Blumarine management to be taken over by Exelite

The management of Blumarine is swapping hands. Italian firm Exelite has secured a master licensing agreement for the designer label, taking over responsibility for production, promotion, and distribution of all product categories.

As of January 1, 2026, Exelite, formerly Eccellenze Italiane Holding, has further agreed with Blumarine’s parent company Blufin to transfer the label’s retail division into its own operations. The deal extends Exelite’s relationship with Blufin, which it acquired in 2019 with the plan to expand Blumarine’s presence on the global market.

The news comes just weeks after it appeared Blufin’s operations came to a roadblock, with uncomfirmed reports circulating that the firm was to cease production over the course of the year. The news came less than a year after London-based Georgian designer David Koma took over as creative director of Blumarine.

Exelite said the takeover “responds to challenges and complexities of the current market environment”, while also reflecting the brand’s business model. The firm, alongside Blufin, intends to establish a strategy that hopes to protect Blumarine’s heritage, as it looks to the future.

Marco Marchi, president of the Exelite group and founder of sister brand Liu Jo, said that despite a challenging market, “our vision for Blumarine remains relevant and is grounded in a deep and responsible reflection on the future of the luxury business model”.

Blumarine is currently due to show at the upcoming Milan Fashion Week, during which Koma plans to present a reinterpretation of the brand’s DNA for its AW26 collection. This will be accompanied by a rejuvenated merchandising and positioning, which will then roll out within a new flagship store due to open at the end of February in Milan.