La Perla Takes a Deeper Dive Into Swimwear
La Perla is taking a deeper dive into the swimwear market.
The luxury lingerie and sleepwear brand has signed a licensing deal with Italian factory Isa SpA to develop, manufacture and distribute women’s swimwear within the La Perla brand around the world. The exclusive agreement begins Tuesday.
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The partnership is twofold: it will help grow La Perla’s still-limited assortment of swimwear while leveraging Isa’s knowledge of the category, as well as manufacturing and distribution capabilities.
“Isa’s positioning and expertise make them the ideal partner for them to develop its full potential in the women’s swimwear category,” said Peter Schaefer, chief executive officer of La Perla Global Management. “Their expertise in luxury product development combined with La Perla’s well-established swimwear distinctiveness and incredibly rich heritage will enable us to reach even more audiences around the world.”
He added that while La Perla has offered some swimwear in the past, “we understand that there is incredible opportunity to expand the category both in breadth of selection and distribution. There is strong appetite for La Perla’s sophisticated silhouettes and luxurious materials, especially in the U.S. market where swimwear is a significant portion of the market share. Marrying our design and heritage with their material technology and associated production expertise and capability will allow La Perla to accelerate the expansion of the swimwear category internationally.”
Mila Zegna-Baruffa, chief executive officer of Isa SpA, added: “Isa and La Perla share the same approach of non-compromise on quality. On this basis we believe this partnership will bring back to the market a product that is meant to last long and coherently with the strong heritage of La Perla. [And it] will make women feel special.”
La Perla, which was founded in 1954 in Italy, has been in expansion mode throughout the pandemic. The company, which is now public, launched on Amazon’s luxury stores in the fall of 2020. The following year, La Perla expanded into beauty, with a range of fragrances, body care and makeup. The company also launched shapewear and plus-sizes amid the pandemic in the hopes of reaching a broader demographic. In addition, La Perla continues to open brick-and-mortar stores Stateside.
Meanwhile, Isa — which was established in the 1950s and is located in the greater Milan area — acts as a licensee, producing products for brands such as Balmain Swimwear, Stella McCartney swimwear and lingerie and Tom Ford’s men’s underwear.
The company was founded as a weaving factory but its services have evolved to include printing and dyeing processes. In addition to swimwear, lingerie and innerwear, the firm produces sleepwear and activewear.
