Gold Coast influencer Chloe Szepanowski has seen her second business shuttered in a matter of months after her company Chloe Szep Employment was placed into voluntary administration.
The company was closed down on Wednesday with an outstanding debt of $70,000 owed to the Australian Taxation Office, according to the Courier Mail.
The closure marks the second corporate setback for the 27-year-old social media personality this year. The company under which she traded her activewear brand, SZEP, has also ceased trading after Chloe Szep Pty Ltd went into liquidation in March.
Collapse of SZEP Activewear Brand
Szepanowski frequently promoted her apparel range to her 514,000 followers on Instagram, building a prominent online brand around her lifestyle and fitness image.
The activewear business generated a $1.05 million profit in the 2022 financial year. However, the company experienced diminishing financial returns in subsequent years before shutting down operations.
In a recent social media post, Szepanowski said she felt an 'overwhelming mix of emotions' and hinted at her next career moves following the collapse of the brand.
'Thank you for every order, every story shared, and every moment you chose to wear Szep. You made it all worth it. Keep a look out for what's next,' she wrote to her followers.
Voluntary administration is an Australian corporate process where an independent administrator is appointed to take control of a business facing financial difficulties. In Australia, tax debts owed to federal authorities like the taxation office frequently trigger administration proceedings when companies cannot meet insolvency thresholds.
The Gold Coast in South East Queensland has become a major center for digital creators, where prominent online personalities frequently launch commercial direct-to-consumer lifestyle and apparel labels.
Split Rumours with Mitchell Orval
Alongside her corporate difficulties, evidence has emerged suggesting that Szepanowski may also be enduring personal heartbreak.
All signs point to a split for one of Australia's original influencer power couples. In May, Szepanowski and her partner Mitchell Orval saw their on-and-off romance look to be hanging by a thread.
In recent months, the couple have been the subject of intense break-up rumours after telling signs appeared across their social media profiles.
Szepanowski, who became engaged to 30-year-old Orval in June 2024, has removed the word 'fiancée' and her partner's initials from her Instagram bio. The pair share two young sons, Artis, five, and Sunny, three.
The mother of two also unpinned the video reel announcing the couple's engagement, dropping it from its prominent position at the top of her profile grid.
Eagle-eyed followers noticed that Szepanowski does not seem to be wearing her engagement ring, with her most recent Instagram Stories showing no sign of the jewellery.
Orval has similarly taken Szepanowski's initials out of his social media bio. The pair have also removed all photographs of each other from their respective profile grids.
In what followers consider the most telling sign of a separation, Orval and Szepanowski are no longer following each other on their social media accounts.
Rise of the Influencer Couple
Szepanowski grew up in South East Queensland before establishing a career as a popular lifestyle and wellness influencer, building a massive social media following.
Orval first rose to online fame alongside his brother Dylan in 2015 when they launched their joint YouTube channel, Angry Dad. The channel featured a series of viral pranks aimed at winding up their father, former Collingwood Australian Rules Football player Mark Orval.
Collingwood is one of Australia's most prominent professional Australian rules football clubs competing in the Australian Football League. Orval's family gained widespread recognition across Australian sports and comedy media through the YouTube series.
The pair first got together as teenagers before later getting engaged in June 2024. Despite the closure of her business ventures, Szepanowski indicated in her online statement that she remains focused on future endeavors.
