The German manufacturer of luxury women's ready to wear ESCADA announced that it had bought, for an undisclosed sum, 45% of the LOUIS FERAUD fashion house (turnover of EUR 51.1 million in 2000) from the Dutch group SECON. In order to complete this operation, ESCADA and SECON formed a joint venture in which they will both hold 45%, the remaining 10% being held by the President of the FERAUD directorate.