Armor Lux’s new man

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Jan 19, 2015

The group Armor Lux is known for its striped jerseys and its defense of French savoir-faire. But the group’s eponymous brand now aims to rapidly make the most of its international reputation. Having only recently been named director of development for the group (Armor Lux brand, Land and Sea, Bermuda, Berac), Bruno Lischewski intends for the company to increase the share of its overall exports from 5 to 30% and of its menswear exports from 15 to 50% within three years.

With this in mind, Armor Lux is presenting its collection’s new look at Seek in Berlin, now running from Monday 19 to Wednesday 21 January, and then at Man in Paris. Alain Miran recently began working on its menswear, while Camille Cegarra, formerly at Petit Bateau, has overseen womenswear. "The biggest changes will be for menswear. That’s our priority," said Lischewski, who previously worked for sixteen years at G-star. 

For fall 2015, Armor Lux has added sportswear to its menswear standards as well as rolling out its Heritage range, designed by Jungho Geortay, the head menswear designer for Paul & Joe, who has taken the idea of sailors on a stormy sea. The sportswear range will feature three themes: contemporary sailor, military and student. Its sportswear fashion collection has thereby increased from 80 to 150 pieces for men.

T-shirts, pants, jackets and other pieces have just been added to the brand’s sailor jerseys. The challenge for Lischewski is entering a jeans and sportswear market that features competition from the likes of Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger, Replay, Boss Orange Denim & Supply... "Consumers are going to buy less, but better. Our company is also a manufacturer, specialized in knitwear, and famous precisely for the sustainability of our products," said the exec. 

The new look should help Armor Lux to move forward internationally. It already works with or for TopShop, Dover Street Market in London and in Japan. It has also signed a distribution partnership in Japan with Itochu (the distributor for Apc, Repetto, Marimekko...). In France, the brand could work with 600 to 700 clients including about 200 who will also feature menswear. In total, the group generates a turnover of approximately 95 million euros, half of which comes from its professional attire (SNCF, Geopost...).