THE BEST OF INTIMA – BIANNUAL – JULY 2008 - (Page 140)

Interview Marie Jo committed to independents Commitment to retailers and to high quality products are undoubtedly the key motifs of the Marie Jo brand and Van de Velde Group strategy. The Best of Intima spoke to newly appointed Antony Verbaeys who is heading the brand and the group’s expansion to become a truly global force in the field of high quality intimate apparel. How would you introduce the Marie Jo brand? How is the company structured in the US and has it undergone any major changes over the last 12 months? Marie Jo is one of the four brands of the Van de Velde Group with headquarters in Belgium. The Marie Jo brand was launched in Europe in 1981 as a fashionable lingerie, sporting unusual designs at a time when the lingerie industry was mainly turning out technical functional products. It has been distributed on the American market for twelve years now and over a quarter of a century Marie Jo has grown into a confident woman with a strong personality. Van de Velde acquires Andrés Sardá At the end of June 2008 the Van de Velde Group acquired 100% of the Spanish brand Andrés Sardá. On the basis of the agreement stipulated the Sardá family will continue to participate actively in the brand’s development and in that of the collections while Barcelona will be the headquarters of the Spanish branch of Van de Velde and Eurocorset, the company behind the Sardà brand. Founded in 1986, Andrés Sardá is one of the leading luxury lingerie brands in Spain and today its collections are distributed worldwide. «This acquisition is in line with our intents to broaden our portfolio of high-end brands,” declared Ignace Van Doorselaere, President and CEO of Van de Velde. « Sardá will give us ample scope to grow on new markets.” The Head Office of Van de Velde is in Belgium and Van de Velde North America is its American subsidiary. Our expansion has brought about some important changes over the last 12 months. First of all, I was recently promoted to Zone Manager for the Americas and since then the company has been expanding its sales force rapidly: from one sales rep to the current five sales reps (and we are in the process of recruiting a sixth rep). I will also be leading operations for Latin America as we aim to expand in the territory very soon. Are you also present in Canada? Yes, we are and actually growing very fast there: 30% per year. Canada is a much more mature lingerie market, where the specialty retailer has a bigger share of the market. How does your sales/business team work and who do you mainly sell to? All sales reps have a defined territory which they manage. We only sell to specialty boutiques, as we believe that is the only channel where the consumer gets the fitting experience necessary for our bras. What are Marie Jo’s distinguishing characteristics and the philosophy behind the brand? Marie Jo wants to offer timeless fashion. You will still be very proud of your bra in two years’ time. Because the quality of the materials - solely sourced in Western Europe - is so high, the bra will also be in brand new shape even after several years. Marie Jo wants to be as fashionable as possible, but also extremely comfortable. You won’t feel you are wearing a bra.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of THE BEST OF INTIMA – BIANNUAL – JULY 2008

Cover
CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
SHOP SCOUTINGWORLDWIDE - Boi’s selection from Asia to Europe
NEWER NOTABLES - Kiki de Montparnasse
- Isabella’s Fine Lingerie
- Etam Lingerie
- Coeur Pistache
- Tanya Bulhoes
- Arthur
- Taye Brasil
- Balls
- Le66
PHOTO SHOOT - Summer in the city
TETE-À-TETE - John Galliano
PHOTO SHOOT - Private Room
PORTRAIT - Wendy Glez
LAUNCHING - Nicole Miller, Marie Jo
- Hale Bob, Niki shapewear
- Jezebel
- Claire Pettibone
LINGERIE TRENDS S/S 09 - Delicate innocence
- Air of refinement
- Blooming cocktail
- Eco poetry
- Ethnic modernity
TALENT - Maud and Marjorie
BEACHWEAR TRENDS S/S 09 - Precious glimmer
- Fresh clear water
- Enchanted gardens
- Vernissage
- Exotic lands
THE BEST SHOP AWARDS
EVENT - Komar
- Chantelle, Radici
- Hug Award
INTERVIEW - Bob Vitale, Wacoal
- Anthony Verbaeys, Marie Jo
- Sophie Drouad, Lou
WHO’S WHO
EXCLUSIVE - Secrets
BUSINESS NEWS - Ea Lingerie
- Donna Karan, Fashion Ribbon
- Samantha Chang, Armani
EVENT - The Femmy Awards
EXPERT - Growing your business during hard times
MARKET OVERVIEW - Russia for everybody
EXHIBITION UPDATE - Lingerie Americas
- Curve
- Mode City
EXCLUSIVE - Intima’s T-shirt no.5
NETWORK EXPRESS - Network Dessous’ 10 worldwide magazines
CALENDAR - Major trade fairs around the world
BEST SELLERS - Brands’ best-selling items for F/W 08
EXCLUSIVE - The Green Factory
FABRIC NEWS - Eurojersey, Dow Fibers, Aquafil
FABRIC TRENDS F/W09 - Sweet glamour
- Sensual skin
- Red passion
- Baroque allure
- Light & shadow

THE BEST OF INTIMA – BIANNUAL – JULY 2008