Smythson of Bond Street, the British lifestyle brand known for its leather handbags, notebooks, homeware and other accessories, has been acquired by private-equity firm Oakely Capital.
The 137-year old label, whose goods are carried at retailers such as Selfridges and Moda Operandi, will use the investment to ramp up international expansion — particularly in the US, Japan and Europe — by expanding distribution, franchising and collaborations. It also plans to leverage Oakley’s experience in digital operations, brand positioning and digital marketing.
Smythson joins Oakley’s growing roster of luxury heritage brands, which include Italian design and homeware brand Alessi, British luggage maker Globe-Trotter and the British leather goods and apparel label Connoly. The firm has made investments in a number of European design and lifestyle businesses in recent years through its Iconic BrandCo platform.
“By leveraging our expertise and investment in human talent, ecommerce and internationalisation, we see strong potential to develop our Iconic brands into global lifestyle businesses,” Vicente Castellano, an operating partner at Oakley Capital, said in a statement.
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