Investment firm Mirabaud buys stake in French skiwear label Fusalp
Nicola Mira
As CEO Alexandre Fauvet told FashionNetwork.com at the start of the yearFusalpLacoste
The funds in question are Mirabaud Patrimoine Vivant and Mirabaud Lifestyle Impact & Innovation, run by David Wertheimer and Renaud Dutreil. The amount the funds invested for the minority interest in Fusalp was not disclosed.
“Our investment in Fusalp, the latest in a series of investments in companies that embody French industrial know-how and art of living (like the Alain Ducasse group, Clergerie, Heschung, Le Coq SportifAnne FontaineMauboussin
Sophie and Philippe Lacoste, joint presidents, and Fauvet, remain as majority shareholders, as Fusalp has confirmed to FashionNetwork.comseveral high-profile French investors opted to back Fusalp Frédéric Biousse and Nathalie Sayer). The trio then owned an 84% stake in the company.
According to Fusalp, the new share capital increase is designed to support the label’s international expansion plans (exports currently account for half of its revenue), enabling Fusalp to boost its visibility in the sport-chic segment where, despite strong competition, it has found its slot, thanks to the collections designed by Creative Director Mathilde Lacoste.
In the coming months, Fusalp will open stores in New York and in the upmarket US ski resort of Aspen. The label currently operates 48 monobrand stores, and expects to grow the number to 55 in the near future. Fusalp will also deploy a store enlargement plan, increasing average retail area from 75 to 200 m2, a more suitable size for showcasing its full product range. In 2022, the year that marks its 70th anniversary, Fusalp is reaching a new milestone.
