FashionUnited’s Post

It’s official: the acquisition of the insolvent fashion brand Closed GmbH by the Böck family (Marc O'Polo SE owners) and Dieter Holzer has received the green light from Germany’s Federal Cartel Office. The swift approval confirms the deal will not hinder competition. Dieter Holzer is set to take over as CEO to lead the "fundamentally profitable" brand, which filed for insolvency due to "excessive debt." The transaction is expected to be finalized by the end of the month. Read more about the strategic takeover and Closed's future plans: https://lnkd.in/eyYJhG52 #Closed #Acquisition #MarcOPolo #FashionBusiness #RetailNews

Danish fashion group DK Company A/S (Wood Wood, Gestuz) has acquired a stake in Berlin-based womenswear label IVY OAK GmbH, securing a strategic foothold in the German market. The restructuring sees DK Company’s co-owner and CEO, Jens Obel Jorgensen, take over as the brand's leader, while founder Caroline Gentz shifts focus entirely to the creative vision and sustainable values. The company will establish a Copenhagen location to enhance its international reach. As Gentz stated: "This partnership brings Ivy Oak the operational excellence and international scale of DK Company, while we remain anchored in our creative DNA and sustainable values.” Read more about this fusion of German creativity and Danish operational strength: https://lnkd.in/eyMzFT6J #DKCompany #IvyOak #FashionAcquisition #RetailGrowth #SustainableFashion #JensObelJorgensen

BREAKING: Insolvent German brand Closed GmbH has found new owners and a new CEO. Industry veteran Dieter Holzer (Marc O’Polo, Tom Tailor) will take over as CEO and co-shareholder. The acquisition is a private investment by the Böck family (owners of Marc O'Polo), meaning Closed will remain independent with no plans to leverage synergies. While the brand was "operationally profitable" until the end, its collapse was due to "excessive debt." The new owners aim for "renewed profitability" and will retain the Hamburg headquarters and most stores. Read more about the future of the €120 million-turnover brand: https://lnkd.in/eg8Yr23Z #Closed #DieterHolzer #MarcOPolo #FashionBusiness #RetailNews #Hamburg

Multiply Group launches its fifth consumer-focused vertical as it signs an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Italy-based ISEM Packaging Group, a European leading packaging Group The deal represents an expansion into packaging by Multiply Group, establishing the Group’s fifth consumer-focused vertical and strategically complementing its existing beauty and apparel businesses. https://lnkd.in/de9M83Eu

A heritage revived. The family behind Marc O’Polo is giving a second life to one of Germany’s most iconic fashion houses Closed. After filing for insolvency in August, the Hamburg-based brand known for its effortless denim, clean lines, and quiet luxury aesthetic has found new guardians: the Böck family and Dieter Holzer, the former CEO of Marc O’Polo. Their move isn’t just a rescue. It’s a statement. A vision for a new European modernity where craft, minimalism, and emotional intelligence meet. In a market obsessed with growth, the revival of Closed feels almost radical: intimate, local, understated. A story of continuity rather than disruption. And perhaps, the start of a new chapter in how heritage brands survive the turbulence of our time — not through hype, but through coherence. #VogueAmerica #Closed #MarcOpolo #FashionBusiness #QuietLuxury #EuropeanStyle #Sustainability

Purple Style Labs, the parent firm of luxury fashion platform Pernia's Pop-Up Shop, has filed preliminary papers with capital markets regulator SEBI to raise ₹660 crore through an initial public offering (IPO). https://trib.al/8a3PePQ

Claire's announced the sale of its North American business to private equity firm Ames Watson to address the burden of approximately $690 million in debt. This decision, which includes stores and brand intellectual property, is intended to help the company preserve its core brand value during bankruptcy reorganization. 💡 My Take: 1️⃣ The Challenges of Retail Transformation - Traditional jewelry and accessories retail models continue to face increasing pressure from e-commerce, fast fashion, and changing consumer behavior. 2️⃣ The Increasingly Important Role of Capital - The involvement of private equity indicates that the pace of industry restructuring is accelerating, with capital providers acting not only as investors but also as firefighters. 3️⃣ Brand Value vs. Operational Burden - Claire's brand remains recognizable among young consumers, but high operating costs and debt have become key factors hindering its growth. 4️⃣ Industry Implications - For the jewelry and accessories industry, future competition will not only be about product design, but also about supply chain efficiency, channel diversification, and consumer experience. 5️⃣ Ways out and opportunities - whoever can combine digital retail, social media marketing and differentiated product positioning will stand out in the turmoil. #JewelryIndustry #RetailTransformation #PrivateEquity #BusinessRestructuring #ConsumerTrends https://lnkd.in/gXMKuiT2

When I started focusing on Private Client area a few years ago, some people were asking how does it relate to Corporate/M&A law which has been my primary focus for 20+ years. The recently announced will of late Giorgio Armani is a very good answer. In fact, the beauty of Private Client area is that we not only support growth and protection of value generated by creative and hard-working people during their lifetime but also help to plan and implement its transfer between generations (which usually includes many elements similar to corporate/M&A transactions with unrelated parties). These two areas were woven even closer in Giorgio Armani’s will: 🔹Foundation: first, to preserve his legacy, Armani established the Fondazione Giorgio Armani, with his business and life partner Pantaleo Dell’Orco playing a central role. 🔹Continued control: Armani's will gives the Foundation and Dell'Orco, respectively, 30% and 40% of the company voting rights, meaning they would together control 70% of the fashion group. 🔹Business direction: the heirs were instructed to sell an initial 15% stake within 18 months and transfer an additional 30-54.9% to the same buyer within 3-5 years. The will explicitly named preferred buyers - LVMH, L'Oréal, EssilorLuxottica or another group of “equal standing” identified by the Foundation. Alternatively, an IPO should be pursued, in Italy or in a market of equal standing. 🔹Legacy: the Foundation must retain at least 30% stake after any sale or listing, thereby acting as a permanent guarantor of compliance with the founding principles of Armani group. Established in 2016, the Foundation was designed not merely as a philanthropic entity but as a central governance body to safeguard the brand’s core principles and ensure its long-term stability as well. These include autonomy and independence, ethical management, innovation and excellence, prudent financial management as well as a careful approach to debt and acquisitions. In Armani’s words, succession should be “organic and not a moment of rupture”. His approach demonstrates how careful structuring can (and hopefully will) secure a legacy for generations while balancing family, partners and business continuity. This included bylaws designating trusted family members and collaborators, clear governance structures and the foundation designed to preserve his legacy. I think this is a powerful reminder that succession is not about hoarding power, but about intentional transition planning that secures continuity and values. It’s obvious that the world’s top genius in fashion design has invested a lot of time and thought into creating a comprehensive design for his succession🤍 In the photo: Giorgio Armani with his heirs Silvana Armani and Pantaleo Dell'Orco at Milan Fashion Week in 2021 (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) #PrivateClients #PrivateWealth #SuccessionPlanning #Armani

Giorgio Armani’s will: 🔹Foundation: first, to preserve his legacy, Armani established the Fondazione Giorgio Armani, with his business and life partner Pantaleo Dell’Orco playing a central role. 🔹Continued control: Armani's will gives the Foundation and Dell'Orco, respectively, 30% and 40% of the company voting rights, meaning they would together control 70% of the fashion group. 🔹Business direction: the heirs were instructed to sell an initial 15% stake within 18 months and transfer an additional 30-54.9% to the same buyer within 3-5 years. The will explicitly named preferred buyers - LVMH, L'Oréal, EssilorLuxottica or another group of “equal standing” identified by the Foundation. Alternatively, an IPO should be pursued, in Italy or in a market of equal standing. 🔹Legacy: the Foundation must retain at least 30% stake after any sale or listing, thereby acting as a permanent guarantor of compliance with the founding principles of Armani group. Established in 2016, the Foundation was designed not merely as a philanthropic entity but as a central governance body to safeguard the brand’s core principles and ensure its long-term stability as well. These include autonomy and independence, ethical management, innovation and excellence, prudent financial management as well as a careful approach to debt and acquisitions. In Armani’s words, succession should be “organic and not a moment of rupture”. His approach demonstrates how careful structuring can (and hopefully will) secure a legacy for generations while balancing family, partners and business continuity. This included bylaws designating trusted family members and collaborators, clear governance structures and the foundation designed to preserve his legacy. I think this is a powerful reminder that succession is not about hoarding power, but about intentional transition planning that secures continuity and values. It’s obvious that the world’s top genius in fashion design has invested a lot of time and thought into creating a comprehensive design for his succession🤍

A Noerr team under the lead of Gerald Reger and Christian Haagen has advised the shareholders of Gabor Shoes GmbH on the sale of their shares. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary antitrust approvals and other customary closing conditions. Gabor Shoes GmbH, based in Rosenheim, has been family-owned for decades and is one of Europe’s leading premium brands for shoes, especially women’s shoes. The company specialises in designing, manufacturing and selling shoes and shoe accessories and sells its products in more than 60 countries worldwide. Arklyz AG, based in Stans (Switzerland), is a global company involved in the sports, lifestyle and fashion sectors. Arklyz operates and distributes various well-known brands and retail networks, including The Athlete’s Foot, Asphaltgold, Intersocks, Arkrod, LLOYD, Crocs, Salomon, HEAD and others. In addition to advising on a wide range of legal issues in the context of the transaction, the Noerr team also advised the shareholders and Gabor Shoes GmbH on the sale and leaseback of the company’s premises in Rosenheim and on the change of legal form from a public limited company (Aktiengesellschaft, AG) to a limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH). The change of legal form took effect in September 2025. Due to a succession situation involving some of the shareholders, the transaction also involved detailed advice on inheritance and gift law. #TeamNoerr Gerald Reger, Christian Haagen, Anne-Kristin Schiller, Markus A. Braun, Julia Vorndran, Marcus Braun, Julian Hoffmann, Vera Vollbrecht, Miriam Tormin, Dorothée Prosteder, Patrick Ernst, Frank Schuck, Daniel Roth, Adelina Stiene, Benjamin Jahn, Wolfgang Schelling, Tülay Biecker, Caroline Berger, Julia Heiß, Fabian Badtke, Lorenz Jarass, Lucie Maja Schultz, Nigina Zahedi, Manuel Lomb, Raphaël Hebecker, Antonio Di Mieri, Daniel Nickisch, Joachim Rung, Elmar Bindl, Steffen Arlich, Sebastian Leidel, Maximilian Schischke