PARIS — Maison Lejaby is changing hands.
Two independent investors, Thierry Le Guénic and Stéphane Collaert, are in talks to buy 100 percent of shares in the French lingerie house from current owner Triana, according to a statement.
Le Guénic and Collaert are teaming up with Maison Lejaby manufacturer Isalys for the transaction.
Le Guénic, a former chief executive officer of Vanessa Bruno and Francesco Smalto, and Collaert, former managing director of French leather goods brand Texier, bought French men’s wear brand Chevignon from Vivarte in March.
The acquisition of Maison Lejaby is in line with the duo’s strategy to focus on “iconic French brands with a specific savoir-faire,” according to the statement.
If concluded, the buyout, for which no sum has been set yet, should be finalized by the third quarter.
The ownership will help the lingerie house develop its distribution network and continue its repositioning toward a more premium price point, including a global reworking of the brand’s collections.
Maison Lejaby is led by Jean d’Arthuys, ceo of Triana, who succeeded Alain Prost in 2015.
In 2014, the Lyon-based lingerie house laid off 30 percent of its staff, or roughly 50 to 60 jobs out of 188. The French lingerie company blamed the crisis in Russia and Ukraine, which accounted for 30 percent of its turnover at the time.