Hussein Chalayan partners with Pier to relaunch brand

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Feb 26, 2013

Hussein Chalayan is being proactive about the relaunch of his women's ready-to-wear line, which he has financed with his own money for two years. He just signed a license agreement with Pier, an Italian manufacturer located near Treviso and specialized in upmarket production. Pier manufactures for large brands like Azzedine Alaia, Dior Homme, Dries Van Noten, Kris Van Assche, Nina Ricci and Yves Saint Laurent and also produces under license for various brands such Band of Outsiders, (+)people, Superfine, Douuod and Worth Paris.

The agreement has a term of seven years and focuses on the production and distribution of the Chalayan woman's line. It will start up with the Fall-Winter 2013-14 collection, which will be debuted at a Paris runway show on March 1.

The British designer of Turkish Cypriot origin is considered one of the most innovative and experimental contemporary designers. He founded his house Hussein Chalayan in 1994. For many years, the line was produced by the Italian-Japanese company Gibo and then purchased in 2008 by the Gucci Group (PPR). The designer was named creative director of Puma at the time, another of the PPR group’s assets. In 2010, Hussein Chalayan retook control of his brand, which he renamed "Chalayan" the following year.

"Hussein Chalayan is a pure artist who needs to be guided. That's our job, that of transforming the pure design vision into a product that is ready for market. This is a luxury brand that must be championed just as it is. We would like to expand with additional pieces or a more accessible 'contemporary' line," said Marzia Narduzzi, CEO of Pier who runs the company together with his brother Alessandro Pier.

A pre-collection of 80 pieces has already been released, which will be followed by the main collection of another 80 items. Chalayan will be distributed by L.A. Distribuzione, a Milan agency that also has a presence in Paris. "The brand has a hundred multibrand clients. We are aiming for 250 customers worldwide over time," said Marzia Narduzzi.

Specialized in textile production for 40 years, Pier has always conducted cutting-edge research and made progress its trademark. It spends 30% of its turnover in research activity, which is handled entirely in-house by 25 persons from a total staff of 80. The company has also focused on an exclusively Made in Italy production, which today has earned it a following of many brands looking for quality and added value. It manufactures in-house or contracts with highly specialized workshops located in the Venice region, which allows it to offer a wide range of products, from t-shirts to fur to haberdashery to silk clothing, all of the highest quality.

The company's annual revenues are around twenty million euros, 70% of which is export. It expects to earn 40 million euros in 2015. The past few years the company says it grew at a rate of 50%. Nearly 15% of its business is devoted to production for other companies. The remainder involves licensing. "Our product is never ordinary and does not exist on the market. We also offer very strong service to our customers," said Alessandro Narduzzi.