EXCLUSIVE: French Fashion Brand Iro Names First Artistic Director

PARIS — French fashion brand Iro has named its first artistic director as the company seeks to reinforce its style credentials amid ongoing turbulence in the accessible luxury segment.

Nicolas Rohaut, a veteran of luxury brands including Paco Rabanne and Dior, has been charged with revamping the contemporary label’s collections and image, WWD has learned. His first collection for cruise 2026 will be unveiled in June.

Isolde Andouard, who took over as chief executive officer of Iro one year ago, said Rohaut’s appointment was designed to elevate the value proposition of the brand, which has annual revenues of roughly 100 million euros. Its price positioning will remain unchanged.

“I’m convinced that today, the need for quality, design and perfect fit is absolutely vital to stand out in the premium segment,” she said in an interview.

“Having an artistic director with a background like Nicolas allows us to develop a stronger creative vision of the brand image and communications. That’s why we believe that the creation of this artistic director position is absolutely key to our differentiation and success in the years to come,” Andouard added.

Rohaut, who joined the brand three weeks ago, said he hoped to bring a more youthful spin to the label, which was founded by brothers Arik and Laurent Bitton in 2005, and is known for its rock chic style.

“I like the democratic approach that a house like Iro can afford me,” said Rohaut, who was most recently head of design at Lanvin.

“It’s a new approach for me, but it’s not all that different because in the end, luxury as I understand it is about the care put into the pieces, and that hasn’t changed for me at all,” he said.

Rohaut said he was impressed with the quality of production at Iro, which has a 15-strong workshop in Paris. He plans to double down on brand signatures like leather, denim and cable knits while also developing new proprietary prints.

Having worked behind the scenes alongside Nicolas Di Felice during the Raf Simons era at Dior, and under Julien Dossena at Rabanne, Rohaut considers himself part of the new wave of designers redefining Parisian style. “I would like to propose a new message for Iro,” he said.

Owned by Chinese group Ellassay, which also holds the Chinese rights for brands including Self-Portrait, Ed Hardy and Laurèl, Iro is sold in around 100 boutiques and more than 600 points of sale worldwide.

Andouard is an Asia specialist who previously held senior roles at SMCP, the owner of contemporary labels Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot, as well as Ba&sh and underwear brand Undiz. She has been charged with accelerating Iro’s international expansion.

Though she declined to provide figures, she said the label was not immune to the contraction felt in the accessible luxury segment, though its diversified geographical network has helped it weather the downturn.

“A big asset for us is that we have a global presence and that we have two dynamic markets — Asia and the United States — while Europe, particularly France, is a little slower,” she said. “We are very happy with our performance in China.”

Iro opened around 10 stores last year, mainly in China and South Korea. “This year we will be consolidating our efforts and obviously, in areas that are more dynamic than others, we continue to open, but at a moderate pace,” Andouard said.

She also hopes to expand in the U.S., where Iro recently launched a collaboration with upcycled clothing brand Sami Miro Vintage. It took back control of its wholesale operations last year and operates a showroom out of its offices above its SoHo store in New York City.

“We’re very pleased because this approach is yielding positive results,” the executive said. “The United States is historically a very strong market for Iro and a big priority for us.”