French luxury house Jean Patou has rebranded itself, dropping the ‘Jean’ from its eponymous label name to be called simply ‘Patou’.
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The historic company, founded in 1912 by the French perfumer Alexandre Jean Patou, has also unveiled a new corporate logo, in large black letters on a white background.
“Onomatopoeia that we love to repeat. A recognisable appeal, a je-ne-sais-quoi that resembles you. Patou is Patou!” wrote the label, as per reports by French media.
“A new logo inspired by the house’s archives, to see the label enter into a new era.”
The name and logo changes come on the back of Jean Patou’s acquisition by fellow French company and luxury behemoth Louis Vuitton Group, which took place in September 2018.
According to media reports, Guillaume Henry, Patou’s creative director, will be responsible for leading the name and image change.
Henry joined Patou in September coinciding with the LVMH purchase. The creative director has prior design experience in the luxury sector thanks to stints at Nina Ricci and Givenchy. The designer will present his first women’s ready-to-wear collection in Paris next September.
Also leading the new Patou is Sophie Brocart, who LVMH appointed as Patou CEO last October. The executive was formerly head of Nicholas Kirkwood, another LVMH group label.
French fashion houses are notorious for dropping the Christian name from their brand names. Past examples include Christian Dior now Dior, Chanel with Coco Chanel, Versace with Gianni Versace, Saint Laurent with Yves and Maison Margiela with Martin.
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LVMH Group reported a strong start to fiscal 2019, reporting in April first-quarter revenue of 12.5 billion euros ($14.1 billion), up 16 percent. Sales were up 11 percent on a like-for-like basis, it said at the time of reporting.