June, 2008

This could be interesting!

Is Diesel’s Renzo Rosso on the prowl again?

Word on the street is that Rosso is in talks to acquire Superfine Jeans, the hot London-based premium denim brand, founded in 2003 by Lucy Pinter and Flora Evans. Superfine has become well known for its directional silhouettes and popularity amongst the global style A-list, including Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen and Mary-Kate Olsen.

While Mr. Rosso has been acquisitive in the past, he has tended to focus more on the fashion end of things, acquring stakes in  Maison Martin Margiela, DSquared2, and most recently, Sophia Kokosalaki, through Diesel’s Staff International subsidiary.

That Mr. Rosso is reportedly looking to acquire another denim brand may suggest that Diesel, which now ranks amongst the best-known jeans labels in the world, is looking for something more edgy and sophisticated to add to its jeans stable to compete with the likes of cult Swedish label Acne and 18th Amendment and Ksubi of Australia.

This is a smart move. With Rosso’s manufacturing, marketing and distribution capabilities, Superfine could be supercharged into a global denim brand in its own right — but by then, I guess Rosso will be on the hunt again.

Source