Zilli bought by Negma Group and FAI, new owners have ambitious plans

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Dec 14, 2021

Zilli has been has been bought by investment firm Negma Group and Italian restructuring and acquisitions expert FAI, with the approval of the Chairman of the Commercial Court of Lyon. 

The 56-year-old French men’s fashion house, originally known for its luxury leather jackets, will be turned into a “key player in luxury menswear”, they said.

The brand, which was founded in 1965 by Alain Schimel, is based in Lyon and currently markets a wide product range, including suits, shirts, small leathergoods, accessories, knitwear, jeans, footwear, and eyewear. It has stores in a number of key global cities.

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The new owners aim to “highlight its identity and the history that it has built up over more than 50 years and capitalise on its Lyon-based expertise”.

They will focus on “strengthening the current markets and rapidly developing the Middle East, European and Asian markets. Priority investments will be made in the marketing and communication departments in order to modernise its image and broaden the target audience”.

The new set-up will see the 70 current employees in France being retained.

Giuseppe Di Nuccio, will be at the helm, bringing 25 years’ experience in director roles at luxury brands such as Jil Sander, Burberry and Giorgio Armani. 

Anthony de Rauville, CIO of Negma Group, said: “Zilli is a high-value company with considerable human capital. [It] is a strategic, long-term acquisition for Negma and we are happy to provide our human and capital resources, which are essential to develop the brand and bring it to centre stage”. 

The owners also said that Alain Schimel, his son Laurent and the family “are delighted that the brand, labelled as a Living Heritage Company since 2010, will pursue its legacy, and that the know-how cultivated in the Lyon workshops by several generations of craftsmen and women will be preserved thanks to the significant investments that are set out in the new shareholders’ investment plan”.