Milan — Arsala Investment Group launches a new luxury brand “Retori”, completely made in Italy.
The new brand, consisting of ready-to-wear and accessories collections for women and men, is called Transseason and will be launched twice a year.
“The name Rhetoric comes from rhetoric, the art of storytelling,” said founder and creative director Salma Rashid. “Each collection is a chapter, containing the emotional stories of artists from around the world. The brand brings together a diverse community of artists, allowing them to share their unique journeys through life.”
Retori is headquartered in Milan and its first collection, Chapter 01, was unveiled with an initial sales campaign starting on Tuesday and is expected to be launched in late 2024.
Rashid says her intention is to “fuse comfort and practicality with elegance, creating garments that don’t just adorn the body, but resonate with a personal story that helps the wearer embrace the life journey that unfolds.” “That’s true,” he said.
The designer is the daughter of Rashid Mohamed Rashid, who founded Arsala Investment Group in 2017.
salma rashid
Shahzad Akhtar, CEO of Alsala Investment Group, expressed pride in the launch of Retri, which “embodies the key values we support at Alsala: people, products and innovation.” .
Arsala operates a group of Milan-based luxury brands, including cool puffer label Chris Joy and design venture Frome, while also reviving a label by Walter Albini, one of the founders of Italian ready-to-wear. The aim is to “spread Italian savoir-faire around the world,” Akhtar said.
Other brands and companies in the group’s portfolio include Aconi, which produces Valentino and Balmain eyewear. Investor Bidayat. Egypt-based jewelry brand Azza Fahmy. Accessories labels Okhtein and Flyroom. Salma Rachid is also the creative director of Akoni.
Despite the current unstable and difficult global geopolitical situation, Alsala is confident in this launch. Zaccheo Manzoni, who was appointed CEO of Retri, asserted that “the luxury goods market still has the potential to grow, with innovative ideas and new challenges.” He believes the brand “speaks to the creative community who are looking for a harmonious blend of comfort and practicality, as well as elegance and beauty.”
Arsala told WWD in January that it was working on launching a new men’s and women’s ready-to-wear brand. “Arsala offers an exciting opportunity to build a next-generation luxury brand around people, product excellence and innovation,” Akhtar said at the time. Akhtar said Milan is also an important reference point for Arsala as it is home to a true fashion hub. “Milan was a natural choice for us. It is an important center for fashion and finance, home to strong brands, combines history, culture and tradition, and fosters innovation and creativity. We’re energizing the talent and the brand, so there’s no need to go anywhere else.”
Mr. Akhtar was appointed Group CEO of Alsara Strategic Investments in July last year, a new role for the company, marking an increased focus on brand building and mergers and acquisitions activity.
Exterior view of Alsara Investment Group’s new brand Retori.
Alsara Investment Group is an international private investment company based in Switzerland. In addition to our portfolio of owned and operated investments in luxury brands, we provide investment advisory and management and invest in venture capital, private equity, and growth funds. Purchased a majority stake in Chris Joy in 2021. We aim to expand our global reach, product offerings and digital capabilities. This Italian-made brand, located at the higher end of the market, has gained a cult following with its jackets, Chris’ cocooning, his hooded puffers and his jackets. Last February, Crisjoy signaled a new direction during Milan Fashion Week with the Italian brand’s first presentation, designed by Marzia Belotti.
Rashid Mohamed Rashid is Valentino’s chairman and CEO of Mayhoola, the brand’s parent company, which also owns Balmain and Italian men’s wear brand Pal Girelli. Earlier in his career, he served as Egypt’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment and was also an executive at Unilever.
