Kering Brands

Kering is a luxury goods multinational based in France and founded by François Pinault in 1963.

The company, which initially specialized in timber trading, grew via acquisitions and was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1988.

Two years later, Kering merged with a French conglomerate with interests in furniture, department stores, and bookstores.

The shift toward luxury brands started in 1999 after Kering, then known as Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, purchased 42% of Gucci and 100% of Yves Saint Laurent for $3 billion.

To see what else Kering now owns, please read on!

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Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta is an Italian fashion house in Milan, Italy, with a focus on shoes, accessories, fragrances, jewelry, and handbags for men and women.

The company was founded in 1966 and was an instant success thanks to a leather weaving technique known as intrecciato.

Unlike some competitors, Bottega Veneta does not show visible logos on its products and instead relies on its weaving technique to give the brand a premium feel.

Most products are hand-made, which further enhances the luxury of the brand and shows Bottega Veneta’s commitment to fine craftsmanship.

Pomellato

Pomellato is an Italian jewelry company that was founded in 1967 by Pino Rabolini.

Acquired by Kering in 2013, Pomellato introduced the idea that jewelry could be worn at any time of day and was not just a status symbol.

Pomellato is also renowned for its colorful gemstones and innovative stone cutting and setting processes.

The company employs a team of 100 goldsmiths and artisans who work at Casa Pomellato to craft every piece by hand.

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen is an English fashion house that was founded by Lee Alexander McQueen in 1992.

The house is famous for its critically acclaimed collections that are born from an unbridled and uncompromising expression of creativity.

Fashion pieces celebrate nature, the British countryside, craftsmanship, and a sense of community and there is often a juxtaposition between masculine and feminine elements.

Alexander McQueen was acquired by Kering in 2001.

Girard-Perregaux

Girard-Perregaux is a Swiss watch manufacturer with considerable pedigree.

The company, which was founded in 1791 by Jean-François Bautte and Constant Girard, was the first to handle the entire manufacturing process from watch engineering to final assembly and polishing.

Girard-Perregaux is also an expert in watch movements with over 80 related patents filed.

It released a watch with the first high-frequency mechanical movement in 1965 and another that was the first to be equipped with a quartz moment in 1970.

Boucheron

Boucheron is a luxury jewelry and watchmaker based in Paris, France, and founded in 1858 by Frédéric Prudent Boucheron.

Like Girard-Perregaux, Boucheron can claim several innovative firsts in its industry.

The company’s Jodhpur necklace was the first to offer the same marble featured in the Taj Mahal, while the 1947 Reflet watch marked the first instance of a jeweler patenting an interchangeable watch bracelet system.

Boucheron is a recent Kering addition, having only been acquired in 2018.

Brioni

Brioni is an Italian luxury menswear brand that specializes in shoes, perfume, eyewear, ready-to-wear, and leather products. Brioni was founded in Rome in 1945 by master tailor Nazareno Fonticoli and his business partner Gaetano Savini.

The partnership combined Savini’s entrepreneurial flair and Fonticoli’s technical skill, with Brioni rapidly establishing itself as the sartorial destination of choice for Italy’s elite. The pair held the first men’s fashion show in 1952 and introduced Roman tailoring to the world, among other achievements.

Kering acquired Brioni in November 2011 for an undisclosed sum, though prior estimates put the deal at somewhere near $508 million.

DoDo

DoDo is an Italian brand of luxury charms that was founded relatively recently in 1994. According to Kering, “DoDo was the first Luxury brand to offer composable, high-end jewelry to a broader unisex audience by combining playful aesthetics and expressing a personal message.”

DoDo products are comprised of sustainably-sourced stones and precious metals infused with creative Italian design and skilled craftsmanship. In addition to charms, the company now sells bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, pendants, and their various components.

Kering acquired DoDo when it purchased the Italian jewelry maker Pomellato in 1995.

Qeelin

Qeelin is another jewelry brand owned by Kering that was the brainchild of Chinese designer Dennis Chan. He was inspired to create a luxury brand based on Chinese culture after visiting the Dunhuang Caves on the Silk Road in 1997.

Seven years later, Chan co-founded Qeelin with the then-head of Tag Heuer Asia Guillaume Brochard. The brand combines aspects of Chinese culture and French craftsmanship based on the founders’ belief that France is the pinnacle of jewelry craftsmanship.

The name Qeelin is derived from Qilin – a mythical and auspicious Chinese animal that symbolizes love.

Lindberg

Lindberg is a Danish eyewear brand that was founded by Poul-Jørn Lindberg in 1984. Lindberg ran an optician workshop in Aarhus and disliked the bulky frames that were prevalent in the industry at the time.

Frustrated with the trend and on a mission to develop lighter-weight glasses, Lindberg collaborated with architect Hans Dissing to create “Air Titanium” eyewear. The product, which is constructed of titanium wire frame and has won multiple awards, precipitated the formation of the company itself.

Air Titanium debuted to the public in 1986, and the brand is now an international eyewear empire known for its sleek Scandinavian design.

Lindberg was acquired by Kering in 2021 for an undisclosed price.

Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent – also referred to as Saint Laurent or YSL – is one of the foremost fashion houses of the twentieth century. YSL revolutionized the fashion industry in the 1960s when it introduced high-end fashion produced on a larger scale than exclusive collections.

In addition to its efforts to democratize fashion, YSL popularized various trends in the 1970s such as safari jackets, thigh-high boots, tight-fitting pants, and the beatnik look. Cosmetics and men’s and women’s fragrances followed over the late 70s, 80, and 90s.

The company was acquired by the Gucci Group (later acquired by Kering) in 1999 after it purchased owner Sanofi Beaute. Post-acquisition, prominent American fashion designer Tom Ford was brought in to collaborate on new products with Yves Saint Laurent himself.

Key takeaways

Kering is a luxury goods multinational based in France and founded by François Pinault in 1963. The company was founded as a timber trader and did not move into luxury goods until 1999.
Many Kering brands were former European companies with an extensive history of fine craftsmanship. These include Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta and jewelry company Pomellato, which is known for its colorful gems and stone setting techniques.
Other Kering brands include Alexander McQueen, Boucheron, and Girard Perregaux. The latter was founded in 1791 and holds several watch-related patents.

Read Also: Kering Business Model.

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