X-Wear, the Dutch distribution and licensing company owned by Ado Huisman, has obtained a large-scale European license for Mistral apparel, footwear and accessories. Over the last years Mistral apparel had been developed and sold by Boards & More, the holding company that controls Mistral, F2 and Fanatic. This strategy has been altered by Airesis, the Swiss company that still owns Boards & More.
The European license awarded to X-Wear excludes Spain, Portugal, Italy and Turkey, where Mistral had retained other licensees. The Mistral license became effective at the beginning of February, enabling X-Wear to deliver small ranges for the next Winter season, followed by the first full-fledged ranges for the Spring of 2008. Mistral’s European apparel sales currently reach less than €20 million, but X-Wear believes that they could be raised up to €50 million in the mid-term.
Huisman is very familiar with the brand since he was a former managing director of Mistral International and he successfully dealt with the Mistral apparel license in the Benelux for several years. Huisman went on to head Gaastra, the Dutch nautical and lifestyle brand. He then briefly teamed up with Anton Holland to run Falcon, the Dutch outerwear brand, but the two parted ways last year.
Mistral has undergone several management changes after Yves Marchand, former general manager of Adidas France and current shareholder of Airesis, relinquished his position as chief executive of Boards & More a few months ago. He was succeeded very briefly by Frank Heyssat, former brand manager at Mistral, who then moved on to Puma. A new brand manager for Mistral should be appointed next month.
Although most of Boards & More’s present subsidiaries should remain in place to sell Mistral boards and other hardgoods, there are some uncertainties about the French subsidiary, which is based in Annecy. Meanwhile, Boards & More is still holding talks to finalize the sale of F2 to Reinhard Hofbauer, discussing such issues as the company’s move from Germany to Austria, where Hofbauer is based.
