June Vicomte A. and cm-cic Capital Finance. On-trend

Transcription

1 June 2014 Vicomte A. and cm-cic Capital Finance On-trend

2 Disregarding the traditional rules of elegance, ready-towear clothing brand Vicomte A. is a breath of fresh air with its irreverent take on high-end sportswear. It is the reflection of its creator and brand icon 32-year-old Vicomte Arthur de Soultrait, who spoke to us about his strategy and ambition. Arthur de Soultrait

3 Vicomte A. and CM-CIC Capital Finance: a partnership at the height of fashion. How do you create a ready-to-wear clothing brand when you are 23 years old? Arthur de Soultrait: In 2004, I was doing my final-year work placement in Charlotte, North Carolina, when the company I was working at went bankrupt. To cover my living expenses, I started selling ties door-to-door in the wealthy neighbourhoods of the city. To stand out, I emphasised aristocratic manners and French elegance. The Americans loved it. When I returned to France in 2005, I gambled on the same approach working over here, and so I created my own line of ties under the name Vicomte A. Straight away, I won the contract to supply ties to the City of Paris as part of its bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. This immediately gave the company the resources it needed to develop. You expanded your range very quickly. AS: In 2006, our two-tone polo shirts, inspired by jockeys blouses, caught the public s attention. Today, we are a «total look» brand, selling everything from spectacles to shoes, and covering menswear, womenswear and childrenswear. With the help of our stylists, we aim to retain our highly colourful identity, which disregards the traditional rules of elegance. However, our initial «preppy» style has been replaced by more fashionable and daring collections. With brands like Ralph Lauren and Lacoste, there is no shortage of competition in this high-end segment. AS: Over the years, we have created a strong brand with a clearly identified universe to which our customers can aspire, while remaining obsessed with quality. Vicomte A. stands out by playing with the extremes, disregarding the traditional rules of elegance with a spirit of irreverence and rebellion. The result is a wardrobe that is free from hang-ups and resolutely modern, with bright colours and eclectic influences that give Vicomte A. an elegance of its own. When developing your shopping experience, which distribution strategy did you adopt? AS: It is very diverse. We started in 2006 with a concession in Galeries Lafayette, before opening our first Vicomte A. franchise stores, of which there were 21 in The next step was to set up our own stores. There are now 11 of these, from Saint-Germain-des-Prés (2010) to London (late 2012).

4 Is international development one of your priorities? AS: Since its creation, Vicomte A. has been an international brand. From the outset, we had a store in Paris and one in London. Vicomte A. is now present in 20 countries, and has a significant international distribution network covering Europe, the USA, the Middle East, Asia and Central America. We intend to expand this network greatly in the next few years, with the focus on own stores and franchises. The international business will be Vicomte A. s main growth driver, and the company aims to generate 40 % of its sales outside France in 2018, versus 15 % in Do these international ambitions explain your partnership with CM-CIC Capital Finance? AS: By developing our exports and creating our own store network, we are entering a new phase in our development, and one in which a family-owned business like ours needs some support. Naturally, this includes investment to finance expansion, but also the contribution of experts, to help us gain perspective. We have not been disappointed. Although we have only worked together for a few months, our contacts at CM-CIC Capital Finance are already closely involved in the project. Revenue 2013 e 17.5m 20 countries covered 40 % of targeted export revenue as of 2018

5 Vicomte A. as seen by Cyril Serratrice, CM-CIC Capital Finance Vicomte A. was set up in 2005 by Arthur de Soultrait, who was then 23 years old. Cyril Serratrice From the outset, Arthur was bold, demanding, responsible and had a strong sense of family. His boldness was shown by his success in winning the Olympic Games contract awarded by the City of Paris, from under the noses of the largest fashion brands. This raised his profile, and gave him the confidence to maintain his use of strong colours. He is demanding, only using suppliers that are both local and high-quality. His responsibility and sense of family are shown by his ability to use the skills of his family members, such as his father, who has extensive industrial experience. He has achieved all this while maintaining profitable growth. This is a tricky thing to do, and this is why we were interested in this young company operating in the attractive niche of affordable luxury clothing. The charisma of its boss, his ability to build an effective team and his unshakeable desire to grow in France and abroad without sacrificing profitability, sealed the deal for us. We are delighted to be supporting the development of Vicomte A. alongside Arthur, and we believe we can play a useful role as a minority shareholder actively supporting this family-owned company.

6 Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay s ascent of Everest in Mermoz and Guillaumet s opening of the Andes line in Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh s record dive in the Mariana Trench in The Americans moon landing in Nothing important is achieved without trust This strong conviction provides constant inspiration to CM- CIC Capital Innovation s people in their relationships with entrepreneurs. As a subsidiary of CM-CIC Capital Finance, we provide equity to high-potential technology companies in the healthcare, electronics, IT and renewable energies sectors, in France and Canada. In addition to our expertise, our success is driven by our close ties with business leaders. CM-CIC Capital Finance - Paris 28, avenue de l Opéra Paris Tel: +33 (0) Paris - Lyon - Nantes - Lille - Strasbourg - Bordeaux - Montreal The LINKS.fr - RCS Nantes B Juin Crédits photos : Copyright 2001 British Photographers Liaison Committee/Finers Stephens Innocent As agreed by BAPLA, AOP, NUJ, MPA and the BFP - Musée Air France - Vicomte A - Getty Images - Photographe couverture/illustration : Luc Braquet.