French Brand Sessùn Sells Majority Stake to Italian Fund, Eyeing International Expansion

Marseille-based fashion brand Sessùn has sold a majority stake to Italian fund Quadrivio, BoF has learned.

Founded in 1996, Sessùn encapsulates a Mediterranean aesthetic inspired by its Southern French roots. Think terracotta and cream tones, breezy versatile clothing, and minimalist handcrafts like ceramic candle holders and wooden spoons. The brand defines itself as “accessible and refined,” favouring consistency over trends.

“We don’t follow the easy road of being presented as a French brand with Parisian style, we do things more subtly,” said Laure Olivier, Sessùn’s chief marketing officer, “but we have a French soul.”

Most dresses from the brand are priced between €175 to €245. As the cost of luxury ready-to-wear surges, interest has been growing among customers and investors alike for more accessibly-priced brands with a French point-of-view. In August, L Catterton acquired a stake in Paris-based leather goods brand Polêne, while the Bettencourt family’s Tethys fund took a stake in French DTC darling Sézane in 2022. Sessùn has tripled its sales from €20 million to €70 million ($77 million) per year since selling a minority stake to Experienced Capital in 2017, with a steady annual growth rate of around 20 percent, the company said. Sessùn has sprouted a network of 80 retail stores and corners, in addition to 400 wholesale stockists.

Now Italian fund Quadrivio has acquired a majority share in Sessùn, snapping up Experienced Capital’s 42.5 percent stake as well as additional shares from the brand’s founder to build a majority position.

Under new ownership, Sessùn hopes to accelerate its international expansion: France accounts for 60 percent of their sales, though within five years Sessùn wants to flip this percentage, aiming for 60-70 percent of their sales to be generated abroad. The expansion will mainly focus on growing its retail business outside of France, although “wholesale is a strong part of the business,” said Olivier.

While Germany and Spain are currently its two biggest international markets, Sessùn has recently gained a foothold in the UK — opening four London boutiques since 2019. Continued growth in the English-speaking world is crucial for the brand’s next phase, with a keen eye on the United States as well. The company launched in the US last season in partnership with Nordstrom.

Experienced Capital previously invested in French womenswear brand Soeur and eyewear label Jimmy Fairly, both times exiting around a similar scale to Sessùn’s. “It is our business model,” Experienced Capital partner Virginie Birade explained. “With their next investors, our brands pursue international growth. It’s a new chapter.”

Quadrivio plans to invest in growing brand awareness and communication, particularly internationally, as the first order of business. “Sessùn is quite well-known in France, but there is a lot of room to grow abroad. Nowadays, people want to be part of a community, we need to create that,” Quadrivio CEO Alessandro Binello said.

Founder Emma François-Grasset will remain the brand’s CEO and artistic director following the deal.

“We will be careful to maintain their DNA, as we believe they have great potential to make a mark in the increasingly important affordable luxury segment,” Binello said.

On the product side, the new investor aims to increase the share of leather goods, with a focus on broadening its offer of shoes and bags. The label just launched the Diviluz bag, which retails from €325, comparable to the price-point of similar bags from brands like Sézane and Polène Paris.

By 2028, Sessùn’s goal is to generate €130 million yearly revenue, without raising prices. “We don’t want to lose anyone. Emma [François-Grasset] does not come from a rich family. Keeping our products accessible is at the brand’s core,” said Olivier.