Q&A with Janine Fichna, Founder and CEO of Antoinette

'Antoinette,' a new luxury women's wear outerwear is poised to turn heads with the first presentation of its debut collection during the upcoming trade fair 'Pure London' at Olympia. Founded by Janina Fichna, Robert Hubner and Franz Haushofer, the brand builds on from the former legacy created by the Haushofer family with 'Miss Antonette.' The new label draws inspiration from its roots and translates it into contemporary women's wear, made from cashmere, wool and silk. "With Antoinette, we have created a timeless, classic collection comprising garments which are elegant, modern and flattering all at once," commented Franz Haushofer. FashionUnited took a minute to speak to Fichna to learn more about this new label and its heritage, ahead of its exhibition at Pure London.

What can you tell us about 'Miss Antonette' history?

"The brand was founded by Franz Haushofer Senior, who started to work as a tailor in 1955. Back in the day he worked for big German brands, producing samples and small collections based on their designs. Then in 1975 he founded his own brand, naming it 'Miss Antonette' after his beloved grandmother, who was named 'Antonia.' The brand was designed to be a luxurious label for women and all garments were produced in Germany, made from high quality German and Italian fabrics. Franz owned two own plants in Munich and Rosenheim at the time, where all Miss Antonette garments were designed and produced."

"'Miss Antonette' soon became more and more famous and Haushofer Senior began to sell his collections all over Europe and in Asia. The brand's peak time was in the 1980s and 1990s, when Haushofer's children joined the label and began working together with their father. Franz Junior was responsible for the sales, Maria for the label's design and Albert for the production processes."

"The brand was sold via sales agents throughout the UK and was very successful, especially during the 1980s. At the time, 'Miss Antonette' had a huge shop-in-shop at Harrods and Selfridges. The late Lady Diana was also a big fan of the brand and purchased a lot of her clothing from the label at Harrods. However, in early 2000s the brand began to go downhill and Haushofer Senior decided to shut down the entire label in 2007, retiring from the fashion business. Haushofer Junior did try to revamp the brand at the time, but failed due to financial difficulties at the time."

How did you come up with the idea to start 'Antoinette?'

"I met Haushofer Junior through a mutual friend a little over two years ago. Before that I had worked with designer Philipp Plein, when he was just starting to try his hand at fashion. While talking and discussing fashion and sharing our experiences and contacts, Haushofer Junior and I began to build up this a idea of a new brand, using his and mine existing contacts. Our idea was to create a brand using again high quality fabrics with elegant designs which are classic, but with an extravagant touch. We both felt that in a time when value fashion chains and fast-fashion retailers such as H&M, Primark and Zara where growing more and more, there was a lack of traditionally made, high quality fashion in the market. Fashion with love in every detail. So that was our idea for 'Antoinette,' to create a new luxury label."

When did you first launch 'Antoinette?'

"We founded the brand early last year together with an investor. Initially we wanted to use a new name for the brand, but we like the idea that people may be confused by the name and may assume that there is a connection to 'Miss Antonette.' In fact, this link to the old label helped us a lot when we visited high quality fabric suppliers and manufactures in Italy and numerous production factories in Europe, as they remembered the brand. I hired Christine Lebsack as the head of design last September, who has over ten years of design experience with different brands. We already introduced the label to the German market earlier this year, attending trade fairs Panorama in Berlin and Supreme in Munich, as well as Dusseldorf, and this month we will be presenting the label to the UK market at Pure London."

Why did you choose to exhibit at Pure London?

"Well, firstly we are very keen to introduce the brand to the UK again, as it is the first and best market after Germany for us to be present in. Following the former popularity and following that 'Miss Antonette' had, we hope that 'Antoinette' will do just as well, if not better with British consumers who are looking for high quality fashion. Also we were extremely pleased with the wonderful service provided by the sales team at Pure London. They were able to give us a premium spot due to a cancellation and have been very helpful. Also, after previously attending Pure London with Philipp Plein, I truly believe that Pure London is one of the best and most beautiful trade fairs I have ever attended! This coming Sunday we will show our first 'Antoinette' Autumn/Winter collection, which we hope British buyers will like, and after that we will exhibit at the Coterie in New York."