MILAN – OTB is strengthening its ties to Viktor & Rolf by raising its stake in the brand to reach full control.

The Italian fashion group founded by Renzo Rosso first acquired 51 percent of Viktor & Rolf in 2008, increasing the stake to 70 percent in 2019.

Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, who established the brand in 1993, will continue to hold the role of creative directors for another five years.

Financial details were not disclosed.

“Viktor and Rolf are two of the most visionary and influential designers in contemporary fashion,” Rosso said on Thursday. “Over the years, we have built an extraordinary journey together, founded on mutual respect, creative freedom and a constant drive to experiment with the most innovative languages of contemporary couture. With this further step taken today, we are strengthening even more our bond with a maison that is truly unique within the international luxury landscape and that continues to stand out for its creativity, artistic research and cultural relevance.”

OTB controls the Diesel, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela and Marni brands, as well as production arms Staff International and Brave Kid. It also has a stake in Amiri.

 “It is with great pleasure that we will continue to work as creative directors for Viktor & Rolf, exploring fashion as a laboratory for ideas and experimentation,” Horsting and Snoeren said in a joint statement.

In addition to couture, the designers have expanded into ready-to-wear, bridalwear, and eyewear. The house also has a long-standing collaboration with L’Oréal Luxe, which for more than two decades has developed and distributed globally high-end fragrances such as Flowerbomb, Spicebomb and Bonbon.

Their artistic creations have been celebrated by some of the world’s leading cultural institutions through exhibitions and showcases across Europe, Asia and the United States, including the MET Museum in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Barbican Art Gallery in London, MAXXI in Rome, Kunsthalle Munich, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shenzhen.