Roland Mouret buys rights to his name

Designer Roland Mouret has bought back the rights to distribute collections under his name. Mouret now owns his trademark name and is expected to open his first flagship boutique in London's Mayfair for February or March of next year.

London-based Mouret split from his backers Sharai and Andre Meyers in October 2005 over strategic differences — the Meyers' have owned 100 percent of the Roland Mouret name since. He then formed a 50-50 venture, 19RM, with British impresario Simon Fuller in September 2006, showing under the name RM by Roland Mouret. Mouret bought his name back from the Meyers' for an undisclosed sum. Incidentally Fuller is also the backer behind the Victoria Beckham brand, and insiders have often whispered if Roland has a hand in consulting for Victoria's collections.

“It took time — but I am really happy. And I am so proud that I continued working — even without my name,” Mouret said. "When Simon and I started together, we made a plan. I wanted to get my name back in a natural way, and I didn’t want to get into any legal battles. Simon has allowed me to develop a business while ensuring I always had enough space and resources to follow my intuition and establish the company.”

He added: “Things will be moving rapidly from now on. We are in expansion mode, and we’ve started to analyze other markets with an eye to opening stand-alone retail stores." Mouret is working on a single "iconic" pair of sunglasses, cashmere, and planning to undertake collaborations with artists and graphic designers.

Image: Roland Mouret