Catwalks
Catwalks is a Paris-based boutique recruitment and training firm founded in 2022 that sources frontline retail talent for over 80 luxury, fashion and beauty Maisons in France and internationally, combining permanent placement with its Catwalks Academy training division.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Catwalks does
Catwalks is a Paris-based boutique recruitment and training firm founded in 2022 by Sandra Robichon, focused exclusively on luxury retail — covering leather goods, jewelry, horology, fashion, perfumery, skincare and make-up. The company serves over 80 partner Maisons — including LVMH, L'Oréal, Guerlain, Aesop, Lancel, Sisley, Loewe Perfumes and MFK — by sourcing frontline retail talent such as sales advisors, beauty advisors, boutique managers and multi-site managers, and maintains a pre-qualified pool of more than 12,000 candidates. Catwalks has completed over 200 placements since founding and positions itself as a specialist intermediary combining recruiter, confidential headhunter and trainer within a single offer.
The firm's core technology is human capital: its curated talent pool of 12,000+ pre-qualified retail candidates and an operating methodology of immersive in-boutique briefs followed by 7–14 day short-list delivery. There is no proprietary software platform. The offer comprises four modules — Recrutement Retail (full-cycle permanent placement, fee = percentage of placed candidate's annual gross salary), Chasse confidentielle (confidential executive search for sensitive mandates with staged fixed fees), Catwalks Academy (training programs covering posture, speech, gestures and operational rigor, billed per day or via annual subscription, with B2B Maison and B2C candidate tracks), and Accompagnement (3/6/12-month post-placement follow-up with guarantee replacement during the trial period).
The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with no channel intermediaries. Consultants conduct in-person immersive briefs at client boutiques or headquarters in France and internationally (Travel Retail, European flagships, Asia, North America). Revenue is transaction-based — placement fees as a percentage of annual salary — supplemented by professional-services revenue from Catwalks Academy and confidential search retainers. The customer base is concentrated in enterprise luxury and beauty brands, with referrals from satisfied candidates and partner Maisons serving as the primary growth channel.
Catwalks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Catwalks
- Legal name
- Catwalks
- Website
- https://catwalks.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Catwalks is a Paris-based boutique recruitment and training firm founded in 2022 that sources frontline retail talent for over 80 luxury, fashion and beauty Maisons in France and internationally, combining permanent placement with its Catwalks Academy training division.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Catwalks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Catwalks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Recruitment placement fees (permanent): Catwalks charges honoraires forfaitaires — a percentage of the candidate's annual gross salary — for permanent recruitment placements (CDI). This is the primary revenue stream.
- Confidential search fees: For sensitive executive searches and strategic boutique openings, Catwalks operates on fixed honoraires with staged payments (retention + deposit + closing), separate from standard permanent placement fees.
- Catwalks Academy training revenue: Catwalks Academy is billed per day or via annual subscription depending on the volume of teams trained. Programs are co-constructed with client Maisons and offered as B2B modules alongside recruitment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Permanent recruitment (CDI) – percentage of annual gross salary |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Confidential executive search – fixed staged fees |
| Subscription | Annual | Catwalks Academy B2B – per day or annual subscription |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Candidate placement indicative salary ranges (job postings, not fees) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Catwalks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Catwalks is a specialist recruitment and training firm dedicated to luxury, fashion and beauty retail. The company identifies, qualifies and places frontline retail talent — sales advisors, beauty advisors, boutique managers, fragrance advisors — for partner Maisons in France and internationally, with short-lists delivered within 7–14 days of an immersive in-person brief. The offer is extended by Catwalks Academy training programs and confidential executive search for sensitive mandates.
Product overview
Catwalks is a recruitment and training Maison dedicated to Luxury Retail, Fashion, and Beauty sectors. The company operates across three universes—Luxe (leather goods, jewelry, horology), Mode (tailoring, ready-to-wear, accessories), and Beauté (perfumery, skincare, makeup)—and offers two core products: Recrutement Retail (full-cycle talent identification and placement) and Catwalks Academy (excellence training for candidates and Maison teams). The offering is complemented by confidential headhunting for sensitive mandates and structured post-placement follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months. The methodology follows four disciplined steps: brief & immersion, sourcing & qualification, presentation of aligned shortlists, and follow-up & training.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Catwalks Academy: Training division focused on retail excellence covering posture, speech, gestures, and operational rigor. Offers both candidate training programs and corporate training programs for partner Maisons.
Products and services
- Recrutement Retail Full-cycle permanent and contract recruitment service identifying, qualifying and presenting retail talent (sales advisors, beauty advisors, boutique managers, fragrance advisors, make-up artists, store managers, multi-site managers) aligned with brand DNA. Covers all luxury, fashion and beauty retail roles for Maisons in France and internationally, with short-lists delivered within 7–14 days of an immersive in-person brief.
- Catwalks Academy Training program forming ambassadors of retail excellence through four pillars: posture, speech, gestures, and operational rigor. Offers B2C candidate pathway and B2B Maison programs with on-site or residential delivery, 3/6/12-month post-training follow-up, and CPF/OPCO eligibility for candidate-side programs.
- Chasse confidentielle Exclusive headhunting service for sensitive profiles, strategic openings, and high-exposure positions with absolute discretion, including direct targeted approach and confidential competitive mapping. Pricing is fixed fees with staged payments (retention + acompte + closing).
- Accompagnement post-recrutement Follow-up support at 3, 6, and 12 months after onboarding, with guarantee replacement during trial period at no additional cost if placement fails. Bundled with recruitment engagements to ensure long-term candidate integration.
Companies that use Catwalks
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Catwalks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Catwalks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- LVMHcoreLVMH is listed as a partner Maison. Catwalks recruits frontline retail talent (sales advisors, beauty advisors, boutique managers) for LVMH-owned luxury and beauty brands operating in France, including Guerlain and other LVMH perfume and beauty houses.
- L'OréalcoreL'Oréal is listed as a partner Maison. Catwalks sources and places retail and beauty talent across L'Oréal's luxury and consumer beauty portfolio in France.
- Lagardère Travel RetailmajorLagardère Travel Retail is listed as a partner. Catwalks supports airport and travel retail hiring across Lagardère's luxury and beauty concessions in France.
- GuerlaincoreGuerlain is a partner Maison. Catwalks placed a boutique manager for the Champs-Élysées flagship (team of 12 advisors) at indicative salary 48–55K€.
- AesopmajorAesop is a partner Maison. Catwalks recruits beauty advisors for Aesop signature stores in Paris (Le Marais), at indicative salary 26–28K€.
- LancelmajorLancel is a partner Maison. Catwalks recruited a boutique manager for the Place de la Madeleine location (team of 6 advisors) at indicative salary 44–52K€.
- MFK — Maison Francis KurkdjianmajorMFK is a partner Maison owned by LVMH. Catwalks recruits fragrance advisors for the Faubourg Saint-Honoré boutique.
- Loewe PerfumesmajorLoewe Perfumes is a partner Maison (LVMH-owned). Catwalks placed a deputy boutique manager for the Monaco Carré d'Or location at indicative salary 40–46K€.
- FRAMEmajorFRAME is a partner Maison. Catwalks recruited a sales advisor for the Faubourg Saint-Honoré boutique at indicative salary 27–31K€.
- SisleymajorSisley is a partner Maison. Catwalks recruited a product trainer for the Sisley France headquarters.
- Ex NihilomajorEx Nihilo is a partner Maison. Catwalks placed seasonal fragrance advisors for the Saint-Tropez boutique (CDD, summer season) at indicative salary 30–34K€.
- SabonmajorSabon is a partner Maison. Catwalks recruited a sales advisor for the Lyon Presqu'île boutique at indicative salary 24–27K€.
- Benefit CosmeticsmajorBenefit Cosmetics is listed as a partner Maison in Catwalks' network.
- L'Occitane en ProvencemajorL'Occitane en Provence is listed as a partner Maison in Catwalks' network.
- PolènemajorPolène is listed as a partner Maison in Catwalks' network.
- Juliette Has A GunmajorJuliette Has A Gun is listed as a partner Maison in Catwalks' network.
- L'Officine BulymajorL'Officine Buly is listed as a partner Maison. Catwalks recruited a beauty advisor for the Paris Saint-Honoré store.
- BreitlingmajorBreitling is listed as a partner Maison in Catwalks' network.
- Canada GoosemajorCanada Goose is listed as a partner Maison in Catwalks' network.
- TypologymajorTypology is listed as a partner Maison. Catwalks recruited a sales animator for the Paris République flagship (CDD).
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Catwalks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Brunel: International recruitment and project services firm with a lifestyle, fashion and luxury client base; comparable to Catwalks in placing brand-aligned talent for European Maisons.
- ManpowerGroup: Global staffing and recruitment company with a dedicated retail, fashion and luxury practice; competes for high-volume retail frontline hiring with Maisons and department store operators across France and Europe.
- Randstad: Global HR services firm with a luxury retail division placing sales advisors and boutique managers; broader scope and larger team but overlaps with Catwalks in Paris and major European luxury hubs.
- Page Personnel: Mid-market specialist recruitment brand under the PageGroup umbrella, with strong French retail and luxury placement activity; competes with Catwalks for junior and mid-level luxury retail mandates.
- Adecco: Global staffing leader with a dedicated luxury and retail division that handles temporary, contract and permanent luxury retail hiring at larger scale and with greater geographic reach than Catwalks.
- Hays: Large multi-vertical recruiter with a retail and luxury practice; broader than Catwalks but overlaps in placing boutique and beauty retail talent across European flagships and travel retail.
Direct peers
- Michael Page: Global recruiter with a specialty retail and luxury division in France placing sales advisors, store managers and beauty consultants; serves many of the same Maisons as Catwalks and competes on boutique and Flagship placements.
- Robert Walters: Global recruitment firm with a dedicated luxury, retail and fashion practice placing sales, boutique management and merchandising talent — directly competing with Catwalks for the same boutique hiring mandates across LVMH, L'Oréal and Kering portfolios.
- FashionJobs: Specialist job board and recruitment platform dedicated to fashion, luxury and beauty hiring, including retail frontline roles; directly comparable candidate pool and Maisons client base to Catwalks.
Others
- Cegos: Large French corporate training company offering B2B learning programs; comparable to Catwalks Academy for the training revenue stream rather than the recruitment business.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses2 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Catwalks social profiles
Digital presenceCatwalks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Catwalks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Catwalks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Catwalks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Catwalks
What does Catwalks do?
Catwalks is a specialist recruitment and training firm dedicated to luxury, fashion and beauty retail. The company identifies, qualifies and places frontline retail talent — sales advisors, beauty advisors, boutique managers, fragrance advisors — for partner Maisons in France and internationally, with short-lists delivered within 7–14 days of an immersive in-person brief. The offer is extended by Catwalks Academy training programs and confidential executive search for sensitive mandates.
Is Catwalks a public or private company?
Catwalks is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Catwalks founded?
Catwalks was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Catwalks based?
Catwalks is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Catwalks make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Recruitment placement fees (permanent) is the primary driver. The others are confidential search fees and catwalks Academy training revenue.
Who are Catwalks's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Brunel, ManpowerGroup, Randstad, Page Personnel, Adecco and Hays. Direct peers are Michael Page, Robert Walters and FashionJobs. Cegos is listed as an others.
Does Catwalks have an API?
No public API is recorded for Catwalks.