La Perla wants to once again become synonymous with exclusive, intimate luxury. That’s the plan that Peter Kern, the new owner of the Italian brand, conveyed in an interview with WWD, the US leading fashion industry publication – just a few months after rescuing the company from bankruptcy proceedings.
Last year, through the Luxury Holdings II LLC, Kern and his wife Kirsten acquired La Perla, which had been declared insolvent after changing hands for years. The founding Masotti family first sold it to JH Partners in 2007 then Silvio Scaglia bought it in 2013, and finally it was sold in 2018 to Tennor, then called Sapinda.
Kern rehired La Perla’s seamstresses with the goal to keep manufacturing the brand in Italy, mainly in the Bologna headquarters. Ahead of the official launch of its collection in June, Harrods hosted the first La Perla Atelier Event format, a private, one-to-one invitation-only experience inside the store’s lingerie VIP Lounge and with artisans coming from Bologna to offer their expertise for a perfect fit.
Kern, who was previously chief executive officer of Expedia, advocates a much more selective strategy, consistent with the brand’s historical positioning.
” We don’t want to open many of our own stores, like before; that was a mistake ,” explains the businessman, who believes that La Perla’s new phase should be built through ” smaller, more intimate, and more selective ” spaces. Milan, Paris, and New York are among the priority cities.
Kern also made it clear that the company’s future extends beyond traditional lingerie retail. The goal is to introduce La Perla into department stores, multi-brand boutiques and luxury resorts, amplifying the idea that the brand is part of the global world of contemporary luxury.
“We believe that La Perla is the foundation of every luxury look”
Another key pillar of the relaunch will be the revival of Italian craftsmanship. The company has already reopened its workshop in Bologna and restored more than 200 specialised jobs, thus reaffirming the artisanal value that has historically distinguished the brand, whilst continuing to innovate in materials and techniques remaining true to its identity and heritage.
La Perla at its peak reached a turnover of 250 million Euros and Kern is confident of recovering and even exceeding that figure within his 3-year plan.
