ABFRL announces joint venture with Christian Louboutin; check details here

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABRFL), Aditya Birla Group's fashion and retail arm, on Wednesday annoucned a joint venture partnership with the French high-end footwear brand Christian Louboutin. The joint venture between ABFRL and Christian Louboutin is focused on the transfer of the existing Indian business into a newly incorported subsidiary of ABFRL. 

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited and Christian Louboutin will have an equal stake in this newly incorporated subsidiary, according to a company release.

Commenting on the JV partnership with ABFRL, Christian Louboutin's Group CEO Alexis Mourot said, "We are excited to partner with ABFRL's team and look forward to working with them to manage and develop the business in India which is an extremely important market for us."

ABFRL Managing Director Ashish Dikshit said that the partnership "exemplifies out ambition to develop and shape the future of the luxury market in India."

Commenting on how the partnership with Christian Louboutin can help ABFRL reach a growing section of consumers, Sathyajit Radhakrishnan, CEO of International Business at ABFRL said, "We are excited to welcome Christian Louboutin into the ABFRL family and building a strong platform for the brand in India. The brand's distinctive style and craftsmanship appeals to a discerning Indian audience that is growing rapidly."

This, however, is not the only time that Aditya Birla Group's fashion and retail arm has collaborated with a French fashion arm. In November last year, ABFRL announced a partnership with French fashion giant Galeries Lafayette to open luxury department stores and set up a dedicated e-commerce platform in India. 

"The flagship stores in Mumbai and Delhi will bring more than 200 luxury and designer brands under one roof," the company said in a statement at the time. At present, the company has around 3,200 stores across the country for brands including Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Louis Philippe, and Peter England.

Apart from this, Pantaloons has another 396 stores. ABFRL has long term exclusive partnerships with international brands like Ralph Lauren, Ted Baker, Hackett London, Forever 21, Fred Perry, American Eagle, Reebok and Galeries Lafayette.

The company also has strategic partnerships with Indian designers Shantnu & Nikhil, Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi Mukherjee as well as the popular fashion label House of Masaba among others. 

Also Read: How French designer Christian Louboutin's India-inspired collections are taking the world by storm