
Home \| Health \| Weight \| Fashion Trends \| Wedding \| Pregnancy \| Blog \| Shopping
Have a craving for the latest info? Check out the Look-Your-Best Blog

Fashion Fund One Acquires Vilebrequin

share/save

rss

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, December 6/PRNewswire/ -- Fashion Fund One ("the fund") announced today that it has acquired 100%of TRB International SA ("the company"), the Luxembourg based holding companywhich owns the world-wide operations and intellectual property rights of Vilebrequin.

Vilebrequin is a unique luxury fashion brand which focuses on beach andswimwear for men and boys. The company's products are sold in 67 own storesas well as selected department stores and independent retailers in 16countries around the world. Vilebrequin's most important markets are France,USA and Italy. The company is registered in Luxembourg with its head officeand warehouse operations in Geneva.

Pierre-Alain Blum, chairman of Lalande SA, the selling shareholder of thecompany, said: "We are very pleased with our partnership with Fashion FundOne. I am convinced that growth in our business will accelerate under theirownership. With their management team's proven track record and extensivenetwork of contacts in the fashion industry, the fund will be able to takeVilebrequin to the next level of development." Pierre-Alain Blum will remainpart of the company as non-executive director in the Supervisory Board.

Hans Ouwendijk, Managing Director of Fashion Fund One, added thatVilebrequin fits perfectly with its strategy to invest in strong brands withestablished heritage. "Vilebrequin is an internationally recognised brandwith a distinctive product offer and a clearly defined consumer base. Itstands for superior quality and unique designs with an energetic feel, asuccessful formula that has been rewarded with a loyal customer base aroundthe world. We are confident that by leveraging the strength of the brand andby developing a new distribution strategy we will be able to accelerate thegrowth of the company."

Fashion Fund One will focus on expanding the company by increasing thenumber of own stores as well as wholesale partnerships based on departmentstore shop-in-shops and franchise stores. The opportunities for productlicensing and extensions of the product range will also be explored.

Information on Vilebrequin

Vilebrequin was founded in the 1970s in St Tropez, where it created astrong, unique identity right from its first collection with its rich paletteof colours and vibrant prints. In the 1990s, the company expanded its productrange with the launch of shirts, pants, shorts and accessories (sun glasses,beach towels and caps) as well as the 'Like Father, Like Son' concept ofmatching swimwear for men and boys.

Today the swimsuit collection consists of some 200 prints in 16 differentstyles in sizes from 2 years to 5XL. Each collection is built around a numberof themes which are refreshed each year, the dominant ones being flora, faunaand fruit. Although vibrant prints are Vilebrequin's brand signature, theproducts are also available in a range of solid colours. In order to maintainexclusivity and quality standards, all prints are designed by a specialistteam of fabric designers with all printing done exclusively by two companiesin France and Italy.

Information on Fashion Fund One

Fashion Fund One is a private equity fund which focuses on majorityinvestments in fast growing mid- to later- stage companies in the Europeanfashion and accessories industry. The fund was established in Summer 2006 byseveral founders and former senior executives of Mexx. Most of the investorsin the fund (22 individuals and institutions from 8 countries) have extensiveexperience in the fashion industry.

Fashion Fund One is based in The Hague, Netherlands. The fund generallyinvests in companies with enterprise value of EUR 50 to EUR 100 million andprefers well recognised, wholly owned brands in the mid to upper segments ofthe market. Target companies should have substantial parts of theiractivities or sales in Europe. The fund's primary geographical focus is onBenelux, followed closely by Germany and France. Investments in southernEuropean markets will also be considered.

The fund is managed by fr2 Capital B.V., a management company headed byAdu Advaney and Hans Ouwendijk, former senior executives of Mexx. Bothpossess strong operational and entrepreneurial skills and combine more than50 years of relevant industry experience at, amongst others, Laura Ashley,Mexx and Liz Claiborne.