PARIS, Nov 5, 2005/ FW/ --- Fashion makes strange bedfellows, the latest being the venerable French fashion house Emanuel Ungaro being bought by Silicon Valley-based venture capitalist Asim Abdullah.

As reported by AFP, “Emanuel Ungaro has been sold by Italian group Salvatore Ferragamo to a US-based high-tech entrepreneur, the Paris-based brand announced in a communiqué.”

Rumors of the Emanuel Ungaro label being on the auction block surfaced during the Paris Prêt-a-porter season last March. The rumors came at the heels of the launch of Emanuel Ungaro Homme last January and the presentation of the women’s ready-to-wear Spring / Summer 2006 collection by Vincent Darré, his second for the house.

A full line fashion house that includes men’s, women’s, fragrances and accessories in its product line, the House of Emanuel Ungaro used to show haute couture until the Fall 2003 season, after which the house’s founder, Emanuel Ungaro announced his ‘semi-retirement’ from the business.

Mr. Ungaro stayed on to consult with the house’s other product lines. Incidentally, according to the same report from AFP, the house’s founder has not "worked with the house for six months" and "will no longer be involved in designing."

And that brings the house into a totally new era. Asim Abdullah might be a neophyte when it comes to fashion, yet his success, as an entrepreneur is renowned.

Mr. Abdullah made his name in Silicon Valley specializing in enterprise software and e-commerce. He co-founded TRUSTe, a Web security authentication service. He also served as CEO and co-founder of Appareon, a supply chain software for retail goods. He is also a Partner with Global Access Capital, a Silicon Valley based venture capital firm.

No business plan for the label had been announced, yet given Mr. Adullah’s background, do not be surprise if Emanuel Ungaro expands its web presence and delve into e-commerce in the near future.