Carven’s Asian partner takes the reigns

Carven is on the verge of changing its CEO, bringing on board Sophie de Rougemont, according to WWD. The house did not return calls when asked about the report.

Sophie de Rougemont is currently fashion director for the Bluebell Group, Carven’s distribution partner for Hong Kong and China, which became a minority shareholder in 2011 and recently became the majority shareholder.

In the company’s new organization, current CEO Henri Sebaoun will become managing director, according to WWD. Sebaoun acquired the label in 2008 together with Marc Sztykman and backing from Turenne Investissement.

For several years Henri Sebaoun has been looking for a new partner to help support Carven’s growth, especially because his original partner wanted to leave the company.

Under the helm of artistic director Guillaume Henry, the brand has enjoyed both financial and media success. For the year ended late March 2015, the company posted a turnover of over 49 million euros. The label was also a guest at Pitti Uomo a number of years ago.

Upon leaving Nina Ricci, Guillaume Henry was replaced by the design team of Alexis Martial and Adrien Caillaudaud for women's wear and by Barnabé Hardy for men’s wear, which continued to attract a lot of media attention.

All signs point to Henry being highly motivated to help this very French house continue to flourish.

Dominique Muret (with Jean-Paul Leroy)