Chimera & Haeres Capital announce JV; acquire French brand Vionnet

ChimHaeres has agreed on an investment for a majority stake in the Swiss fashion hosiery brand Fogal. In addition, Haeres contributed its majority equity stake in the world’s most famous hat manufacturer, Borsalino, established in 1857 in Italy.

Chimera Abu Dhabi and Haeres Capital have formed a JV called ChimHaeres Investment Holding to acquire and develop luxury and lifestyle brands in Europe, with an initial focus on Italy, France, Switzerland, and the UK.
The investment vehicle has acquired the French haute couture label Vionnet and a majority stake in the Swiss fashion hosiery brand Fogal.

ChimHaeres aims to accelerate its growth with a focus on international expansion, digital transformation, and sustainability, Chimera and Haeres Capital said in a joint press release.

The new joint venture will be led by CEO Philippe Camperio and a team of industry veterans, including Antonella di Pietro, Alberto Nathanson, Giacomo Santucci, and Jerome Macario. 

“ChimHaeres embodies the shared vision of both Chimera and Haeres to build and manage a multi-brands luxury and lifestyle platform. The partnership will invest in unique European assets applying a pro-active management and ownership approach, through dedicated industry experts, to deliver the long-term strategies of each portfolio company. I am delighted to be part of this new venture and look forward to working with our multi-disciplined team to deploy our proven business model in high-end brands,” said Philippe Camperio, founder of Haeres Capital and CEO of ChimHaeres.

“The global luxury market has shown remarkable growth and resilience in recent years despite the pandemic and various macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges. We are confident that our partnership with Haeres will enable us to capitalise on the attractive long-term fundamentals of the industry and establish ourselves as a leading investor in the European lifestyle space. We look forward to working with Philippe and his team to position appealing ‘legacy’ and ‘next gen’ brands with favourable growth profiles to serve a younger and increasingly more global audience,” said Mirian Khalaf, head of private equity, Chimera Abu Dhabi.

“I strongly believe that thanks to the team, the vision, the experience, and the available capital now in place, ChimHaeres is ideally positioned to become a key player in the luxury industry in Europe,” said Giovanni Maria Rossi, chairman of ChimHaeres.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)