So now we know what the intriguing holding page was all about for Matches. It seems the defunct online luxury retailer and its Raey own-brand have been acquired by a brand new luxury group.
The Raey brand is being revived alongside Matches
Two years after it went into administration and was bought by Frasers Group, Joe Wilkinson and Mario Maher have acquired it, Vogue Business reported on Wednesday.
They’re the founders of members-only shopping app Mile (formerly known as Heat), which is backed by LVMH. Matches, along with Mile, will be part of their new luxury group Hulcan.
Matches and Raey will be relaunched in 2026 with more details due in the New Year, the report said.
They told the publication that they were attracted by Matches’ heritage and its “curation, exclusivity, and strong product”. They want to keep that but also to introduce “a new angle”.
It looks like Raey will be a bigger part of the launch as it’s listed along with Mile and Matches as a separate brand on the Hulcan website.
Not that the website has much information at present, simply saying: “Hulcan is a founder-led luxury group that builds and operates innovative brands across media, e-commerce, retail and fashion for a new generation of consumers.”
The Vogue Business report also said that the company has funding of $150 million backed by Frasers Group, Palm Angels founder Francesco Ragazzi, PagsGroup, and Mile investors including Antler, LVMH Luxury Ventures, the Hermès family, Stefano Rosso and Carmen Busquets.
There has been a deluge of speculation about whether Matches would return after the much-loved business was closed by Frasers Group just a few months after it acquired it. And with the consolidation that’s been seen since in the luxury sector there could be a place for the revived business. The new owners certainly have some heavyweight players believing in them but we’ll just have to wait and see.
