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Oh-oh, a Prada man in the house... 
LONDON — It’s Hussein Chalayan’s Hollywood moment.
The designer, whose love of experimentation — from dresses that double as chairs to long knits with built-in walking sticks — means he’s often dismissed as niche, is aiming for a bigger profile. Thanks to a majority investment earlier this year by sportswear brand Puma AG, which is in turn controlled by the luxury conglomerate PPR, Chalayan hopes to broaden his business and appeal to a wider range of customers. In addition, as Puma’s new creative director, he’s been giving the brand’s lifestyle collections a shot of fashion sensibility.
“There has always been this misconception of my brand as avant-garde, but I have always made wearable clothes,” said the 38-year-old Chalayan, a native of Nicosia, Cyprus. “I feel like a specialist actor, appreciated by the theater, who can now work in Hollywood. And why shouldn’t a design house like mine be more accessible?”
Chalayan and his recently named chief executive Giorgio Belloli, formerly of Prada Group, said the initial strategy is to increase wholesale distribution, develop accessories and explore collaborations, co-branding and licenses. The two are working on relaunching the firm’s Web site and restart the men’s wear business, which last sold two years ago.
Eventually, the two plan to begin opening stand-alone stores. The first concept corner — and a harbinger of what those stores might look like — is located at London’s Dover Street Market. Chalayan’s space has a spare, organic feel with clothing suspended from ropes slung between what appear to be tree trunks. Belloli said the company expects to break even in five years time.
“We’re starting from zero, re-approaching the market and building new relationships with wholesalers. Our first aim is to create a visible and credible main line,” said Belloli, who joined the company in May.
Belloli said the distribution strategy in the past had not been clear, and the brand never really forged relationships with the big American department stores, such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.
Until the Puma deal, Chalayan’s diffusion collection was produced by Italian manufacturer Gibò Co. SpA, which also makes lines for designers including Paul Smith, Michael Kors and John Galliano.
“There is so much potential in the U.S. market — it’s the one we’re looking at closely right now,” said Belloli, who worked in the U.S. for the Prada and Helmut Lang labels. Chalayan’s collection currently sells at stores including Barneys New York and at Blake and Ikram in Chicago.
LONDON — It’s Hussein Chalayan’s Hollywood moment.
The designer, whose love of experimentation — from dresses that double as chairs to long knits with built-in walking sticks — means he’s often dismissed as niche, is aiming for a bigger profile. Thanks to a majority investment earlier this year by sportswear brand Puma AG, which is in turn controlled by the luxury conglomerate PPR, Chalayan hopes to broaden his business and appeal to a wider range of customers. In addition, as Puma’s new creative director, he’s been giving the brand’s lifestyle collections a shot of fashion sensibility.
“There has always been this misconception of my brand as avant-garde, but I have always made wearable clothes,” said the 38-year-old Chalayan, a native of Nicosia, Cyprus. “I feel like a specialist actor, appreciated by the theater, who can now work in Hollywood. And why shouldn’t a design house like mine be more accessible?”
Chalayan and his recently named chief executive Giorgio Belloli, formerly of Prada Group, said the initial strategy is to increase wholesale distribution, develop accessories and explore collaborations, co-branding and licenses. The two are working on relaunching the firm’s Web site and restart the men’s wear business, which last sold two years ago.
Eventually, the two plan to begin opening stand-alone stores. The first concept corner — and a harbinger of what those stores might look like — is located at London’s Dover Street Market. Chalayan’s space has a spare, organic feel with clothing suspended from ropes slung between what appear to be tree trunks. Belloli said the company expects to break even in five years time.
“We’re starting from zero, re-approaching the market and building new relationships with wholesalers. Our first aim is to create a visible and credible main line,” said Belloli, who joined the company in May.
Belloli said the distribution strategy in the past had not been clear, and the brand never really forged relationships with the big American department stores, such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.
Until the Puma deal, Chalayan’s diffusion collection was produced by Italian manufacturer Gibò Co. SpA, which also makes lines for designers including Paul Smith, Michael Kors and John Galliano.
“There is so much potential in the U.S. market — it’s the one we’re looking at closely right now,” said Belloli, who worked in the U.S. for the Prada and Helmut Lang labels. Chalayan’s collection currently sells at stores including Barneys New York and at Blake and Ikram in Chicago.
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