Desigual teams up with Christian Lacroix for online-only capsule collection

By

Triana Alonso

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Mar 21, 2018

Catalan fashion group Desigual is increasingly committed to e-tail as one of its main growth vectors, as the group is undergoing a full transformation and revising its expansion strategy. To do so, Desigual has joined forces with French designer Christian Lacroix to create 'Excepcionnel', an exclusive online collection featuring 100 units for each item, only available on the Desigual website for four days per month.

While some people expressed their surprise at Lacroix's association with Desigual, given his 'couture' past, the French designer was very clear: "No! We share the same taste," he said, insisting on the cultural milieu he shares with the label founded by Swiss businessman Thomas Meyer. "I haven't created new silhouettes nor introduced any new fabric, I only worked on the blend of periods and regions of the world," said Lacroix in a Desigual video.

The relationship between the two dates back to 2012, when they first put their creative talents together to develop a series of special collections which were a remarkable commercial success. "I've had my eye on Desigual for years, ever since I first spotted its coats on the streets of Paris. At the time, they looked to me like vintage models from some of my collections," said Lacroix.

The collection, which premièred last February with a series of polos, jackets and ponchos, will drop another instalment from 22nd March, with cocktail dresses as the main feature. It will then spotlight full-length dresses in April, while in June it will introduce a selection of beachwear, t-shirts and short dresses. "You have to give people not what they are waiting for, but what no one yet knows they'll actually like. This is Desigual," concluded Lacroix.

In the 2017 financial year, the third of Desigual's restructuring plan with a 2020 horizon, the group’s net income was down 33.3%. However, web sales were up 14% and accounted for 12% of Desigual’s total revenue, which was €761 million. For this year, Desigual has announced the opening of its first store in Barcelona's Portal de l'Àngel pedestrian street, and plans to invest in fifty new openings, as well as in the renovation of another fifty stores.