Onward Luxury Group inks accessories deal with Elie Saab

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Aug 24, 2020

The Onward Luxury Group (OLG), like several other top fashion names, has been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis, but is bouncing back with two new projects. FashionNetwork.com has learned that OLG, the European luxury subsidiary of Japanese group Onward, after losing the Mulberry licence, has now inked a deal with Elie Saab. OLG is also about to launch its own e-shop, called Blancah.
 

OLG started to produce the Lebanese couturier’s ready-to-wear collections at its factory in Bergamo, Italy, with the Fall/Winter 2020 season. One thing has led to another, and OLG is now working on Elie Saab’s accessories. “In the course of various meetings with Elie, we began to discuss the possibility of collaborating on footwear and handbags too. We soon signed a licence deal, with a view to step up the pace of development for this prestigious label’s accessories lines,” said the CEO of OLG, Fabio Ducci, in a press release.
 
OLG is based in Milan and has factories in Tuscany and Lombardy. The group owns, among others, Jil Sander and Moreau Paris, and is in charge of the licences for the apparel and footwear collections of several labels, among them Rochas. OLG will produce and distribute the accessories (handbags and shoes) designed by Elie Saab - a regular on the Parisian catwalks - for five years, starting with the Spring/Summer 2021.

In parallel, OLG is about to launch Blancah, an e-shop dedicated to the group’s labels, with a special focus on footwear brands F_wd and Carlotha Ray, on ready-to-wear label Joseph, and on various collections licensed to OLG, like footwear by JW Anderson, See by Chloé, Proenza Schouler, Francesco Russo and Maria Luca, by designer Carlotta De Luca, alongside apparel collections by Brock Collection and Federico Curradi.
 
OLG said that Blancah’s launch, scheduled for the end of July, will be supported by intense promotional activity on social media. For its virtual showroom, OLG has teamed up with NuOrder, a website specialised in digital sales solutions.