Relaunched Baracuta opens store in London

By

Olivier Guyot

Published
Jun 19, 2015

Baracuta will open a store in September on Carnaby Street in London. The investment comes following almost two years of development by 460 Broadway. The Swiss company, which was founded in 2013 by Luca Levi, who also created the company Napapijri and who long worked at VF Corp, took over the British brand following several years during which had been bought and sold.

Baracuta, which was founded in 1937, met with a good deal of success in the 50s and 60s. Mods, in particular, were enamored with its short jackets featuring tartan inner lining. Now, Levi is relying on its flagship products in order to bring the brand up to date. "It's a bit like Aston Martin," said the entrepreneur. "If you look at the models from 50 years ago and those from today, technology and design have evolved. But the elements of brand recognition are still there. We worked with this in mind. 

It has reworked models like the G4 and G9 while exploiting technical materials as well as playing with more formal fabrics. "We used the archives to produce these pieces," said Levi. "Our agent in Britain, Kevin Stone, has followed the brand for years. He tells us whether it really corresponds to the brand’s history."

Various interpretations have allowed the brand to organize its range. At the top, it has created a line simply called More. It features pieces made identically to the originals in terms of materials and finishes, as well as a lambskin Made in Italy version. Baracuta is also presenting a collaboration produced with Dainese, with discreet protectors integrated into the jacket. Finally, for spring-summer 2016, the brand is launching a women's collection composed of 18 pieces. 

These initiatives should sustain the brand’s stores. Because after Carnaby Street, 460 West Broadway is aiming to open a location in the center of Milan. It’s also considering a project in Japan with its local distributor. In France, the showroom Robert Dodd distributes the brand. 

The company also produces collections for the American outerwear brand Spiewak and BD Baggies shirts. It forecasts 9 million euros in sales in 2015 and expects 30 million by the end of 2017.