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Category: Fashion

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Fashion news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Fjällräven launches in Singapore with Outside

    Fjällräven launches in Singapore with Outside

    Swedish outdoor apparel brand Fjällräven has launched in Singapore and Malaysia.

    The 59-year-old brand, whose name translates into ‘the arctic fox’ is known for its collections of high-end clothing and equipment which focus on timeless design and long-lifespan.

    Fjällräven collections are now available at the Outside store located at Jumpa@SungeiWang Plaza Kuala Lumpur and at the retailer’s two stores on Singapore’s Orchard Road.

    One of Fjällräven’s most popular products is a backpack called Kånken, which is popular among hipsters and backpackers across the world.

    Outside is an outdoor-lifestyle multi-brand retail store that was launched in July 2017 “to link the gap between people and nature”. Brands it stocks include Patagonia, Keen Footwear, Freitag, Chums, Primus, United By Blue, NatureHike, Ellesse, Diadora, Baggu, Eno, Uttara, Dedicated, Camp Collection and Wildo.

  • Uniqlo South Korea courts controversy as it attempts comeback

    Uniqlo South Korea courts controversy as it attempts comeback

    Facing an unprecedented boycott campaign Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo has launched a comeback campaign in South Korea – only to stumble almost immediately.

    Uniqlo South Korea’s new television commercial rekindled controversy following complaints that the ad made fun of Japanese sex slaves.

    Following the boycott movement which dates back to July, Uniqlo closed four stores in South Korea before opening three new stores over August and September. The company also reopened two original stores following renovations.

    Uniqlo plans to hold a seminar for job seekers this month as it prepares to hire new employees next year.

    This time, a new program has been set up to connect job seekers directly with Uniqlo staff, which is seen as a strategic move to recover its reputation in the country.

    Uniqlo has also been offering a 50-per-cent discount for some of its signature products since October 3 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Uniqlo Korea, which is being seen as an unprecedented move even for Uniqlo that has been offering various discounts on a regular basis

    Uniqlo Korea’s new English advertisement, however, has sparked outrage among locals, placing the company at the mercy of South Korean consumers yet again.

    In the commercial, a teenager asks a 98-year-old lady what she wore when she was her age, to which the old lady answers “I can’t remember that far back.”

    The Korean subtitles, however, say “My God, how can I remember something that happened more than 80 years ago?”

    The commercial became an instant controversy among South Koreans, with many seeing the subtitles expressed as being scornful of the 1930s, which was about 80 years ago, when the Japanese empire forced Koreans into military service and sex slavery.

    Uniqlo denied all of the allegations but soon decided to take down the commercial all together.

    In response, Yoon Dong-hyun, a student from Chonnam National University, shot a video clip with Yang Geum-deok, a sex slave victim, imitating the Uniqlo commercial.

    In the video, Yoon asks Yang how difficult her life was when she was his age. Yang answers “I can never forget the horrible pain that I suffered back then.”

    “The video clip was made to tell Japan how it must have felt for the victims during those times,” said Yun.

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  • Uniqlo to open first Vietnam store in Saigon

    Uniqlo to open first Vietnam store in Saigon

    Japanese casual wear retailer Uniqlo plans to open a 3,000-square-meter store in downtown HCMC at the end of this year.

    Its first store in the country, at Parkson Saigon Tourist Plaza in District 1, would be one of its biggest in Southeast Asia, the company said in a release. It will sell clothes for men, women and children.

    Uniqlo earlier this month established its Vietnam business with a charter capital of $8.8 million, with apparel company Fast Retailing Singapore owning a 75 percent stake and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation the rest.

    Uniqlo, which is already in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia in Southeast Asia, had 213 stores in the region by the end of last year and plans to have 400 by 2022. It now has over 2,200 stores in 24 countries and territories.

    Uniqlo’s arrival in Vietnam is sure to intensify competition between foreign brands like Zara and H&M, who came two years ago and have outlets at major malls in both HCMC and Hanoi.

    Vietnam’s fashion market is estimated to grow to more than $3.8 billion this year and over $5 billion by 2021, according to BMI Research.

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  • Giordano sales down across China

    Giordano sales down across China

    Giordano sales slid by 8.6 percent in the three months to September, or by 7.1 percent if measured by constant exchange rates. Comparable same-store sales fell by 10.3 percent.

    The damage to Giordano sales was largely borne in Hong Kong and Mainland China, where protests have hit inbound mainland tourist numbers since June and Chinese are spending less, spooked by the ongoing Sino-US trade war.

    Giordano sales in Hong Kong and Macau fell from $226 million to $169 million and in Mainland China from $251 million to $208 million.

    However, the China decline was mitigated in part by a strong performance in Giordano’s relatively new Middle Eastern markets. Sales there rose from HK$134 million to $153 million.

    Wholesale sales were constant.

    Despite the Hong Kong sales decline, Giordano maintained a network of 75 stores in Hong Kong during the period, the same number it had a year earlier.

    Group sales for the quarter totalled $1.075 billion, down from $1.176 billion a year earlier. Year-to-date sales (for nine months) were down from $4.036 billion to $3.617 billion.

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  • Luk Fook sales plunge in Hong Kong

    Luk Fook sales plunge in Hong Kong

    Jeweler Luk Fook Holdings has revealed its September-quarter Hong Kong sales plunged 39 percent, dragging group-wide sales down by 37 percent.

    Chairman and CEO Wai Sheung Wong said in a stock-exchange filing that the decline was the result of high gold price and a strong comparative quarter last year “together with a substantial decline in the number of visitors to Hong Kong due to the recent ongoing social activities”.

    Group-wide same-store sales of gold products were down 43 percent (46 percent in Hong Kong) and of gem-set jewelry by 25 percent.

    He said August was the worst-performing month for the overall same-store sales in both the Mainland China and Hong Kong & Macau markets, due to the high comparative base. However, that was also the worst month of retail sales in recent years due to protest activities shutting down Hong Kong’s airport.

    “Same-store sales in the first two weeks of October further declined due to [the] widened drop in the number of visitors to Hong Kong.”

    Wong said Luk Fook has adopted natural turnover as a cost-saving measure for staff costs without any redundancy scheme so as to ride out the storm together with employees, meaning departing staff is not replaced.

    “At the same time, the group is also proactively negotiating with all landlords in Hong Kong for rental reduction. Rental renewal depends very much on whether the relevant shop is still profitable under new rental. A single-digit drop in the rental renewal is expected for the year and a double-digit drop is expected for the next financial year,” he said.

    Mainland China sales were down 25 percent, largely due to the high gold price and the macro-economic downturn in connection with the US-China trade war.

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  • Cartier Capsule Exhibition “Into the Wild” opens doors in Macau

    Cartier Capsule Exhibition “Into the Wild” opens doors in Macau

    Cartier has partnered with DFS Group to open the first-ever Cartier Capsule Exhibition ‘Into the Wild’ in Macau City of Dreams, featuring the Panthere de Cartier

    The Cartier Capsule Exhibition presents three main “universes”, including The Design, The Salon and The Community.

    An animated jewelry designer table and jewelry creations are on display at The Design area while The Salon has a photo backdrop and recollection honoring the ‘panther woman’ Jeanne Toussaint. The Community is a digital wall where celebrities incarnate the wild spirit of Panthere.

    A WeChat mini-program allows visitors to play interactive ‘missions’ or capture personalized Panthere memories. Inside the Into the Wild exhibition, windows and counters with the panther icon are displayed to highlight new Panthere de Cartier Jewellery and Watch creations.

    Cartier and DFS Group jointly hosted the opening event for Into the Wild yesterday. The exhibition will take place until December 31 at T Galleria By DFS City of Dreams.

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  • Geox Singapore opens X Store concept

    Geox Singapore opens X Store concept

    Italian shoe brand Geox has opened an X Store concept in Singapore with a new outlet in Paragon, Singapore.

    The concept fuses various design elements under one roof designed to convey Italian quality, contemporary design, sustainability and digital technology. It offers a multi-sensorial shopping experience which uses technology to engage the senses both inside and outside the premises. A wide entrance door is pierced with circular cut-outs alluding to the holes on Geox soles.

    The core of the new store rests on a digitalised screen that explains the principle of breathability to customers, detailing current trends and available collections as well as providing detailed descriptions of the patents for each unique Geox product.

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  • K-beauty brands vow to defend against Sephora South Korea onslaught

    K-beauty brands vow to defend against Sephora South Korea onslaught

    South Korea’s big-name beauty retailers are prepared to defend their market share from the launch of Sephora South Korea, which debuts this week.

    The first Sephora South Korea store will open in Parnas Mall in the upscale district of Gangnam in southern Seoul this Thursday, the company said. Spread across 547sqft, the store will feature hundreds of cosmetics, skincare, body and fragrance brands, along with its own private-label range.

    Sephora, part of the French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Group, has nearly 3000 stores worldwide. The company has begun an aggressive expansion program in Asia, opening stores in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and India.

    Sephora South Korea plans to open six stores and an official online store by the end of next year, along with 13 more nationwide by 2022.

    Sephora’s inroads come as the country is already full of Sephora-like stores, which are mostly operated by the country’s major conglomerates.

    Sales of beauty and drug products in the country came to US$4.74 billion last year, according to data compiled by Euromonitor International.

    Olive Young, run by retail conglomerate CJ Group, is considered a market leader with nearly 1100 outlets across the country. The stores feature hundreds of budget- and mid-range beauty-and-lifestyle products.

    Local retail giant Shinsegae also launched its first multi-brand beauty shop Chicor inside one of its department stores in December 2016, which houses not only luxury brands but also bargain cosmetics.

    The company currently has 22 such stores across the country and a flagship in Gangnam.

    The outlets also have a place where customers can try out makeup products for free and issues a credit card that offers discounts and other perks.

    “We were able to secure not only loyal but also potential customers by issuing a credit card that offers benefits, especially for those in their 20s and 30s who are hugely interested in beauty products and makeup,” said Lee Sung-hwan, a Shinsegae official.

    The company says it has issued 90,000 Chicor credits cards in about a year.

    Lotte Shopping Co, South Korea’s No. 2 retailer, also operates the drugstore LOHB, which sells mainly medical cosmetics. That chain opened a concept store in the Gangnam district last month that mainly targets customers in their 20s.

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  • First Steve Madden store opens in Malaysia

    First Steve Madden store opens in Malaysia

    Steve Madden has opened its first store in Malaysia in partnership with retail group Valiram.

    Following success in Singapore, Steve Madden Malaysia marks the label’s second boutique launched by Valiram.

    “It is an absolute privilege for us to present yet another new-to-market lifestyle brand to Malaysia. Steve Madden is a trend leader that is intrinsically urban with an edgy attitude, and we’re certain it will make an impact with the fashion-forward shoppers in Kuala Lumpur,” said Ashvin Valiram, executive director of Valiram.

    Located in Mid Valley Megamall Kuala Lumpur, the 1410sqft store features the brand’s new design concept “Distilled Urban”, the incorporation of wood, steel and concrete, inspired by contemporary New York City chic.

    The Steve Madden Malaysia store also featured the new Fall 2019 Collection at its opening event.

    Founded in 1935, retail group Valiram operates more than 380 stores across Asia Pacific, presenting international brands including Michael Kors, Tumi and Victoria’s Secret.

  • Kathmandu shareholders decided to acquire Rip Curl

    Kathmandu shareholders decided to acquire Rip Curl

    More than 99.9 percent of Kathmandu shareholders voted to approve the outdoor-wear retailer’s acquisition of surf brand Ripcurl at a special shareholder meeting on Friday.

    According to the business, the acquisition’s completion is expected to occur on 31 October 2019 following the vote.

    “Rip Curl is an iconic and authentic global action sports brand,” Kathmandu chairman David Kirk said at the meeting.

    “Similar to Kathmandu’s core outdoor products category, the surf products market has a stable, committed core customer, with steady growth in participation and spending.

    “The acquisition of Rip Curl is an opportunity for Kathmandu to considerable diversify its geographic footprint, channels to market and seasonality profile, and creates a NZ$1 billion outdoor and action sports company anchored by two iconic Australasian brands.”

    The acquisition will further broaden Kathmandu’s roster of brands, after it acquired Oboz footwear for $97 million in April 2018.

    It also gives the outdoor group a foothold in the South American, Middle East and South African, as well as South-East Asia markets, where neither Kathmandu or Oboz trade.

    Kathmandu’s intention is to retain Rip Curl’s brand identity and cultural values, allowing business leaders to retail operational ownership of the business.

    Kathmandu initially announced the acquisition in early October, which was funded through a combination of $138 million from institutional investors and $220 million in new debt, as well as the placement of $31 million in new Kathmandu shares to the founders and CEO of Rip Curl.

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  • Style Theory opens its first flagship store

    Style Theory opens its first flagship store

    Southeast Asian online subscription-based designer fashion rental service Style Theory is opening its first permanent retail store on October 18 at 313@somerset.

    The 1500sqft store is an effort to make sustainable living more accessible by bringing the fashion rental experience to the physical space, encouraging more consumers to embrace renting and kick over-consumption habits. It opens as the conversation around the textile-product industry and fast fashion’s negative environmental impacts now gain momentum.

    The new store will help first-time subscribers get more out of their subscription, providing more than 300 apparel pieces and 30 designer bags in a location where customers can see, touch, try and immediately rent products – including casual everyday pieces, formal business outfits or occasion and weekend wear, as well as classic, trendy, and seasonal bags.

    The space will also serve as a collection and return point, reducing processing time between each box as subscribers can enjoy new outfits and bags right away, or choose their next selection on the app immediately upon return.

    New subscribers can take advantage of complimentary 60-minute personal styling sessions, where professionally-trained image consultants will share bespoke advice and recommendations based on body type and preference.

    The store also features an immersive life-sized art installation – The Infinite Wardrobe – designed in collaboration with Laura Francois, a prominent social impact strategist and sustainability advocate. The three-meters-tall installation, created entirely with retired clothing from Style Theory, represents a future where the dream of having an infinite wardrobe turns into reality through sharing clothing items that are made to last.

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  • New Burberry store in Bangkok

    New Burberry store in Bangkok

    British fashion house Burberry in Thailand has opened a new store in Bangkok.

    The new venue, which features a fresh interior concept by designer Riccardo Tisci, is located at Central Embassy Mall.

    Burberry says the store’s design unveils a color palette of “white and pistachio complemented by fixtures and plinths constructed in a variety of materials and textures, from plywood to mirror and high-gloss finishes”.

    Burberry Central Embassy opens with the brand’s AW19 collection “Tempest” inspired by British culture and weather, as well as the house’s latest bag styles.

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  • Raymond plans to open 500 more Indian stores by 2021

    Raymond plans to open 500 more Indian stores by 2021

    Indian retailer Raymond is set to operate 1500 stores across the territory within two years.

    The firm currently runs 1000 branded stores and 500 outlets under other brand names across 600 cities in India. It will seek to expand its home brand in lower-tier cities via a franchise model.

    Raymond stores average 2000sqft, although the firm has been focused on establishing smaller-format stores over the past 18 months.

    Indian retailer Raymond currently runs the largest branded fashion retail network within India and also operates in Bangladesh, Nepa, the Middle East and Pakistan. It has plans to enter the US market in “the near future”.

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  • Asos profits tumble as international sales growth slows

    Asos profits tumble as international sales growth slows

    Global fashion online retailer Asos has seen profits tumble 68 percent in the year to August, despite a 13-per-cent increase in sales.

    In what Sofie Willmott, lead retail analyst at GlobalData, described as “a tumultuous” year, Asos reported sales of £2.73 billion and a profit of just £33.1 million. After two profit warnings during the year, investors were unsurprised by the numbers and its share price actually rose 16 percent in post-announcement trading.

    Asos says it received 72.3 million orders and its core UK market performed the best, where sales rose by 15 per cent.

    “This financial year was a pivotal period for Asos, where we have invested significantly and enhanced our global platform capability to drive our future growth,” said CEO Nick Beighton.

    “Regrettably this was more disruptive than we originally anticipated. However, having identified the root causes of our operational issues, we have made substantial progress over the last few months in resolving them.

    “Whilst there remains lots of work to be done to get the business back on track, we are now in a more positive position to start the new financial year.”

    Willmott said with overseas sales accounting for 62.6 percent of group turnover, a modest 11.4-percent rise had a major impact on top-line growth.

    “Although its reliance on territories outside of the UK has been an asset in the past, helping to drive total performance while its domestic market has been challenging, its troubles overseas remain a concern going forward as Asos attempts to improve its proposition and entice shoppers back. The retailer’s plans to bolster its management team with the addition of four new c-suite roles, alongside the four non-executive directors due to join imminently, is a wise one considering it has a number of key areas of focus in the year ahead.”

    Willmott said it bodes well for Asos that it is clearly willing to adapt to survive – unlike some of its multichannel rivals that have been slow to respond to changing consumer needs and shopping habits.

    “Although a quantifiable forecast for the new financial year was omitted from the results today, we expect the online pureplay to continue to outperform in the year ahead.”

  • Kipling releases a fresh collection with Chinese designer Angel Chen

    Kipling releases a fresh collection with Chinese designer Angel Chen

    Fashion brand Kipling has released a collaboration with contemporary Chinese designer Angel Chen.

    The embroidery designs constitute what the brand describes a fresh approach to some of Kipling’s classic bag silhouettes, presenting its Fall/Winter “Live. Light” collection to consumers.

    Angel Chen

    Chen has brought her East meets West aesthetic to the collection by borrowing the English phonemes “Do Re Mi” from the world of music and blending them with auspicious Chinese symbols. The result corresponds with the brand’s seasonal campaign of “Express Yourself with Music”.

    “Live. Light to me represents vitality, which is indispensable in life,” said Chinese designer Angel Chen. “I think it can bring hope and happiness. That is why I have chosen ‘Do Re Mi’ in bright and vivid colours for the bag’s pattern, drawing my inspiration from the music scale.”

    The collection comes in two distinct designs with different color combinations: a youthful pink-based design embroidered with crane and pine tree motifs and a denim-based design embroidered with a Chinese symbol in the form of a dragon.

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