Celio buys Camaïeu brand

French fashion group Celio wants to revive the bankrupt clothing brand Camaïeu: it has bought the trademark rights for 1.8 million euros at a bankruptcy auction.

Out of business

For French fashion chain Camaïeu, the curtain finally fell at the end of September: the retailer went into judicial liquidation, meaning 2,600 employees lost their jobs and all stores closed. However, the brand name is now likely to resurface soon.

Menswear label Celio has now bought the logo, brand names and domain names of both Camaïeu and Camaieu (without umlaut) at an auction in Lille. Celio CEO Sébastien Bismuth says he wants to revive the brand after the bankruptcy and the entrepreneur is even thinking of new shops.

“It is a brand with value, which has been a leader in women’s clothing in France for decades“, Bismuth told La Libre Eco. However, the “valuable brand” left a huge debt to the tune of 240 million euros. More than 500 shops were closed. Trade unions, however, believe the brand has a chance to recover under Celio.