Jacob Cohën sets its sights on the US, will open its first standalone boutique in New York

Jacob Cohën is poised for its US retail debut, as the company’s president and creative director, Jennifer Tommasi Bardelle, revealed on stage at the 30th Pambianco Fashion Summit. But that’s not all…
 

“Since launching our e-commerce in 2022, we have seen very encouraging signs from the US, which has become our leading market for online sales. We therefore feel ready to open our first mono-brand boutique next April, a space of more than 300 square metres on Madison Avenue in New York,” said the entrepreneur. “In addition, we are also looking for a location in Palm Beach, which has strong ties to the Big Apple.”
 
In general, the company is reorganising its distribution network: “We have reduced our wholesale network by around 400 stores because we want to reposition ourselves in the premium luxury segment, if not pure luxury,” she added. “We are making up for roughly ten years during which, after the untimely passing in 2012 of my husband Nicola (who had relaunched the brand founded by his father in 1985, elevating its positioning and transforming jeans into a garment suitable even for formal occasions, editor’s note), Jacob Cohën was managed under licence, drifting somewhat from the ownership’s vision.”

“I was able to relaunch by surrounding myself with the right people, starting with our CEO, Luca Roda. Now that we have resumed direct management of the brand, my greatest challenge is to realise Nicola’s dream: to make Jacob Cohën a lifestyle brand—comfortable yet luxurious—using fine materials and fabrics,” Tommasi Bardelle continued. “We are getting there; the new collections truly represent who we are.”
 
The company closed 2024 with turnover of €76 million and an EBITDA margin of 14%. “My medium-term goal is to reach €100 million, and then celebrate with all our employees. Jacob Cohën, for me, is family,” the entrepreneur concluded.