Moncler chief gets another shot at IPO

Moncler chairman Remo Ruffini is getting a second shot at listing the alpine-chic brand on the Milan stock exchange.

The company, famous for its luxurious down jackets, filed an application with the Italian authorities last week to list shares. Two years ago, it mulled a public offering but stakeholder Carlyle Group pulled the plug and instead opted for a private sale to Eurazeo.

Ruffini said that was a missed opportunity, pointing to other companies in the high-end fashion segment which have performed very well for investors.

"We are Italian and in the luxury business," he said. "All the [similar] companies who went public in the past two years - Prada, [Salvatore] Ferragamo, [Bruno] Cucinelli - have had strong results from the market. Everybody doubled their value in the past 12 to 24 months."

Eurazeo owns the largest share with 45 per cent. Ruffini holds 32 per cent, while Carlyle Group owns 18 per cent and Mittel Private Equity has 5 per cent.

Fashion houses Balmain and Versace are also in line to join the IPO club. They have expressed their intention to list within the next three years. Designer Marc Jacobs also recently announced his departure from Louis Vuitton to focus on preparing for his own eponymous label to go public.