Maria de la Orden, the rising Paris-based womenswear label, is stepping into the spotlight with a bold new chapter. Fronted by its stylish Spanish founder—an It-Girl and partner of Edward Bouygues—the fashion start-up is securing a permanent space at the prestigious Le Bon Marché this July. Backed by a strong brand identity and a loyal following, the label is forecasting nearly 50% growth for 2025, cementing its place in the French market and setting its sights on global expansion.
Maria de la Orden boutique – Maria de la Orden
Since debuting in late 2019, Maria de la Orden has carved out a recognizable niche with its crisp, feminine silhouettes and a brand identity that walks the line between elegance and ease. “On the street, you can spot a Maria de la Orden dress—you know the print,” says co-founder Laura de la Révélière, who runs the label alongside designer Maria de la Orden. Its core collection mixes solids and stripes with quiet confidence, while seasonal drops turn up the charm with bold florals, vibrant tones, ruffled shirts, sculpted cuffs, and the brand’s signature smocked dresses.
The brand’s story began with a serendipitous meeting. “We started working together in December 2019,” recalls general manager Laura de la Révélière. Maria had already made her mark with Mao Lua, her previous label launched nearly a decade earlier. Their partnership—described as a ‘professional love at first sight’—fused Maria’s creative instinct with a shared vision that blends sunny Spanish spirit with understated Parisian sophistication. “In France, we’re seen as Spanish. In Spain, we’re seen as French. Everywhere else, we’re simply European,” de la Révélière quips.
That fluid identity is core to the brand’s DNA—and it extends beyond Maria de la Orden’s eponymous label. The designer also helms two other ventures: La Veste, a workwear-inspired brand co-founded with Blanca Miró, and Maison Ola, a hair accessories line launched with Gregory Mizele. Though all three operate independently, they share a common thread: each explores a distinct creative territory while reinforcing a cohesive, global identity shaped by Maria’s singular vision. “Each project follows its own model,” notes Laura de la Révélière, “but together they form a triptych that amplifies the brand’s reach.”
Maria de la Orden autumn-winter 2025 collection – Maria de la Orden
From the outset, the label prioritized organic growth through Instagram, leveraging Maria’s close ties with Spanish influencers. “They were gaining visibility faster than French influencers—and with a more polished image,” notes the general manager. Paid media only came into play once the brand surpassed 100,000 followers.
The product offering has since expanded from 15 to 150 pieces, with a dedicated collection director from a major fashion house joining to shape the structure. Eschewing traditional seasonal drops, the brand launched a weekly “Friday rendezvous,” where new pieces are unveiled online. Customers in the brand’s exclusive club receive early access—particularly appealing to the growing U.S. audience.
Self-financed from the beginning, the business became profitable in its first year. “We’ve been profitable since the start,” confirms the general manager. This independence has fueled agility. “If I could do it again, I’d take on debt sooner,” she admits, noting that new funding is now helping accelerate growth. After reporting €4.5 million in revenue for 2024, the company projects €6.5 million for 2025. “We can do whatever we want—no investor pressure, no banker deadlines,” she says, describing a financial freedom rarely seen in start-ups.
New ambitions for expansion
The brand is now shifting its focus toward distribution and global reach. Spain, once its dominant market at 80% of sales, now represents just 25%, equal to France. Switzerland makes up 20%, followed by the UK at 10%, with Italy and Germany emerging as key growth markets.
The brand expands its range of bags – Maria de la Orden
“This timing works,” says the CEO. “Five years ago, we brought something fresh to Spain, but the market is now saturated with influencer-driven brands.” Expanding internationally helps offset that saturation. Strategic pop-ups play a major role in this shift. Following a spring event in Barcelona, the brand will host activations in New York, Miami, and Palm Beach, with another New York pop-up slated for September. Germany and Italy are also on the radar, with further projects underway. Retail partnerships have also grown. After first attracting attention from Le Bon Marché in 2021, the brand has expanded to Liberty London and El Corte Inglés, with seven locations in Madrid and Barcelona. This approach will continue across key global markets.
Collaboration between Oh My Cream and Maria de la Orden – DR
Though digitally native, Maria de la Orden values brick-and-mortar presence. The brand currently operates stores on rue de l’Université and rue de l’Annonciation in Paris, and one in Madrid. These locations serve not just for sales but also as spaces for community engagement. “We love being close to our customers,” says the general manager. Plans are in place to open one or two new locations per year, including a new 80-square-meter Paris flagship by 2026.
The company is also expanding into new product categories. Leather goods have been introduced to complement the brand’s signature silhouettes. A mini kids’ capsule is in early testing, and jewelry is under consideration. Collaborations, such as with Oh My Cream in London and an upcoming MyStyleBag partnership in Milan, offer further exploration and local appeal.
As it moves forward, Maria de la Orden continues to balance creative evolution with business growth—staying true to its heritage while preparing to scale internationally.
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NARS Cosmetics has revealed Kaia Gerber as its newest global brand ambassador, saying she’s a “beauty and fashion icon [and] a longtime collaborator” of founder and creative director, François Nars.
Kaia Gerber by François Nars
She certainly adds a newsworthy element to any brand she fronts having walked the runways for the biggest global designer labels as well as appearing on the covers of the world’s top glossy magazines.
She’s been in demand by high end and mass-market labels this year and in May was announced as Mango’s latest face in a deal that the retailer called a “collaboration” set to run throughout the year. Two months earlier she’d appeared with her mother Cindy Crawford for Mango’s rival Zara with the duo headlining a new session of its ‘Zara Streaming’ initiative.
She makes her debut for NARS with the launch of a campaign shot by François Nars for the new Afterglow Lip Balm. That product launches in January and continues the trend for high-end brands diving deep into a once-humble category and backing their launches with major campaigns.
Shiseido-owned NARS has been expanding in recent periods and only in October announced a strategic partnership with Indian giant Reliance Retail’s omnichannel business Tira to boost accessibility in the country. Gerber’s presence is likely to be a boost for its growth plans.
François Nars said of her: “Kaia is a true beauty, a supermodel of today who carries with her the spirit of another era. Working with her on this campaign felt like stepping back into the age of the original icons. Those supermodels were more than faces; what I always loved about them was their joy. They loved the camera, the artistry of makeup and hair, and fashion itself. Most importantly, they gave everything in front of the camera, pouring their energy into creating the most beautiful images possible. Kaia has that same spirit and photographing her was like reliving the magic—one of the very things that made me fall in love with this industry in the first place.”
NudeProject is advancing its European expansion. The Spanish urban fashion brand has added Germany to the list of markets in which it has a retail presence: on Friday December 12, it opened a store on Alte Schönhauser Straße in Berlin.
New Nude Project store in Berlin – Nude Project
The store is the brand’s first permanent location in the German capital, although it tested the market in the city last spring with a pop-up. With this opening, Nude Project now operates four international brick-and-mortar stores, alongside existing locations in Milan, Lisbon, and Amsterdam. In October, the brand crossed the Atlantic to make its first foray into US retail with a temporary pop-up in Miami.
Founded in 2019 by Bruno Casanovas and Alex Benlloch, the firm has become a phenomenon among younger consumers and has progressively expanded its catalogue in recent years, spanning both womenswear and menswear, as well as accessories.
Collaborations are a key part of the brand’s identity; in fact, it has just unveiled a new capsule with Playboy, its third joint launch. In financial terms, it reported revenue of €26 million in the 2023 financial year (the most recent figures available).
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Retail giant Next has been a major acquirer of brands in recent years and a report claims that premium footwear chain Russell & Bromley is now on its shopping list.
Billie Piper for Russell & Bromley
Next either owns or has majority stakes in Reiss, FatFace, Joules, Cath Kidston, Made, Laura Ashley’s homewares and more. But while it has a big war chest for acquisitions, it’s not the only company targeting Russell & Bromley.
Sky News reported that the 145-year-old family-owned footwear and accessories is courting investors and Next is one of several parties in talks with Russell & Bromley’s advisers about a deal. None of the other potential buyers have been identified.
Russell & Bromley confirmed this autumn that it had appointed advisory specialist Interpath to look at funding options for the business.
In October, CEO Andrew Bromley said: “We are currently exploring opportunities to help take Russell & Bromley into the next phase of our ‘Re Boot’ vision. Since the announcement of the ‘Re Boot’ earlier this year we have made significant progress, positioning us well to build on our momentum and continue along our journey. We are looking forward to working with our advisory team to secure the necessary investment to accelerate our expansion plans.”
The company has stores and concessions in the UK and Ireland and is led by Bromley, who’s from the fifth generation of his family to run the chain.
Earlier this year, he oversaw the launch of a five-year turnaround plan focused on “refining the brand proposition, elevating the product offering, streamline operations and fuel market expansion at pace”.
In September, the change of approach could be seen when the company launched a quirky campaign fronted by pop star-turned-actress Billie Piper. It was overseen by creative director Daniel Beardsworth-Shaw (who joined as the brand’s first CD in 2024) and was an unusual move for the label that’s not previously been known for its celebrity ambassadors or surreal campaign concepts.
In its last accounts, covering 2023, the company reported turnover down to just under £40 million from almost £45 million. EBITDA was a loss of £3.2 million after a narrower loss of £404,000 the year before. And the loss after tax was £6.9 million, also wider than the loss in the prior year of £4.6 million. The company didn’t share any details about what had gone wrong.
Those accounts were filed in early November 2024 and its next filing (covering 2024) is due before the end of this year.
Whether Next or another business buys it or takes a stake (it’s unclear which option the controlling family favours) will clearly have big impact on its future direction. Next already has a strong track record in the premium sector in which Russell & Bromley operates with its stewardship of Reiss.
Next declined to comment on the Sky News story, and both Russell & Bromley and Interpath couldn’t be reached.