Inès de la Fressange Charts Expansion Course with New Fragrance and Retail Push
The French fashion label, founded by the iconic model and style icon, is poised for growth, targeting a €10 million revenue within three years through strategic retail expansion, a bolstered e-commerce presence, and a foray into the fragrance market.
Inès de la Fressange, the brand, is embarking on an ambitious growth strategy, according to a recent interview with founder Inès de la Fressange and Fabrice Boé, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer. The plan centers on expanding the brand’s retail footprint, accelerating its online sales, and launching a new fragrance line in 2025.
The company is actively seeking investment partners to support these initiatives. “We’re looking for partners to support our investment plans,” Boé stated, adding that the current ownership structure, in place since 2013, may be refreshed to bring in additional resources. “We’ve proven the brand works, the model works, and the structure is in place — we’re ready to grow, as long as we have the capital.”
De la Fressange first launched her brand in 1991, but faced setbacks, dissolving her initial partnership in 1999. The brand experienced a significant resurgence in 2013, coinciding with a collaboration with Uniqlo and a subsequent acquisition by a consortium including The Luxury Fund and Acer Finance. A flagship boutique opened on Rue de Grenelle in Paris in 2015, marking the official comeback of the label. The store recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a party attended by prominent designers, including Alexandre Mattiussi, Guillaume Henry, and Elie Top.
The brand’s 10th-anniversary celebration showcased its playful side, featuring a performance by singer Albert Newton alongside brand collaborations with Dim and Smeg. De la Fressange noted the event felt “more like an English party,” and expressed delight in seeing younger generations embracing her designs.
Navigating the challenging space between luxury and mass market has been a key focus. “The last few years haven’t been easy for brands that are positioned between luxury and mass market,” de la Fressange acknowledged. “It’s still the toughest segment to be in, so I was pretty proud to celebrate this milestone.”
Currently, Inès de la Fressange operates three directly operated boutiques – in Paris (two locations) and Annecy – alongside corners in major department stores like Le Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette. The brand is available in approximately 150 locations globally, including 40 in the United States. According to Boé, the U.S. market is rapidly becoming a key growth driver. Expansion is also planned for Italy, with an increase from two to seven or eight Coin department store locations, and a debut at Manor in Geneva.
Despite initial concerns during the pandemic, physical retail has proven resilient. “After the coronavirus pandemic, we really questioned the future of physical stores, but our Grenelle location has been doing extremely well,” Boé reported. “It is up versus last year, which was up already versus the year before, and it just keeps progressing.”
E-commerce is currently responsible for a quarter of the brand’s revenue, experiencing a 33% year-over-year increase between January and September. The brand is sold through platforms like Zalando, Miinto, and the Galeries Lafayette website, with further growth anticipated.
Looking ahead, the brand is considering opening standalone stores in key global cities, including Milan, London, New York, and select locations in Asia. These projects will require significant investment, prompting the exploration of both new investors and local partnerships. While specific revenue figures remain undisclosed, the company is currently at breakeven and anticipates surpassing its target of €10 million in revenue within the next two to three years, having already seen a 10% increase year-to-date as of the end of September.
To further accelerate development, Inès de la Fressange recently appointed Romain Trébuil, formerly of Circle Sportswear, as deputy CEO. Trébuil will spearhead a revamp of the brand’s visual communication strategy. “For the last 10 years, we’ve operated without fashion shows and with very few images, because it’s expensive to hire photographers and models. That’s pretty unusual,” de la Fressange explained. “Now, I really hope we’ll be able to showcase the work more because until now, our ambassadors and influencers have been essentially our clients.”
The brand is also diversifying its product offerings, recently collaborating with cashmere label Linnea Lund and securing a perfume license with Création Beauté International. The partnership with Uniqlo, which concluded in 2023, significantly boosted brand awareness worldwide. De la Fressange believes her label offers a more accessible alternative to high-end luxury brands, particularly in light of recent price increases.
“I even do my fittings in the store before it opens,” she shared. “That’s what’s fun: this very hands-on, artisanal way of working, when all you hear about is big luxury groups, huge investments, and brands being gobbled up, usually by the same people. We’re really outliers.” She emphasized the importance of maintaining the brand’s unique approach, rooted in the craftsmanship she learned from Karl Lagerfeld. “We’re showing that this model can work, where I still function exactly as I did with Karl: standing with the model, working on the toile, adjusting it by hand. That’s how I learned, and I’m happy it’s paying off, that women can feel the difference.”
