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OVS collaborating with Jean Paul Gaultier for capsule collection

By Kristopher Fraser

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Couturier Jean Paul Gaultier will be designing a capsule collection for Italian retail chain OVS that will hit retail in mid-November. The title of the collection will simply be "Jean Paul Gaultier for OVS."

The collection will comprise a total of 60 pieces, and it will be available at a selection of stores as well as online.

OVS has been making a regular habit of working with big name figures from the fashion and art world including Elio Fiorucci, Costume National, and Matthew Williamson. Recently, the retail chain launched a capsule collection dedicated to the cultural patrimony of Italy. These collaborations are an effort to help OVS improve their image and gain larger recognition on a global scale.

The collection takes Gaultier back to his ready-to-wear skills. In 2014, the designer decided to halt production of his men's and women's ready-to-wear lines to focus on couture and his successful fragrances. Since fall 2015, the designer has been collaborating with Seven & I Group for its own private label brand Sept Premieres.

In addition to his design projects on the side, Gaultier has also been busy working on costuming a revue to be staged at Friedrichstadt-Palast to be staged in the fall, where he will be creating 500 costumes in total. The inspiration for his designs are taken from Berlin and cabaret, but features some of his own signature motifs like sailor stripes and deconstructed silhouettes.

OVS has a total of 900 stores internationally, and serves more than 150 million customers everyday. They have recently shifted their focus to becoming more of a go-to fast-fashion destination, offering more high-quality and stylish clothing than in the past.

In April, the retailer unveiled a limited-edition capsule collection called "Arts of Italy," to celebrate some of the country's most notable cultural masterpieces. The collection, offered for both men and women, made its debut on the OVS e-commerce website and in select stores across Italy in May. A portion of the revenues will finance the restoration of historic works such as the mosaics of the Cathedral in Salerno and the cupola of Rome's Sant'Ivo alla Sapiena church, featured in the collection's prints.

OVS has seen promising financial results under chief executive officer Stefano Beraldo. For the fiscal year ended January 31, OVS revenues rose 7.5 percent to 1.32 billion euros, or 1.49 billion dollars at current exchange. OVS also opened 189 stores in 2015 between franchises and directly operated units, and also improved sales in existing locations.

OVS SpA is 52 percent controlled by Gruppo Coin SpA, while the remaining shares are publicly listed. Coin is owned by private equity firm BC partners.

Jean Paul Gaultier
OVS