Iconic Italian luxury lifestyle brand Etro is entering a new phase of development. A consortium of industrial investors comprising Rams Global, Mathias Facchini (Swinger International), and banker Giulio Gallazzi (through SRI Group) has acquired the minority stake previously held by the Etro family. L Catterton remains the majority shareholder and will continue to actively support the brand’s long-term growth strategy.
Etro’s new investor consortium
The transaction is intended to strengthen Etro’s industrial and strategic capabilities, while underscoring strong external confidence in the brand’s positioning and future potential. Financial terms were not disclosed. However, the implied valuation exceeds that of L Catterton’s original investment, confirming the value created since it came on board.
Through their respective platforms, Rams Global, Facchini, and Gallazzi chose to invest in Etro after identifying significant untapped potential in both existing and new markets. These partners will contribute industry expertise, networks, and industrial know-how to support the next phase of international expansion and category development.
The current CEO, Fabrizio Cardinali, will remain a central figure in the company’s future, continuing to lead the execution of the strategic plan with the new investors. Faruk Bülbül, representing Rams Global, will be appointed chairman of the Board of Directors and will work closely with the CEO and shareholders to support the next phase of growth.
Etro SS26
Rams Global has over 36 years of experience across 11 business areas, from luxury residences to hospitality and gastronomy, with an established international presence in numerous countries and major global cities.
Swinger International S.p.A. is an Italian fashion group specialising in apparel, footwear, bags, and accessories in the ready-to-wear and contemporary segments. The company manages its own brands, including the women’s ready-to-wear label Genny, as well as licensed collaborations with leading international fashion houses.
Giulio Gallazzi is president & CEO of SRI Group, a private equity investor focused on SMEs. He has extensive experience in international business development, corporate finance, and corporate governance. Under his leadership, SRI Group has completed several strategic acquisitions and has become one of the main shareholders of the Banca del Fucino Group.
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Contemporary women’s fashion brand Rareism has strengthened its brick-and-mortar footprint in India with the launch of its fourth store in Hyderabad in the southern city’s Gateway Mall, opening on December 20.
A view of Rareism’s new Hyderabad address – Rareism
“Hyderabad represents a high-growth market with exceptional consumer demand, making it the ideal next step in Rareism’s South India expansion,” said Rareism’s chief brand officer Abhishek Srivastava in a press release. “The incredible welcome we’ve received from Hyderabad’s fashion community made Gateway Mall the natural choice for our next outlet, its premium footfall and affluent catchment put us right where our loyal customers shop. This expansion signifies our unwavering commitment to deepening roots across South India and capturing this region’s immense potential.”
The store will cater to Hyderabad’s urban professionals and has a minimalist, bright aesthetic. Designed to create a calm, uncluttered environment which highlights each garment on display, the store measures 1,852 square feet and opens with Rareism’s spring/ summer 2026 collection.
Along with its day-to-night selection for women, the store also features a curated ‘Rare Ones’ section, catering to boys aged four to 14 years old. The House of Rare’s menswear label Rare Rabbit is already present inside the mall as this new launch seeks to reinforce the business’ multi-brand ecosystem.
The House of Rare now counts 46 stores across India. The business’ Rareism label launched in Bengaluru in 2019 and recently reported crossing Rs 200 crore in revenue.
London Fashion Week has unveiled a busy calendar for its next runway season in February that includes the return of UK fashion label Joseph and the final collection from the late Paul Costelloe.
Scheduled to run from Thursday, February 19 to Monday, February 23, the five-day event will feature some 46 runway shows, and a further 15 presentations, according to the official calendar release on Friday by the British Fashion Council. Along with 19 purely digital displays on the final day by fledgling designers. The season will present the fall/winter 2025/26 collections.
The house of Paul Costelloe will open the season at noon on Thursday with a posthumous show by the late great Irish designer, known for being the personal designer of Princess Diana. Costelloe passed away aged 80 in November.
While Burberry, by far the UK’s leading luxury label, will climax the season on Monday with an evening show by its designer Daniel Lee.
As noted, Joseph will return to London after a seven-year hiatus. When recently appointed creative director Mario Arena will show his second collection for the label. In another comeback, Julien Macdonald will return to the runways after a half-decade absence.
The week will include many of London’s heavy hitter advanced designers including Erdem, Simone Rocha, Richard Quinn, and Harris Reed.
However, several highly respected female designers are missing from the calendar, such as Roksanda and Molly Goddard. While what was previously the hottest runway show in London, J.W. Anderson, will be absent, as the Northern Irish designer pivots the marque into a lifestyle brand while he focuses on his main job in Paris, creative director of Dior.
Though the greatest lure of LFW is often the discovery of fresh, fashion forward talent, graduates of great UK fashion colleges such as Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion, or Loughborough University. Hence, hundreds of buyers and editors will flock in their hundreds to joint graduate shows or multi-designer catwalks like Fashion East, still to most observers the greatest incubator in fashion anywhere.
The UK continues to be a key destination for Inditex to open super-sized or large-ish stores across its brand portfolio and the newest will be Bershka next summer.
Bershka
It’s opening a 12,500 sq ft store at the Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex in mid-2026.
And as at other malls, Inditex has chosen it as the home for a whole basket of the brands it owns. Bershka will be joining Zara, Stradivarius and Pull&Bear at the location that’s the premier shopping centre in Essex.
Lakeside is currently in the middle of a multi-million-pound investment programme as it aims to hold on to and maybe beat its score as number six in the CACI Shopping Centre Rankings. Attracting key brands such as this is key to that strategy.