In an interview in Marant\u2019s spacious new showroom on Place des Victoires, Duranteau-Loeper and Durufl\u00e9 detailed the initiatives they are putting into place, which include launching an e-commerce site in June and bolstering the label\u2019s handbag assortment.<\/p>\n
The brand is streamlining its operations by bringing retail and wholesale under the purview of Jean Keller, who has been named vice president of global distribution, a new position. Meanwhile, it has grouped accessories for Isabel Marant and \u201cWe wanted to preserve our distinctive, selective positioning. Our aim was not to<\/em> \u201cWe don\u2019t want to betray ourselves and our customers and fans. We want to remain an honest brand.<\/em>\u201d The deal marked the first investment in fashion for Montefiore, whose portfolio includes budget hotel chain B&B Hotels, car-hire broker Auto Escape and marketing and opinion research firm BVA. \u201cIt\u2019s a fund that invests a lot in family-run firms, so I think they have a real <\/em>respect and understanding for entrepreneurs,<\/em>\u201d said Duranteau-Loeper.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir talent lies in being aware of, understanding and appreciating the specificities and flaws that go with that territory \u2014 because things are not as smooth as in a <\/em>big, structured firm \u2014 and in supporting a gradual transition,<\/em>\u201d she added. She noted the company usually holds its assets for between five and seven years. \u201cThat is a time horizon that allows you to work in a qualitative way over time,<\/em>\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Duranteau-Loeper had been Paco Rabanne\u2019s fashion general manager since 2013 and returned the iconic Sixties brand to the Paris retail scene after a 14-year absence, as well as launched online commerce. She was drawn to Isabel Marant by its singular identity and the founder\u2019s strong personality. \u201cIt has a unique and very precious positioning that must be protected against the general drive toward standardization. Isabel wants to dress sexy, feminine, independent, cool, modern women,<\/em>\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Marant has a thriving business in shoes, with hits including wedge sneakers and chain-trimmed suede boots, but has in the past resisted diversifying into other categories beyond one-off efforts, including a limited-edition watch and an eyewear collaboration with Oliver Peoples. Her collaboration with Swedish highstreet retailer H&M in 2013 further boosted the label\u2019s global profile.<\/p>\n \u201cIsabel has the legitimacy to be active in a number of segments. It has to be something she wants to do,<\/em>\u201d said Durufl\u00e9. \u201cI think she needs new challenges, and it\u2019s interesting to stretch yourself. The fact that we now have partners has brought these issues to the top of the agenda.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Handbags, especially, have been a sticking point as Marant is married to accessories designer J\u00e9r\u00f4me Dreyfuss and has said she does not want to step on his turf. That is about to change, as the brand introduced a permanent handbag line for fall and is looking at possible licenses, including eyewear and perfume. \u201cIsabel has designed bags in the past, but we never pushed the category. We know that in order to make it work, we need lasting designs, and Isabel wasproducing different things every season,<\/em>\u201d said Durufl\u00e9. \u201cNow, we are taking a different approach and working on something <\/em>more permanent.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Duranteau-Loeper, who spent 10 years at luxury conglomerate LVMH Mo\u00ebt Hennessy Louis Vuitton, and was C\u00e9line\u2019s leather goods and accessories director before joining Paco Rabanne, also wants to reinforce Isabel Marant\u2019s ready-to-wear offering, including \u00c9toile. \u201c\u00c9toile is another important facet of the brand, since revenues are split fairly evenly between the main Isabel Marant collection, \u00c9toile and accessories, representing a third each,<\/em>\u201d she said. \u201cIt is not at all the poor parent. Isabel loves working on \u00c9toile, as these are the pieces she wears<\/em> Average retail prices for the main collection range between 350 euros and 1,000 euros, or $375 and $1,065 at current exchange rates, while the \u00c9toile line is priced between 150 euros and 500 euros, or $160 and $535, said Durufl\u00e9. A key challenge for Isabel Marant will be the launch of its e-commerce site, in partnership with Yoox Net-a-porter Group. Duranteau-Loeper said online sales should account for 5 percent of revenues within two years. \u201cSince our network is still small, our <\/em>current approach to retail is very personalized. We know all our customers, so it\u2019s <\/em>very tailored, whereas this will be on a <\/em>larger scale. I think e-commerce is going to <\/em>bring us a lot, because we will be exposed <\/em>to a much bigger customer base,<\/em>\u201d she said. At the same time, the brand is being careful not to cannibalize its traditional \u201cOur partners have done a great job of representing us for a long time, and they remain important to us. Now it\u2019s about finding our voice. I think the fact that we<\/em> Previously home to Herm\u00e8s, the 2,150-square-foot Miami boutique features a new concept designed by Laurent Deroo, the French architect best known for his store designs for A.P.C. \u201cI think that in the development strategy of the brand, we have always gone for cool locations that are slightly off the beaten track, but not totally. Going into a more established mall in Miami would not have been right for us,<\/em>\u201d said Duranteau-Loeper. Isabel Marant makes 80 percent of its revenues outside of France and the executive would like to open another five or six directly operated stores worldwide in the next two years, with a focus on its principal markets: Europe and the U.S. It has only one store in China, located in Shanghai\u2019s Reel mall. \u201cWe are looking for other opportunities in China, but you will be able to count them on the fingers of one hand, for sure,<\/em>\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Though their job-sharing set-up may be unusual, the two women said the process has been symbiotic, especially since they temporarily took over the management of retail and wholesale operations, pending Keller\u2019s arrival this month. \u201cWe started by defining a budget, and then we each have our areas of responsibility. Our offices are right next to each other, so we spend our day talking to each other through the wall,<\/em>\u201d Duranteau-Loeper said with a laugh. \u201cWe exchange views about everything, in a very natural and informal way,<\/em>\u201d added Durufl\u00e9. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting to have her point of view and input on key issues, so we work on almost everything <\/em>simultaneously.<\/em>\u201d Marant, Durufl\u00e9 and Chemouny together retain a 49 percent stake in the brand, founded in 1994, but Durufl\u00e9 admitted the company culture is fast evolving. \u201cI think we still have the same spirit, but this represents a new chapter. I\u2019m not going to say that nothing has changed, because it has <\/em>changed, of course,<\/em>\u201d she said. However, Duranteau-Loeper emphasized that the core values of the label remain the same. \u201cWe approach things more rationally, perhaps less emotionally, but I am convinced that what makes this brand unique, and why people can clearly tell the difference between Isabel Marant and all the brands that try to copy us, is the culture <\/em>of the house and the value of its designer. <\/em>These are things we must absolutely keep, <\/em>so the idea is not to revolutionize the house, <\/em>but to make it evolve while preserving all its <\/em>strengths and singularities,<\/em>\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][nectar_btn size=”large” open_new_tab=”true” button_style=”regular” button_color_2=”Extra-Color-1″ icon_family=”none” text=”VERSION PDF” url=”\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/2017-04-06-CEO-talks-Isabel-Marant.pdf”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”50px” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” sticky_content=”true” sticky_content_functionality=”css”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[132,134],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9765","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-portfolio","7":"category-isabel-marant-en"},"yoast_head":"\n
\nits secondary line, Isabel Marant \u00c9toile, into a single collection. Durufl\u00e9 noted that with 2016 wholesale revenues of around 150 million euros, or $166 million at average exchange for the period, the house clearly needed a partner to grow, even if its founder was initially reluctant. \u201cWe had been approached by quite a few people over the years and nobody had made a convincing enough case until then<\/em>
\nfor us to consider a possible partnership. The idea was not to sell the house, but to<\/em>
\ncontinue moving forward with a strong partner by our side,<\/em>\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\nopen 250 stores over the next 10 years. That was often the kind of blueprint that people were presenting to us, and it didn\u2019t appeal to us at all,<\/em>\u201d Durufl\u00e9 added. She felt that Montefiore understood the house\u2019s history. \u201cI think they were really attracted to the personality, the product and everything done so far, without wanting to alter the DNA of the brand,<\/em>\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\non a daily basis.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n
\ne-commerce partners, whether pure players like Net-a-porter or department stores
\nsuch as Barneys New York, by carefully tweaking its online offering.<\/p>\n
\nare launching late allows us to have a functioning ecosystem and carve out our own <\/em>path. We are convinced the customers whowill buy on isabelmarant.com are not the <\/em>same as those who will find us through our partners, even online,<\/em>\u201d she said. Marant also plans to expand its network of stores. It has some 800 points of sale worldwide and 23 freestanding boutiques, of which nine are directly operated. That number will rise to 10 with the imminent opening of its store in Miami\u2019s Design District, which will be followed by a boutique in Oslo.<\/p>\n