MILAN — With its Brazilian artistic flair and international growth ambitions, luxury tableware and fragrance brand Tania Bulhões has its eye on conquering the European market in more ways than one.
On Thursday, the company told WWD that it made its second acquisition, a production facility, in France’s porcelain producing area of Limoges. The new unit is located in the commune of Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, where Kaolin, the clay used to make the region’s world-famous porcelain, was discovered in the 1760s.
More from WWD
-
Johanna Ortiz Brings a Taste of Colombia to Paris With Pop-up at Le Bon Marché
-
EXCLUSIVE: Paul Smith Lends Pattern Designs to Old Icons by Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen
Between 2021 to 2023, the luxury brand raised 100 million Brazilian dollars, about $16 million U.S., through private equity, opened 30 Tania Bulhões stores bringing the total to 40, all in Brazil, and acquired Royal Limoges, the oldest porcelain factory still in operation in Limoges. Tania Bulhões had been collaborating with Royal Limoges for 25 years prior to the 2023 acquisition, which, it said, made it the first non-European entity to buy into the historic artisan heartland.
This new facility will focus primarily on white porcelain production, enhancing the brand’s manufacturing capabilities with advanced technology.
“Although we have new technology, we do many tests and take very good care in producing the finest and purest white porcelain following Limoges porcelain-making traditions. The production will be a mix of automation and handcrafted work. Having the machinery is not enough, you have to put the effort and experience to guarantee the best porcelain ever,” said Frederick Parlon, who is the director of Royal Limoges, regarding the new white porcelain production unit.
The acquisition coincides with Tania Bulhões’ official French debut on Thursday with a corner on the first floor of Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche in Paris. It is also part of the official programming of the “Year of Brazil” in France, a cultural initiative between the two governments. At the opening of the new corner, she will present her limited-edition Plaza Athénée collection, which first debuted April 3 during an exclusive VIP dinner at the five-star hotel by Brazilian chef Luiz Filipe Souza.
“My bond with France goes back many, many years. It’s a country I adore, where I’ve been producing porcelain for over 20 years at the Royal Limoges factory.…It was a huge pleasure to create this collection, as I was the first artist ever invited to design tableware for the Plaza Athénée,” Bulhões told WWD.