Moncler ends Gamme Rouge and Gamme Bleu lines, parting ways with Giambattista Valli and Thom Browne

Italy’s Moncler, known for its luxury puffer jackets, signalled a change of strategy on Monday by ditching its two top catwalk clothing lines as leading fashion houses come under increased pressure from younger, digital-savvy fashion buyers.

“The group must vary and open up towards different horizons,” chief executive Remo Ruffini said.

Moncler said it would end its ready-to-wear catwalk collections Gamme Rouge and Gamme Bleu, which featured at the Paris and Milan fashion shows this year.

Designers Giambattista Valli and Thom Browne were also leaving to work on their own brands, Moncler said.

Moncler did not elaborate on its new strategy, though in recent years it and its peers have faced increased pressure to offer customers more collections during the year, including limited and exclusive capsule lines.

Traditionally, fashion houses have presented only two collections a year, spring-summer and autumn-winter.

However, with younger clients expected to make up almost half of the US$290 billion luxury industry by 2025, according to consultancy Bain & Co, fashion houses have to move more quickly and focus on e-commerce.

Moncler stores will become venues for more frequent launches of new designs, Ruffini told The Financial Times.