Press Contact for
JOSÉ LÉVY
Press Office
38, rue de Malte
75011 Paris
France
Tel: +33 (1) 48 05 99 88
Fax: +33 (1) 48 05 99 55

PARIS, Dec 13, 2002/ FWD/ --- French designer José Lévy outlined plans for his company's development at a press conference at the Arlequin cinema on Paris' Left Bank Wednesday.

Levy, 39, whose past achievements have included stints designing for names as diverse as Cacharel, Monoprix, Nina Ricci and Holland & Holland, as well as helping along the early career of Hedi Slimane, showed his first own name men's wear collection in 1989.

Since then Levy's forged a relatively steady path in fashion as primarily a men's wear designer, opening his first store in Paris in 1999. But, as he said Wednesday, "After over ten years working, last year I decided to change... I don't like these insecure limits [imposed on small designers] and I wanted to establish myself properly."

To wit, Levy has hired an executive, Sylvie Tailhades, to assist with the development of his brand. Tailhades received a 20 percent interest in the company as part of the bargain, with Levy retaining a majority share of 51 percent. The remainder is held by associates and family members.

In 2001 Levy dropped the words "a Paris" from his label's name, "José Lévy a Paris." Since then the José Lévy typeface has become more robust and the label has pushed the use of its symbol, a black swallow representing "fluidity and dynamism, with a poetic aspect."

Under Tailhades' guidance José Lévy is beefing up its distribution network throughout Europe, hiring agents and managers, and developing company structure in-house. Tailhades' presence has also resulted in the appointment of French financial adviser Aurel Leven to help the company find investment to enable it to expand and move into a more powerful and stable position.

The company's presence in France is established in Levy's eponymous store, two Parisian department store corners - in Le Bon Marche and Galeries Lafayette - and in 21 multi-brand stores throughout the country.

Confirmed orders for Spring 2003 are up 39 percent on the previous season. Sales in France for 2002 increased 28 percent on 2001, with export sales up 66 percent for the same period. From the start of the 2002 financial year (the beginning of April) to the end of November, the company's sales weigh in at 1.5 million euros, which is small fry compared to where the company expects to position itself.

By the end of the 2005 financial year (March 2006), Tailhades and Levy envisage average annual yearly growth of 35 percent. The company is opening two new stores - in London in fall 2003 and in New York in summer 2004. In the UK, Tailhades foresees eventual sales figures in the region of 610,000 euros in the next few years, with about 300,000 euros coming from the London store and the rest from the other 16 stores in which the label is stocked.

With an eye on the reality of recessionary fears in the Japanese market - where the company's current annual turnover from two sales points amounts to 58,000 euros - Levy and Tailhades intend to exhibit at next June's Pitti Uomo trade fair in Florence, where they hope to attract a lot of Japanese buyers.

Levy, who stressed that he is "interested only in making real clothes," is getting ready to relaunch his label's women's wear as a full and independent line with a more focused image and outlook for 2004. The first couple of seasons, according to the designer, will be "a test period," with 2005 being "a period of reflection" on the success of the venture. Tailhades said that a range of accessories, "which are a necessary part of women's wear," would also be developed. For the foreseeable future, the women's line will not be shown on the runway. José Lévy will, as usual, appear during Paris men's fashion week, with a show slated for January 26.

At the press conference this week, Didier Grumbach, president of French fashion's governing body, the Chambre Syndicale, congratulated Levy and Tailhades saying, "What you are doing is very favorable and very professional, finding investors and moving forward. I wish you all the best."