€500,000 makes LYOUM dreamier

Not everyone in the world know the brand LYOUM.

That’s not surprising in itself as it’s a fact of life that not everything will be known by everybody.

Just that some things are more known worldwide than others and those behind lesser known things aspire to become really known in order to benefit what the really known do.

And LYOUM, a Tunisia fashion brand founded in 2011 following the Tunisia uprising, is no different in this regard.

And now that Tunisia philanthropist Hazem Ben-Gacem has invested half a million euros in it, because it believes it can achieve its overseas growth with that sum, LYOUM, founded by Tunisia couple Claire and Sofiane Ben Chaabane, is set to accelerate its international expansion plans as the new funding will enable it double its workforce and push expansion outside of Tunisia.

Speaking, Ben-Gacem said, “LYOUM is an exciting brand and one that has grown steadily from a start-up into a business ready to expand. It’s an ideal business to invest in with two ambitious and intelligent people in charge. Claire and Sofiane Ben Chaabane have a very clear plan of what they want to achieve with the business and how they want to expand it. This investment will help them succeed with the plan.”

LYOUM, which has two boutiques in Tunisia at La Marsa and Tunis el Menzah1, has also run successful pop-up shops in Paris and London and has a very effective international online sales market.

“We have an ambitious vision, which is we want to build LYOUM into an international Mediterranean brand,” said Claire Ben Chaabane. “This is an important investment for LYOUM that will allow the company to set the pace and better prepare to tackle this exciting challenge! The success of our pop-up boutiques in Paris and London over the past three years confirms LYOUM's potential in the European market. Wherever we go, the enthusiasm we encounter reinforces our unique clothing offer, its authenticity and that LYOUM has a place in such competitive markets."

This is the second significant investment in the business since its launch in 2011. The first was by Mehdi Majoul in 2015.

LYOUM’s highly sought-after apparel is 100 percent manufactured in Tunisia. Its fashion lines offer unique Mediterranean blends, mixing Arabic and European influences with a touch of Parisian chic.

Its online presence, which evokes the advent of a new contemporary Arabic cultural scene, includes a website plus a hardcore of followers on social media channels Facebook (67k) (www.facebook.com/lyoumconcept) and Instagram (51k) (www.instagram.com/lyoummm/).