Fashion
Puig creates deputy CEO role, entrusts to company veteran José Manuel Albesa

Published
September 9, 2025
Puig, a Spanish group focused on high-end fashion, perfumery, and cosmetics, is reinforcing its structure and incorporating the figure of deputy CEO into its organizational chart. The company has entrusted this newly created role to José Manuel Albesa, a company executive who has been with the company since 1998.
“We have created the position of deputy CEO of Puig, to whom all divisions will report, for which I am pleased to announce the appointment of José Manuel Albesa. I have worked closely with José Manuel since I took over as CEO in 2004, and I can assure you that his passion, understanding of Puig’s values, and talent as a brand builder and leader have been instrumental in transforming Puig into the global premium beauty company it is today,” explained the group’s president and CEO, Marc Puig, in a press release, in which the company also reported its consolidated results for the first half of the year, advanced in July.
“José Manuel is the ideal person for this new position and I am looking forward to moving forward in this new phase of Puig’s development thanks to our strong relationship of trust. I remain firmly committed to my role as chairman and CEO and, together, we will ensure that Puig faces the future in a position of maximum strength,” he added.
The company details that it has created this new role, which will be in charge of all divisions, to drive its development and strategy “across the business.”
Albesa will report directly to Marc Puig and will maintain his responsibilities as president of the group’s beauty and fashion division. For this strategic appointment, the Catalan company has relied on internal talent: Albesa joined the group in 1998 and since then “has played a crucial role in Puig’s strategic direction and in driving the global expansion of its fragrance and fashion portfolio,” the corporation says.
In his career at Puig, Albesa has held various senior management roles in the areas of brand development, marketing, or innovation. “Among his achievements is the repositioning of Rabanne, Carolina Herrera, and Jean Paul Gaultier, transforming them into three of the top ten fragrance brands in the world,” the company added.
In the first half of fiscal 2025, Puig posted net sales of 2299 million euros and net attributable profit of 275 million euros, up 78.8% from the same period last year.
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Fashion
Klarna raises $1.37 billion in US IPO, boosting fintech hopefuls

By
Reuters
Published
September 10, 2025
Buy-now, pay-later lender Klarna raised $1.37 billion in its U.S. initial public offering, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, setting the stage for a market debut that could set the trend for high-growth fintech listings.
The Sequoia Capital-backed Swedish company and some of its existing investors sold 34.3 million shares at $40 each above the targeted range of $35 to $37.
The IPO values Klarna at $15.11 billion, a significant step down from the more than $45 billion valuation it notched in 2021 after a rapid ascent as a BNPL leader.
Its valuation dropped to $6.7 billion in 2022 amid rising interest rates and inflation.
Klarna is headlining companies ranging from crypto to consumer that are aiming to go public in New York this week, as a rallying stock market and blockbuster debuts ease tariff worries and rekindle investor interest in IPOs.
The company, which has been planning a New York listing for years, paused its efforts in April as sweeping U.S. tariffs on its trading partners resulted in choppy global markets.
Founded in 2005, Klarna was profitable until its U.S. expansion in 2019, just ahead of the online shopping boom sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While its user count and gross merchandise value continue to expand in double digits, profitability remains a challenge.
Losses widened to $52 million in the quarter ended June 30 from $7 million a year ago, while revenue rose to $823 million from $682 million.
“While the market is open again to fintech listings, companies will be judged quickly on their ability to balance growth with profitability in a tougher macro backdrop,” said Rudy Yang, senior analyst at PitchBook.
The company also operates as a digital-first neobank. Peer Chime’s shares popped 59% in its Nasdaq debut in June, although they trade below the issue price, as of last close.
However, analysts said Klarna’s brand power might help secure its footing among fintechs.
“The sector is highly competitive and rapidly evolving, and brand recognition, where Klarna remains strong, is often as critical as (the) business model,” said Kat Liu, vice president at IPO research firm IPOX.
U.S. consumer spending has held up despite sticky inflation, labor market cracks, and slowing income growth.
Alternative payments services such as Klarna, which ease the immediate financial burden by allowing shoppers to split purchases into smaller, interest-free installments over weeks or months, have witnessed stable demand.
For the 12 months ended June 30, Klarna earned 75% of its revenue from transaction and service-based fees – the majority of which came from merchants on its network – the lowest as a share of total revenue for the same period since 2022.
The share of interest income in this period rose to 25%.
“Since Klarna’s BNPL model depends on both transaction volume and repayment rates, lower spending reduces merchant fee capture while also raising the risk of credit losses,” Liu said.
Goldman Sachs, J.P.Morgan, and Morgan Stanley are the joint book-running managers. Klarna will start trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “KLAR” on Wednesday.
© Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.
Fashion
Christian Louboutin Beauty to open Fétiche fragrance pop-up in NYC

Published
September 10, 2025
Christian Louboutin Beauty is set to open an immersive NYC pop-up in the heart of Soho, dedicated to its Fétiche fragrance collection.
Designed by Wild Buzz Agency, the temporary space offers visitors a sensory journey that brings the brand’s olfactory world to life. The event is free and open to the public from Friday, September 12 to Sunday, September 14 at 21 Spring Street.
Notably, the Fétiche collection will be on display, featuring signature scents such as Cuir Fétiche, Ambre Fétiche, Ébène Fétiche, Iris Fétiche and Encens Fétiche, joined by three new scents: Rose Fétiche, Santal Fétiche and Lavande Fétiche.
Each fragrance is meant to embody an attitude and emotion, much like a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos, encouraging wearers to express their individuality and unique presence in the world.
Christian Louboutin Beauty launched in 2014 with nail polish before expanding into fragrances, lipsticks, foundations, eyeshadows, mascaras, liners and brushes. Now, the Fétiche pop-up offers a new way to explore the brand’s vision of beauty.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Fashion
Puig reports 79% jump in first-half profit as US tariffs drive early sales

By
Reuters
Published
September 9, 2025
Puig, the Spanish beauty group behind brands such as Rabanne and Jean Paul Gaultier, saw profits jump 79% to €275 million in H1 2024, driven by early U.S. shipments and price hikes ahead of higher tariffs.
Spanish beauty group Puig, the company behind global perfume brands such as Rabanne, Carolina Herrera, and Jean Paul Gaultier, reported on Tuesday that its first-half net profit surged 79% to €275 million ($322 million). The growth was attributed to a strong sales performance, partly driven by strategic stock movements ahead of the implementation of higher U.S. import tariffs.
Puig said the increase in profit was also supported by extraordinary gains linked to its stock market flotation last year.
Like many European fashion, cosmetics, and consumer goods brands, Puig mitigated the initial tariff impact by shipping large volumes of inventory to the U.S. earlier in the year. The company also passed on some of the higher costs to consumers through price increases.
The U.S. introduced 15% tariffs on most imported European Union goods under a new agreement with the EU in July. These duties are significantly higher—around ten times—than the average tariffs previously applied to imported EU beauty products before President Donald Trump‘s return to the White House.
The Barcelona-based group reported sales of €2.29 billion for the January–June period, representing an 8% year-on-year increase. That figure is roughly in line with Puig’s projected full-year growth expectations.
© Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.
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