Lola Casademunt keen to grow in Italy, mulls first mono-brand store in the country

Lola Casademunt, the Spanish womenswear and accessories label founded in 1981 in Cardedeu, near Barcelona, has been growing at a swift pace. In 2020, the label was available in Spain and Portugal only, and generated a revenue of €8 million. It now has a presence in 42 markets, and closed fiscal 2024 with a revenue of nearly €57 million, up 25% over to the previous year. FashionNetwork.com asked Lola Casademunt’s CEO Paco Sánchez, in charge of the label with the founder’s daughter Maite Casademunt as president and creative director, and her husband, Fernando Espona, as president, what is the secret of the label’s success.

 
“Work, work and more work,” he answered with a grin. “I joined the company in February 2020, just before the pandemic. The latter was obviously a disaster for everyone, but it actually gave me time to think how to go about developing the brand. We have worked a great deal on our product range, boosting quality, expanding the assortment and relaunching accessories. The label started out with accessories, but in recent years the category was rather dormant. We also set up a team to support the label’s international expansion. And we have invested in advertising.”  
 
The recipe has clearly been successful. The label currently has some 140 employees at its Cardedeu site, and operates 29 mono-brand stores in Spain as well as 44 concessions at El Corte Inglés department stores, plus three stores in Portugal, two in Andorra, two in Riyadh, one in Jeddah, concessions in Puerto Rico, and 14 shop-in-shops in Mexico. In addition to its direct retail network, Lola Casademunt is currently distributed via over 1,500 multi-brand retailers, of which about 840 outside Spain.

 
“We currently generate about 35% of revenue outside our domestic market. Our main foreign market is Portugal, while second place is a matter between France and Italy,” said Sánchez. “We entered Italy three and a half years ago, and in 2024 we generated a revenue of approximately €8 million there. We’re available at 180 multi-brand retailers, mostly in central and southern Italy, and we want to grow that number. We’re also starting to think about our first Italian mono-brand store, which could open in 2027. We’re considering either Milan or Rome,” he added.
 
Nearly all the Italian multi-brand retailers currently selling Lola Casademunt are apparel stores but, having relaunched its accessories and footwear lines, the label is planning to grow commercially also with retailers specialising in these categories.

 
Lola Casademunt isn’t overlooking its online potential. In 2020, it didn’t have an e-shop, while now it is available on leading e-tailers like El Corte Inglés, Zalando and About You, and operates e-shops in nine markets, including Italy. In five years, the label’s online sales have grown to account for 14% of total revenue.  
 
The label currently has two product lines: Lola Casademunt, where ready-to-wear collections feature vibrant, affordable fashion with plenty of character; and Lola Casademunt by Maite, a premium line designed by creative director Maite Casademunt, which shows at the Madrid and Barcelona fashion weeks.
 

FashionNetwork.com met the label’s senior management in Milan, for the launch of the new Lola Casademunt 1981 handbag, a model celebrating the label’s heritage, roots and product expertise. The handbag blends style and functionality, featuring details like a cylindrical metal handle engraved with the logo and personalised inserts, a tribute to the label’s jewellery past; a lateral braid, recalling Lola Casademunt’s early days with hair accessories; and an interchangeable leather-effect studded shoulder strap. The handbag is available in small, medium and large sizes, in five colours, and two different prints.
 
What is such a fast-growing label expecting from 2025? “This has been a tough year for everyone, also because of the wars and the general economic situation. We expect to reach a revenue of €60 million, growing approximately 6%,” said Sánchez. “However, the Spring/Summer 2026 commercial campaign is recording increases in the order of 30%,” he concluded.