Strenesse relaunches under MAEG Holding

German fashion label Strenesse has found a buyer. The company, which was declared bankrupt in 2014, is being taken over by the Amsterdam-based MAEG Holding en will relaunch as Strenesse GmbH. The investor wants to revive the brand and is relaunching it with all 240 staff members intact.

Reiner Unkel, former managing director of fashion label Basler, is to be the brand’s new chief executive. “In MAEG Strenesse has found an owner that offers a strategic viewpoint and focuses on the long term. We can now reinforce the repositioning of the brand with renewed energy,” Unkel said, responding to the news. The new chief executive is planning to return Strenesse to its roots. “A brand that changes with the times, is classic as well as sexy, is daring but always remains ladylike and wearable.”

New management will also focus on the modernisation of the brand’s distribution network. On the one hand, this means digitalising the processes related to trade, and on the other hand, making use of social media channels to better position the brand. According to terms of the purchase agreement, Strenesse’s former shareholders will be able to retain a stake of 20 percent in the new company.

Strenesse filed for bankruptcy in 2014 and was temporarily relaunched by Pluta Rechtsanwalts GmbH. The current investor, MAEG Holding, is an international family-owned business based in Amsterdam. The company’s goal is to turn around loss-making fashion companies.