Pinault family holding Artémis takes stake in Giambattista Valli

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jun 29, 2017

Artémis, the family holding company of the Pinault family, has taken a stake in the fashion house of Giambattista Valli.
 
The Pinaults control France’s second largest luxury conglomerate, Kering, an empire that already includes Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Alexander McQueen.

 
Born in Rome, Valli founded his fashion house in 2004 after a brilliant stint as creative director of Emanuel Ungaro. He producers both haute couture and ready-to-wear collections which he shows in Paris, and a more edgy collection know as Giamba which he presents intermittently in Milan.
 
According to Artémis, the deal offers the Pinault family the chance to eventually become majority owners in Valli’s house. Artémis’ immediate goal is to contribute to the growth of the house in a new stage of development with financial support and expertise.

Currently, Valli and Giamba are sold internationally in a variety of boutiques and department stores as well in a small group of Giambattista Valli boutiques in Paris, Milan, Saint Tropez and Seoul.
 
“Artémis and Maison Valli share a same passion for art, freedom of expression and creativity. With this alliance, we will marry the excellence of two houses with parallel visions, and I am very honored to be given the opportunity to get access to Artémis’ know-how in order to pursue, with the Pinault family, the story of Maison Valli,” the designer said in a release.

Added Patricia Barbizet, CEO of Artémis: “In bringing to the Maison Valli the means and expertise of Artemis, we are delighted to accompany its development and to contribute to the growth of this great company, led by the immense talent of its designer. With this alliance, Maison Valli will benefit from the support of a professional shareholder in order to enter a new chapter and reveal its full potential.”
 
Artémis was founded by French billionaire François Pinault in 1992. His son François-Henri Pinault is the CEO of Kering. Besides controlling Kering, this holding company also owns the auction house Christie’s; the legendary Chateau Latour vineyard; French weekly Le Point, and the Stade Rennais Football Club, among other assets. It also controls both Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana in Venice, the exhibition sites of Francois Pinault’s contemporary art collection, the most important contemporary collection created by a living European. A third exhibition center is currently being built in the Commodities Exchange building in central Paris, which will open in 2019.