Wensli has designs on European silk market

Wensli Group announced Wednesday it had named a former Hermes executive as CEO of one of its companies in a move designed to make it one of the world's dominant high-end silk producers.

Patrick Bonnefond, former head of Hermes Textile Holdings, is now chief exectutive officer of Wensli Silk Culture Co. Still based in France, he will be in charge of the internationalization of Wensli's silk products, including mapping out a clear positioning for the company's three brands and promoting them in the high-end markets of Europe.

Bonnefond said that with the world's luxury market increasingly focused on Asia, Chinese brands stand to gain. And the silk industry, he said, has the highest potential to grow.