of the CHA Summer show in Chicago.

Before joining Authentique, Romney-Aslett previously had launched a signature line with Advantus, called The Girls Paperie, in January 2010. That line’s three CHA showings were quite successful, culminating at CHA Winter 2011. In April of this year, however, Advantus announced that it was releasing Romney-Aslett from her contract with them at her request. A few days following her release from Advantus, the paperwork that formed Authentique Paper was filed with the State of Utah.

Despite the success of the company's initial release, apparently all was not well behind the scenes. Authentique Paper co-owner Samantha Wheatley had this to say to Scrapbook Update on behalf of herself and co-owner Bret Cornell:

As sole owners of Authentique Paper, LLC, we cite creative differences and poor working relations as the basis for our termination of Margie Aslett as an independent contractor, and feel this decision was in the best long-term interest of our company. We report no other changes in personnel. We reaffirm that we will: Remain fully dedicated to growing our business, provide quality service to retailers who carry our brand, and continue our commitment to the customers who enjoy our products. We wish Margie nothing but the best as a teacher in the industry.

In an emotional blog post today, Romney-Aslett confirmed her departure from Authentique:

i will no longer be part of the Authentique team. it just wasn’t the right fit for me. i am proud of the job i did there. the product I concepted and help create is beautiful. the graphic designers i was fortunate enough to work with were amazing. i am looking forward to  the future and the projects i am working on right now. i love what i do. and will continue to do it.

So, what does it mean to Authentique Paper to lose its "face" that was familiar to consumers? Authentique Paper's Samantha Wheatley described to Scrapbook Update in a statement the founders' vision for the company:

The strength of Authentique Paper is not found in one person or idea. The brand itself was created with the input and ideas of many creative forces and in order for Authentique Paper to be truly “authentic,” they are committed to maintaining standards of excellence and running a business with team members who are willing to combine their individual strengths to make Authentique Paper an unstoppable brand.

Four of Authentique Paper's collections -- Blissful, Uncommon, Splendid, and Journey -- are already in stores. A Halloween collection called "Glowing" and a Christmas collection called "Wonder" will also debut at CHA Summer 2011. An additional product release is scheduled for early fall 2011.

Even without a role at Authentique Paper, Romney-Aslett will still be a presence in the industry for her many fans. She continues to run The Girl's Loft kit club with her daughters Megan and Brooke. Romney-Aslett also remains a partner in the Spark creative retreat that will take place in October that she co-founded. Also, Romney-Aslett tells Scrapbook Update that paper designs from The Girls Paperie lines may be appearing in other forms in the near future through licensing agreements, and that she may be teaching some classes via her blog.