With Baldessarini, the S.Oliver Group is adding the next brand to its “House of Brands”.
The Rottendorf-based clothing group is acquiring the trademark rights from New Baldessarini GmbH, a subsidiary of the Herford-based clothing group R. Brand Group, as the S.Oliver Group announced on Tuesday. With the integration of the menswear brand, the brand portfolio is intended to consolidate its positioning in the contemporary tailoring segment.
“Baldessarini is a strong brand with great potential,” says Johannes Rellecke, Co-CEO of the S.Oliver Group. “With Baldessarini we are closing the gap between classic business wear and modern casual menswear.”
Baldessarini instead of Black Label Men
Baldessarini is to be built up as an independent brand within the “House of Brands” in the same structure as the womenswear label Lala Berlin, which the group took over at the end of 2023. This also means that Baldessarini will in future represent the range of the slightly more stylish men’s line S.Oliver Black Label Men. The relaunch of Baldessarini is already planned for the beginning of 2027.
Since September, under the leadership of the new co-managing directors Julian and Johannes Rellecke, the S.Oliver Group has been pushing ahead with its realignment towards a “House of Brands”, which, in addition to Baldessarini, also includes the brands S.Oliver, Comma, QS, Lala Berlin, Liebeskind Berlin and Copenhagen Studios.
The brands should be positioned independently. The focus is on brand sharpening and product quality. For this purpose, a new campus with showrooms and consulting areas was opened at the company headquarters in Rottendorf in February, which is intended to intensify cooperation with trading partners and strengthen brand presentation.
S.Oliver takes over Baldessarini from Röther
In mid-2023, following the insolvency of the Herford clothing group Ahlers AG, the Röther Group secured the associated brands Baldessarini, Otto Kern, Pierre Cardin, Pioneer Jeans and Pioneer Workwear. These were then continued as separate GmbHs under the umbrella of the newly founded R. Brand Group.
Baldessarini never seemed to really fit into the group’s portfolio. Raphael Heinold, CEO of the R. Brand Group, once described the brand in an interview as a “fashion lace” that should be a little more stylish than other brands in the segment, but still sellable.
There no longer seems to be room for this in the group: “When we look at our brand portfolio strategically, we come to the conclusion that Baldessarini is a great brand, but does not play a decisive role in our future strategic direction,” said Raphael Heinold, CEO of the R. Brand Group, in the statement. “We are all the more pleased to bring the brand under the umbrella of a strong group of companies in which Baldessarini can make an important contribution and be further developed in a targeted manner.”
