The retailer hopes to open 122 stores in France and overseas by 2025, representing a 36% increase in its store footprint. The name is made up of three Chinese characters, which together mean “stylish, fashionable, good taste." The name is gender neutral, which Baume believes reflects Zadig’s silhouettes – “The name is phonetically close to Zadig, but is also meaningful,” he explains. This meant that the retailer could take ownership of its own name, rather than having it pronounced in a variety of ways.
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Read more: Putting the ‘je ne sais quoi’ into Sézaneīaume explains the rebranding as Sàdigé in China was to create a name from Chinese characters that consumers could pronounce. Baume also says Chinese luxury shoppers are very knowledgeable about French culture and want to buy into it. This will appeal to younger Chinese consumers who wear clothes as a form of “self-expression". Speaking to Drapers from the retailer’s London flagship on South Molton Street, which opened in April this year, CEO Rémy Baume says he believes Zadig has the potential to be very popular in the market because it offers an “alternative to traditional China, as an effortless luxury brand”.
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Alongside this, the retailer has just announced the appointment of a CEO for China, Jean Lahirle, who has 25 years’ experience in Asia, advising luxury brands such as Chanel, Celine and, more recently, Delvaux on their retail strategies in the region. The company hopes to reach 60 boutiques by 2025 and to increase its visibility on Chinese social networks such as Weibo and Wechat, and Chinese ecommerce platforms. Zadig currently has 16 stores in China and also sells on its biggest online sales platform, Alibaba’s Tmall. The retailer has already been present in China for 10 years through a 50:50 joint venture with IT Group, but it has now created a wholly owned company for China, Sàdigé. In China, Zadig & Voltaire is rebranding itself as “Sàdigé”, and plans to multiply its activity there tenfold. This same turnover is Zadig & Voltaire's projected expectation for the 2020/21 financial year.įounder Gillier was inspired by the French 18th-century philosopher and writer Voltaire, who wrote about Zoroastrian philosopher Zadig in ancient Babylonia, when he came up with the name for his brand. Turnover was €350m (£296m) in 2019 for the financial year running from February 2019 to January 2020. Read more: Lacoste: closing the polo loop by recycling In accessories, handbags range from £285 for a nano leather bag, to £675 for a large suede bag. Childrenswear prices start at £45 for a T-shirt and go up to £300 for coats selling. Womenswear retail prices range from around £90 for a T-shirt to £1,545 for a shearling coat and menswear prices range from £80 for a T-shirt to £1,445 for a shearling blazer. Swedish-French fashion designer Cecilia Bönström has been artistic director since 2006.
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European private equity firm Peninsula joined as a minority partner, also in January 2020. Rémy Baume joined as CEO in January 2020, from Kidiliz Group, which created childrenswear clothing lines for luxury brands including Kenzo and Paul Smith. Gillier remains the majority owner and chairman of the brand.
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Internationally, it wholesales to Tmall in China, a luxury ecommerce platform, and high-end Russian department store Tsum in Moscow.įounded by Thierry Gillier in 1997, Zadig and Voltaire has its headquarters in Paris. Its biggest markets are France, the US, Spain and the UK, where it has 16 stores. The French men’s, women’s and children’s wear retailer, known for its luxury rock 'n' roll aesthetic, has 400 stores in 30 countries. Marking its 25th anniversary, French luxury retailer Zadig & Voltaire has revealed its international expansion policy with goals for 2025, including an intensified focus on China, a new digital strategy and a commitment to sustainability. It is a bold strategy for a changing world.