ZALANDO ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN HIGHSNOBIETY

by John Russel Jones Jun 13, 2022
Zalando, a leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle in Europe, and Highsnobiety, the global pioneer of the new luxury culture, jointly announced today that Zalando has acquired a majority stake in Highsnobiety.

The two companies will join forces to lead the way in engaging and inspiring customers. They will leverage each other’s complementary strengths by bringing together Highsnobiety’s cultural relevance and insight, fashion authority, and storytelling expertise with Zalando’s fashion network, e-commerce know-how, and operational capabilities.

While continuing independent operations, Highsnobiety will act as a strategic and creative consultant helping Zalando develop new inspiration-focused spaces and formats on its platform. Highsnobiety’s unique capabilities will play into Zalando’s ambitions to weave inspirational experiences into the customer journey and create an exciting and engaging online environment for both consumers and brands. In turn, joining the Zalando Group allows Highsnobiety to leverage Zalando’s expertise and resources to fuel its own e-commerce capabilities.

Highsnobiety was founded in Berlin in 2005 by David Fischer as a blog that heralded the convergence of streetwear and high-end luxury fashion. Today, Highsnobiety comprises a publishing arm, creative consultancy, and a curated commerce platform, counting among the most influential global voices in the new luxury space and in the culture at large. Teaming up with Highsnobiety will accelerate Zalando’s ambition to be a top destination for streetwear, new luxury, and fashion inspiration, especially for the younger, fashion-forward consumers.

David Fischer, Highsnobiety’s Founder and CEO, comments: “Highsnobiety has mastered the art of turning stories into products and products into stories. I am very excited to bring our capabilities to Zalando’s commitment towards fashion inspiration and together reimagine the future of content and commerce. Equally, I am thrilled to tap into Zalando’s unrivaled expertise in scaling e-commerce platforms and bring my lifetime’s passion work to the next level.”

David Schneider, Zalando’s Founder and Co-CEO, says: “Both of our companies share a passion for building strong brand partnerships and enabling brands to inspire audiences with their products and stories. Partnering with Highsnobiety will allow us to execute much faster on our ambition to offer the most relevant and engaging – as well as convenient – shopping experience to our customers. I’m excited to see our joint vision materialize and to shape the future of fashion content in commerce together.”

As part of the deal, Highsnobiety will retain its editorial and curational autonomy, with the publishing and agency work remaining fully independent. Highsnobiety will continue to be led by its two managing directors, Fischer and Jürgen Hopfgartner, and Fischer will retain a minority stake in the business.

All parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details. Highsnobiety was advised in this transaction by Liontree, V14 – Vogel, Heerma & Waitz and Taxess. Zalando was advised by White&Case, PwC, and McKinsey.