“For me, this was a big message from consumers that they want Zadig products in their lives,” he asserted, noting that even during the most anxiety-ridden period, in the beginning of March, the brand saw a strong acceleration in online sales. Meanwhile, online sales reached new levels. “During the second phase of the confinement, as we started preparing to open, the teams did a lot of clienteling, reaching out to our clients through WhatsApp and through text messaging to present the upcoming collections,” he said, noting the focus was on local clients. The second phase centered on reaching out to clients. The lockdown period prompted a review of product schedules with retail and merchandising teams, as well as discussions with suppliers - which he sees as partners - as factories closed. It had also already undergone a review of collections, working to better anticipate the needs of various countries and recalibrating men’s and women’s collections with a tighter focus. The company had been doing well when he joined, with a healthy store network and overall growth of around 20 percent, explained the executive. “I was lucky because the team in place is good and people knew what had to be done,” he said, noting that the unusual circumstances allowed for a sped-up adapting period. Just as he arrived in his new position, the wave of lockdowns swept through Europe and the U.S. “I saw firsthand how 16 different labels worked in fashion in very different universes - it was an enriching experience that serves me well here,” he said. Zadig & Voltaire was founded in 1995 by Thierry Gillier, who remains majority owner.īaume, a business school graduate who started his career in mergers and acquisitions, noted his past position taught him about navigating a fragmented sector - which he sought to consolidate in a manner similar to that of Luxottica in eyewear - as well as giving him an understanding of how a variety of creative visions operate. The company’s previous investor, TA Associates, helped it double in size and expand into the U.S.
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Recruited at the beginning of the year, Baume arrived along with a new minority investor, private equity firm Peninsula.
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The executive was previously ceo of Kidiliz Group, a company that created kids clothing lines for brands like Kenzo, Paul Smith, Jean Paul Gaultier, Levi’s and Catimini.