Known for a super femmy design approach, French designer Giambattista Valli has indicated plans for a more diverse approach with an announcement that the brand is launching activewear.
Not a diffusion line but rather an extension of ready-to-wear offerings, the 56-piece collection will include coats, puffer jackets, sweatshirts and track suits, all of which will be shown to buyers in January 2018.
“It’s a capsule collection where we will express a more functional side of the brand, while remaining faithful to the atmosphere of contemporary chic that is part of its DNA,” Valli told WWD.
Valli foreshadowed the new direction with his spring 2018 ready-to-wear runway, which included pieces by Nike. And while Valli may be best known for his ability to create the frothiest of gowns, his resume includes designing Moncler’s exclusive Gamme Rouge collections from 2008 through 2017 when Moncler chose to end the brand extension.
In an addition to adding an activewear line, the label will also open stand-alone boutiques in Doha, Qatar, in January, and Seoul and Beijing in April. Expansion plans have been spurred by a majority stake investment in June 2017 by Artémis, the private investment arm of the Pinault family.
Priced from 1,100 euros to 2,500 euros, the line will hit stores in June 2018 along with Giambattista Valli fall offerings. The activewear collection will be sold Giambattista Valli boutiques and select specialty stores, and will also be presented on the runway along with the read-to-wear collection.
