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But not every deal hits the ball out of the park; fashion remains a risky go-with-your-gut business. Every six months the creative cycle has to rev up again, and God forbid the brand doesn't hit the right trend one season. The result can be costly, with stores filled with unsold merchandise. The potential for failure is great, "but the upside opportunity is also that great," says James Hurley, who follows the luxury market at TAG.
One of the reasons Change Capital viewed Jil Sander as an attractive investment was that it doesn't rely on up-to-the-minute trends to the degree that a brand like Dolce & Gabbana does. "You would not expect a collection to come out and lose 50% of your sales because you didn't hit the right button," says Stephan Lobmeyr, a managing director at Change Capital. "I'm not saying it's not innovative. You need innovation or you don't have a place in high fashion, but it's more stable."
Bensoussan helped limit his risk potential at Jimmy Choo by building a classic collection. "There were these fabulous styles that they used to throw away every season," he says. "Now 10% of our collection is made up of classic styles, and that group has become 25% of the business." Bensoussan made other changes too, streamlining production, opening more stores and adding handbags and eventually fragrances to the line. "We had a Ferrari, but we had to put a bigger engine in."
Good management like that, something relatively new to the fashion business, is what draws investors in. "That's probably the No. 1 criterion for any private-equity investment," says Philippe Franchet, a partner at L Capital, explaining why they invested in the low-profile Piazza Sempione brand. "The management team is brilliant." Translation: it has a manager with a good production record and a solid business plan. When Enrico Morra, managing director of Piazza Sempione, and the company's founders met with L Capital's partners, they outlined exactly what they wanted to do, including opening more stand-alone stores and expanding into categories like handbags and shoes. In short, they had an estimated $60 million business and wanted to take it global.
"Entrepreneurs can grow a business to about $50 million," says William Smith of Global Reach Capital, a new private-equity firm that specializes in consumer brands and just invested in Tory Burch, a New York City--based apparel and accessories brand. "That's where we come in. We can take it to $250 million." Says Burke, who now works as a consultant to private-equity firms, including Global Reach Capital: "There are a lot of great fashion brands that don't have the capital or the business acumen to grow." That's where a private-equity firm can provide them with the money and the right kind of management."
Private-equity cash allows a small company to expand worldwide quickly and strategically. "It's not just an injection of money," says Morra. "They're a sparring partner, someone to sit down to discuss, 'Do we have to open on Madison Avenue or in the meatpacking district?'" He partnered with L Capital because its advisers knew how to get handbag and shoe lines up and running, something that could help Piazza Sempione avoid missteps.