Jean Paul Gaultier drops Aeffe

By

Florent Gilles

Published
Oct 23, 2012

The Italian group Aeffe will no longer produce the Jean Paul Gaultier ready-to-wear in 2013, the designer confirmed Monday, following a report in Women’s Wear Daily. Aeffe, which is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, has been the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of the Parisian couturier's ready-to-wear lines since 1994. Gaultier's company was bought by the Spanish Puig group a year ago, with the exception of a fragrance license that currently remains with BPI (a subsidiary of Shiseido). The Jean Paul Gaultier Spring-Summer 2013 collection, presented in Paris in September 2012, will be the last to be produced and distributed by Aeffe.

Early in 2012, Puig brought in Ralph Toledano to strengthen its fashion sector, starting with Jean Paul Gaultier. The Parisian house would not disclose the identity of its future partner or the terms of the contract. This could signal that the house may adopt the production and distribution methods of Puig's other fashion companies — Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne — which handle their own distribution in-house. It is a story worth watching with more to come.

Florent Gilles (with AFP)