IKKS exec exits; joins Aigle as general manager

Aigle is announcing a major change in management. The announcement comes as the French brand is preparing for its SS23 show on October 4 at Paris Fashion Week, a collection envisioned by the Etudes Studio designers in charge of the brand’s creative direction.

Aigle, owned by the MF Brands group, which houses fashion labels from the Swiss company Maus Frères including Lacoste, Gant and the Kooples, has announced the recruitment of Valérie Dassier as general manager. Dassier had been deputy general manager at IKKS since 2017, in charge of brand and product transformation. She has already taken up her new role.

Previously to joining the premium French brand, Dassier worked at Bon Marché from 1996 to 2006 before launching her own online decoration concept-store project. In 2009 she took over the marketing and digital management of the Comptoir des Cotonniers - Princesse tam.tam brand. Then in 2016, she returned to the LVMH group, this time at Kenzo, to take over the digital and customer management of the house. At Aigle, she is taking over from Sandrine Conseiller, who had taken the reins in 2019.

"I am delighted that Valérie Dassier has joined the Aigle brand. Valérie is a bold entrepreneur, an expert in fashion, retail and digital, who has successfully led several transformations," said Thierry Guibert, CEO of Maus Frères in a release. ”Valérie Dassier has everything the brand needs to perpetuate its unique know-how, pursue its development and meet its social and environmental commitments. I would like to thank Sandrine Conseiller for her commitment to the group and the brand and I wish her every success in her new projects.”

Conseiller had transformed the French brand founded in 1853, which was built around the production of natural rubber boots produced in its factory in Châteauroux, in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. The former marketing director of Lacoste had applied her vision, but according to information received by FashionNetwork.com, not without causing some friction within the age-old company. Under Conseiller's leadership, the brand has recruited a true artistic director, choosing the Etudes team to create a contemporary wardrobe inspired by its outdoor roots. Aigle has also given itself a new logo and has entered the Paris Fashion Week programme. The director has also pushed the company to evolve on environmental and societal issues. Its communication on the issue has become more clear-cut and Aigle has become a company with a mission since last year.

According to the group's press release, Dassier will be respecting this responsible commitment. She will also be responsible for "supporting the brand's development in France and internationally, while promoting French know-how and the brand's unique expertise. She will also be responsible for strengthening the distribution channels, including digital, and pursuing the product strategy around collections that combine functionality, style and creativity."

Aigle draws on its French heritage as a brand, and maintains a presence in Asia, notably in China where the label has more than 200 points of sale. In 2020, Aigle's turnover was announced at 280 million euros worldwide.

IKKS exec exits; joins Aigle as general manager

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