Bestseller holding co invests in Ivy & Oak as affordable occasionwear sector expands

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 25, 2018

Heartland, the holding company of fashion retail giant Bestseller is continuing its strategy of boosting its interests in businesses with growth potential and said Wednesday that it’s investing in Ivy & Oak.

The German high-street fashion brand has rapidly established a foothold in the European women’s occasionwear market and will now receive "a significant injection of funds” from Brightfolk, an investment company that comes under the Heartland umbrella. Brightfolk “is the main contributor to a €5 million investment” in Ivy & Oak.

Heartland said that the Berlin-based fashion specialist will remain separate from Bestseller's portfolio of brands.

As mentioned, Ivy & Oak is a high-street fashion brand with an occasionwear focus, producing both evening and bridal dresses, as well as more formal daytime pieces. Its aim is to cater for “a fast-growing segment of women looking for better quality occasionwear than what most fast fashion brands can offer, without a luxury price tag.”

And in this respect, it’s operating in a key part of the market that has massive potential for the future as well as performing strongly at present.

UK brand Ted Baker has shown just what can be achieved by focusing on trend-led ‘formalwear’. Meanwhile, a raft of high-street and contemporary brands have realised that the fashion-linked-but-affordable bridal sector is ripe for exploitation and are giving the traditional bridal segment a run for its money.