MILAN — The Roberto Cavalli brand is revisiting the home’s spring 2023 print, Wild Leda, as a capsule collection celebrated through a series of events. The Wild Leda Summer will kick off in London, where the brand is teaming with Selfridges to put in a dedicated pop-up store on the second floor, ranging from Thursday for 4 weeks.

“We desired to offer something unexpected, without abiding to the standard dates and with a pervasive visibility, and catch people off-guard, and what higher place than Selfridges?” said chief executive officer Sergio Azzolari in his first interview since joining the brand at the tip of March. Azzolari underscored the brand’s give attention to a way of life concept and never on single products, but reasonably “with an idea and a perfect that might be traced back to the past.”

The bucolic scene of the capsule is inspired by the Leda and the Swan archival pattern originally designed by founder Roberto Cavalli in 1994. Conceived by creative director Fausto Puglisi, the Wild Leda seasonal capsule comprises ready-to-wear, beachwear, accessories — including the season’s signature Roar Bag and Pettegole slingback shoes — in addition to a choice of homeware and furniture pieces.

This marks the brand’s entry into Selfridges, said Azzolari, and London was chosen “also in light of future developments; now we have big plans for town and this marks the start of a path and an even bigger exposure to the direct to consumer platform.”

On Thursday, the brand will even host a cocktail event at its flagship on Sloane Street.

A dedicated outdoor communication campaign — on taxis, for instance — will grant more visibility to the project, he noted.

Selfridges’ two important windows facing Oxford Street will showcase the Wild Leda capsule with a surreal installation that will even encourage the decoration of one in every of the department store’s restaurants, the Brasserie of Light, where the mythological inspiration of Wild Leda will meet that of Damien Hirst’s Pegasus. For 4 weeks, the food destination will use customized Roberto Cavalli Home tableware, cushions and candles, and can offer a special menu designed in collaboration with the Italian brand.

Azzolari defined Selfridges as a store that’s “cutting-edge, point of reference in the luxurious shopping scene” and “a landmark destination where everyone seems to be welcome — a creative playground during which to find and share recent ideas and that matches perfectly with the spirit of the Roberto Cavalli brand.” He’s aiming for a democratic and inclusive event, “a approach to communicate the label in a special context.”

Azzolari was previously CEO of Dsquared2. Incidentally, Cavalli’s former general manager Ennio Fontana was named to that very same role at Dsquared2 in March.

Before Dsquared2, which Azzolari led for lower than a 12 months, he was general manager of Fay and Hogan, owned by Tod’s Group. He began his profession at Benetton Group, balancing his fashion and retail roles together with his skilled rugby commitments. He then built his expertise holding executive roles at Missoni, Luxottica and Deckers Corp.

Azzolari goals to extend the provision of the Cavalli product, as he observed that “the brand awareness is larger than the actual distribution of the product.”

A recent store will open in Las Vegas either at the tip of the third quarter or within the fourth quarter and a unit might be unveiled in Los Angeles on the Beverly Center in the primary quarter of 2024 — pointing to the importance of the American marketplace for the brand. “There may be an astronomical visibility of the brand within the U.S. due to Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Madonna [wearing Cavalli on tours], but this doesn’t translate in availability of the clothes,” Azzolari said.

In November, Cavalli held an event celebrating the Wild Leda capsule on the Ancient Spanish Monastery in Miami — a venue chosen for its representation of the Renaissance in America.

There are 10 directly operated stores and 4 franchised doors. The goal is to open three additional direct stores by the tip of the 12 months. The brand is obtainable at 150 wholesale accounts.

The corporate can be bringing its digital platform in-house by the fourth quarter.

Ready-to-wear accounts for 85 percent of sales, and Azzolari acknowledged the potential of the accessories category.

“I’m calling this the phoenix operation, for the brand to be reborn,” said Azzolari, who believes there may be a powerful loyal customer, but “little recruitment of recent customers” has been done to this point.

The corporate closed 2022 with revenues of greater than 80 million euros and the manager said he expects strong double-digit growth in 2023.

The Wild Leda celebrations will proceed through the summer with pop-up shops at each the label’s boutiques in Milan, Rome, Miami, Saint-Tropez, Cannes, France, and Porto Cervo, Italy, and at chosen partners, including LuisaViaRoma, Russo, Franzese, Parisi and Julian Fashion Milano Marittima.

Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman of the Dubai-based Damac Properties, owns Cavalli through his private investment company Vision Investments, which bought the brand from Clessidra SGR in 2019.

Cavalli is designed by Puglisi, who joined the home in the autumn of 2020, and it has been increasing its visibility also through the slew of celebrities, from Jennifer Lopez and Dua Lipa to Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani, who’ve been wearing Cavalli.

The corporate last fall inked a recent five-year license with De Rigo for the design, production and global distribution of Roberto Cavalli and Just Cavalli eyewear collections to bow this 12 months.

The brand’s previous eyewear licensing cope with Marcolin expired in 2020.

In September, the corporate formed a strategic partnership with Genny owner Swinger International for the production and wholesale distribution of the Just Cavalli sister line, which was managed under license until 2011 by Staff International, the OTB Group’s production arm.

More support is coming from Sajwani, whose property development company Damac is planning a 70-story residential constructing situated on the Dubai Marina, overlooking the Palm Jumeirah, called Cavalli Tower and to be furnished with items from the Roberto Cavalli home division. One other tower is planned in Dubai, in addition to one in Miami.