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The Swiss intimates company, which also owns German brands Aubade and On My Skin, acquired the American lingerie label for $80 million, it announced Thursday, May 19.
Calida plans to use Cosabella’s position in the market to boost its e-commerce business in North America and launch the Calida and Aubade brands in the US, Calida Group chief executive Timo Schmidt-Eisenhart said in a statement.
“We will strengthen the awareness of Cosabella as a popular lingerie brand in Europe and at the same time will benefit from Cosabella’s US market knowledge,” Schmidt-Eisenhart said.
Cosabella was founded in 1983 by Valeria and Ugo Campello in Miami. The business has grown at a compound annual rate of 22 percent between 2017 and 2021 and generated $29 million in sales in the US last year.
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The acquisition Thursday comes at the heels of Kimberly Clark’s new majority stake in period underwear maker Thinx and bra label ThirdLove’s purchase of Kit Undergarments.
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The Intimates Business Is Changing. Can a 40 Year-Old Lingerie Company Keep Up?
The rise of start-ups like Skims and Parade has forced lingerie companies like Victoria’s Secret to evolve. Now, Cosabella, a decades-old lingerie company, is also rebranding to embrace a more inclusive image.