Puig Enters New Byredo Chapter as Founder and Creative Director Departs

Byredo is preparing for a new phase. Swedish perfumer and designer Ben Gorham, who founded the cult brand in 2006 and made it one of the benchmarks of contemporary luxury, will officially leave the company this June. His departure comes in compliance with the strategic agreement signed in 2022 with Puig, which foresaw Gorham's continuity as creative director until the middle of this year.

In parallel to the Catalan group's jump to the stock market last year, Puig completed the acquisition of 100% of Byredo's capital, reinforcing its positioning in signature cosmetics and high-end fragrances. The Spanish group has underlined its intention to preserve the Swedish firm's identity while expanding its growth potential.

"I am proud of what we have achieved in these twenty years and I am fully confident in Byredo's future with Puig," said Gorham. "The brand has a strong identity that I now leave completely in Puig's hands so that I can embark on new opportunities."

Marc Puig, president and CEO of the group, also acknowledged the founder's contribution. "At Puig we have experience inheriting the legacy of the brands we incorporate, respecting their essence and preparing them for a new stage of growth," the executive assured.

Puig and Byredo agreed on the handover of the brand, which the group controls from 2022

Byredo fits into the Puig ecosystem not only because of its presence in perfumery and cosmetics, but also because of its commitment to design as a differentiating value. Since its beginnings, the Swedish brand has been characterized by an avant-garde and minimalist aesthetic that has influenced both the olfactory and visual universe of the luxury sector.

The entry into the Puig portfolio took place in 2022, when the group acquired a majority stake from Manzanita Capital, in a transaction that valued Byredo at more than 1 billion euros.

Although it was born as a signature perfumery firm, Byredo has expanded its reach in recent years into categories such as makeup, fashion, leather goods, jewelry and home goods. The makeup collection, launched in 2020 in collaboration with artist Isamaya Ffrench, broke new ground and broke new ground for the firm in premium positioning color cosmetics. In 2022, makeup artist Lucia Pica joined the development of the line.

The transition strategy at Byredo is part of a pact between the two partners

With a portfolio of brands that includes names such as Rabanne, Charlotte Tilbury, Dries Van Noten and Jean Paul Gaultier, the group is seeking to consolidate its position as a global leader in the premium segment. The full integration of Byredo, which reinforces its presence in the most creative segments of cosmetics and perfumery, is part of this strategy.

In terms of legacy, this is not the first transition that the Spanish group has undertaken with the founders of some of the brands in its portfolio. The company, which has already faced the retirement of Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera, has also built a new stage with the Belgian luxury fashion brand Dries Van Noten. After Puig acquired a majority stake in the firm in 2018, the eponymous designer and founder remained as creative director and chairman of the board. Six years after the deal, Van Noten himself announced his progressive and gradual exit, maintaining the role of president and leaving the design in the hands of fellow Belgian Julian Klausner, who presented his first collection last January.