CLOTHING: In a press release, Celio France underlined its desire to “revive this iconic French brand, known and loved by several million women” thanks to its “expertise”
1.8 million euros. This is the amount for which the men’s ready-to-wear brand Celio bought the Camaïeu brand on Wednesday. The takeover took place during an auction near Lille, its president displaying the wish to “relaunch” this “beautiful brand” after the liquidation of the company. “It’s a brand that has value, which has been the leader in women’s ready-to-wear for decades in France and we want to try to relaunch it,” the president explained to journalists. de Celio, Sébastien Bismuth, after the sale.
Celio and Camaieu “have always been two sister companies, which had the same positioning”, respectively for men and women, he added. However, this relaunch “will take time, we are not going to open stores overnight,” said Sébastien Bismuth.
“Bringing this iconic French brand back to life”
Founded in 1984 in Roubaix and known for its “basics” available in multiple colours, Camaieu had become the leader in women’s ready-to-wear in France. In a press release, Celio France underlined its desire to “revive this iconic French brand, known and loved by several million women” thanks to its “expertise”. “The sale concerned the two names of Camaieu, its old name with the umlaut and its new without umlaut”, specified the management of Celio.
In addition to the Camaieu brand, logos and domain names, acquired by Celio, the auction involved lots of Camaieu clothing and accessories, sold for sums sometimes reaching 100,000 euros per lot.
Covid-19, competition from online sales, concerns about purchasing power, the boom in the second-hand market, etc. The judicial liquidation of the northern ready-to-wear giant Camaïeu, pronounced at the end of September, is the latest manifestation to date of the difficulties of the clothing sector.
Not helped by classification as a “non-essential” activity
This was not helped by its classification as a “non-essential” activity during the confinements of the economy to fight against the Covid-19 epidemic. Stores had to keep their doors closed for a good part of 2020 and 2021, penalizing companies that made the bulk of their sales in stores.
In addition, consumers have massively turned away from personal equipment during this period: fewer outings and festive events, more work from home, budget allocation to vacations, etc.
