French luxury conglomerate Kering has announced a strategic partnership with ICCF Group, the parent company of Chinese premium apparel brand ICICLE.
The collaboration aims to integrate the complementary strengths of both parties within the luxury industry. As part of the agreement, Kering will acquire a minority stake in ICCF.
In its press release, Kering stated that the partnership combines ICCF’s deep insight into the luxury ecosystem and cultural landscape of the Chinese Mainland with Kering’s long-established expertise in craftsmanship, operational management, and brand building in Europe.
Kering’s investment will support ICICLE in its next phase of development, including advancing the brand’s continued international expansion and extending its product matrix into new categories.
The strategic partnership is spearheaded by Kering’s newly launched strategic initiative, House of Wonders. The programme aims to identify emerging boutique brands with strong cultural influence across global markets, categories, and geographies, and to support their development.
Kering noted that through House of Wonders, the Group seeks to work with brands that demonstrate a distinctive vision, strong brand heritage, and global growth potential, adopting a rigorous and collaborative approach to create long-term value together. At the end of 2025, Kering invested in Chinese jewellery brand Bao Lan Gold through this initiative.
ICCF evolved from Icicle Group, founded in 1997 by its founder and CEO, Ye Shouzeng, and his wife, Tao Xiaoma. The Group’s core brand, premium apparel label ICICLE, is a fashion house rooted in Eastern philosophy, blending natural fabrics, refined craftsmanship, and an understated contemporary aesthetic. The brand focuses on menswear, womenswear, and accessories, operating more than 200 stores, with flagship locations in Beijing, Shanghai, and Paris.
In 2018, Icicle Group’s French subsidiary acquired the heritage French fashion house Carven. In September 2021, it reopened the brand’s original boutique at 6 Rond-Point des Champs Elysées in Paris. At the same time, Icicle Group relocated its offices into the building and changed its English name to ICCF Group, short for Icicle Carven China France Group, reflecting its ambition to integrate Chinese and French cultures while continuing its international expansion.
| Source: Official press release; Luxeplace.com archives
| Image Credit: Company website
| Editor: Luxeplace
