Since its creation in 2018, RC Group’s gift and packaging subsidiary has established itself as a major player in the design of promotional items and premium packaging. Headed by Patricia Stranik, PM Studio has won over the leading brands in the beauty and luxury sectors with its ethical values, its environmental commitment, and its innovative approach to design, which increasingly relies on artificial intelligence.
With sales of EUR65 million in 2023, PM Studio has risen in record time from the status of a start-up to that of a key player in gift-with-purchase and top-of-the-range packaging. With 78 employees in Europe and China, and a sales presence in New York, PM Studio boasts strong expertise in the cosmetics sector, which accounts for 90% of its business. “This sector means we have to be highly responsive to trends while respecting brand identity and strong CSR requirements,” explains Patricia Stranik, the company’s CEO.
Innovative materials and sustainability
EcoVadis Platinum certified and B Corp certified in 2023, the company emphasises its ethical and environmental commitments, which leverage its ability to create its materials, thanks to a dedicated R&D team and a suite of integrated software for calculating the environmental footprint of projects. “This allows us to offer different solutions to our customers, with full transparency on the environmental footprint of materials and factories,” adds Patricia Stranik.
On the production side, the design studio relies on a network of around thirty factories in China, including six master players, which meet extremely strict CSR specifications. PM Studio also has partners in Cambodia and Vietnam, in India for fair a trade certification, and in southern Europe and France for customers who request it or for specific projects.
Digital creation
Another of the company’s strengths is its creativity, which is directly inspired by the fashion world. “Brands need fresh ideas, and they appreciate our ability to create innovative, sustainable materials and to adapt them to their DNA. We have our stylists, and our customers see us above all as a creative agency and come to our showroom to look for ideas before even presenting us with their briefs,” points out the CEO.
To speed up the creative and design processes while staying as close as possible to the latest trends, PM Studio has invested heavily in digitising its tools and processes, notably through the acquisition of the Édition Limitée company in 2023.
By integrating an artificial intelligence unit, PM Studio aims to further optimise the design process by analysing data on the latest market trends more quickly and efficiently, while letting designers do the final touches.
Double-digit growth
Since its creation, PM Studio has grown at an average annual rate of 18%, thanks in particular to external growth operations – acquisitions of By No in September 2022 and Édition Limitée in early 2023 – and the company intends to maintain this trend next year.
To achieve this, the company will be investing in new premises in Paris to bring its teams together in a single location and will pursue its investment in digital technology to stay at the cutting edge of innovation and attract new customers, particularly in China, the United States, and the Middle East.
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