MEDIA RELEASE

Lalique Group to acquire Zurich silk label “Fabric Frontline”

Zurich, 14 September 2022 – Lalique Group has signed an agreement to acquire the traditional silk label “Fabric Frontline”. Founded in Zurich more than 40 years ago, the company has become internationally renowned for its high-quality silk collections that combine quality with individual design and craftsmanship. Lalique Group wants to retain and revive the brand and foster collaboration within the Group. 

The “Fabric Frontline” label – which was established in 1980 by the “Zurich silk king” Andi Stutz and his two sisters and has been owned by the Swiss silk company Trudel Fashion Group since 2012 – is renowned for its high-quality silk accessories, especially its silk scarves and foulards. The brand gained international recognition with its artistic designs, its exquisite fabrics produced in the silk‑making centres of Northern Italy, and its complex traditional silk printing methods that give rise to such precise patterns and vibrant colours. At the height of its success, Fabric Frontline worked with fashion houses such as Hermès, Chanel, Dior, Nina Ricci and Vivienne Westwood.

In June 2022, Trudel Fashion announced that Fabric Frontline would cease operating this year if no other option could be found to preserve the business. With this transaction, Lalique Group is now acquiring the brand and will continue Fabric Frontline’s operations. Lalique Group will use both its own internal and external channels to drive future sales; Fabric Frontline’s boutique in Zurich will not be taken over. When Fabric Frontline becomes part of Lalique Group, this will simplify cooperation within the Group; examples include the co-branding of collections of scarves and foulards or accessories – an approach already taken by Lalique and Fabric Frontline in 2015 – and the use of silk textiles for interiors. As announced in July 2022, Lalique Group will run the “Villa Florhof” – a Zurich hotel with a long tradition – in the future. Its name is a reference to the trading of silk that once took place on the site of the hotel and was one of Zurich’s most important industries for many years. The acquisition of Fabric Frontline is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023. The first collection under the new owners is planned for spring 2024, with Lalique Group drawing on the longstanding expertise of employees and Riccardo Pfenninger, owner of Trudel Fashion.

Roger von der Weid, CEO of Lalique Group: “Fabric Frontline represents a perfect fit for our Group, with its broadly diversified activities in the luxury segment, and it offers numerous opportunities for collaboration. A century ago, René Lalique already created silk shawls with designs that were often inspired by flora and fauna – like those of Fabric Frontline. It is also important to us to preserve this traditional Zurich label. Building on its illustrious history, we want to secure a successful future for this high-quality brand.”

Lalique Group media contact
Esther Fuchs
Head of Communication & PR
Grubenstrasse 18
CH-8045 Zurich

Phone: +41 43 499 45 58
e-mail: esther.fuchs@lalique-group.com

Lalique Group
Lalique Group is a niche player in the creation, development, marketing and global distribution of luxury goods. Its business areas comprise perfumes, cosmetics, crystal, jewellery, high-end furniture and lifestyle accessories, along with art, gastronomy and hospitality as well as single malt whisky. Founded in 2000, the company employs around 700 staff and has its headquarters in Zurich. The Lalique brand, from which the Group derives its name, was created in Paris in 1888 by the master glassmaker and jewellery designer René Lalique. The registered shares of Lalique Group SA (LLQ) are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

You can find further information at: www.lalique-group.com.