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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.

  • Bobbi Brown Sells on Lazada

    Bobbi Brown Sells on Lazada

    Bobbi Brown cosmetics is launching on Lazada Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore this week.

    The flagship stores on Lazada Singapore will see the largest online inventory of products – more than double the selection of the largest existing online distributor.

    Bobbi Brown said its partnership with Lazada will further its mission of bringing “high-touch educational experiences”. The flagship stores will provide consumers tips on selecting the right product for their needs and skin. Customers will also be able to seek advice from the brand’s beauty consultants through Lazada’s instant-messaging feature.

    A live-streaming event tomorrow on the Lazada app will involve makeup tutorials by local beauty influencers. Besides midnight flash sales, there will also be “live” exclusive deals and promotions shoppers can purchase in-app during the livestream.

    The partnership with Lazada will not just extend the reach of its range of products in Southeast Asia, but also to bring more innovative and immersive ways to share educational tips with a larger audience within the shopping experience, according to Bobbi Brown brand manager Yanny Li.

    Bobbi Brown is the fifth brand under Estee Lauder Companies to launch its e-commerce flagship store on Lazada.

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  • Little Yellow Bird Raised Half Million Dollar in Crowdfunding Campaign

    Little Yellow Bird Raised Half Million Dollar in Crowdfunding Campaign

    Little Yellow Bird has raised over $440,000 in an equity fundraising campaign – having passed its minimum funding figure of $300,000, and becoming New Zealand’s self-professed ‘first community-owned ethical fashion brand’.

    The campaign has only hours left, has attracted over 220 backers, and will see Little Yellow Bird scale itself up with the aim of increasing market reach, growing sales and its leadership team, and expanding into new markets.

    Expansion plans also include a clothes recycling program, which the company calls a “crucial next step for sustainable change” in its industry.

    “We’re more than just a clothing brand,” Little Yellow Bird founder Samantha Jones said.

    “We’re telling the story about where and how our products are made and are working tirelessly to provide employment opportunities in the communities where our clothes come from.”

    At the end of the funding period, the ownership of the business’ shares will be split between campaign investors, Jones, and female-founder focused Lightning Lab XX at $1 a share.

    The brand uses rain-fed, organic cotton grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals, while its factories use zero-waste initiatives. The business is working to minimize waste and utilizes closed loop systems to do this.

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  • H&M Expanding into home decor in India

    H&M Expanding into home decor in India

    H&M India is seeking to enter the country’s home decor and furnishings market.

    The market entry will see the firm competing with Ikea as well as local retailers under its H&M Home brand.

    “We are looking at the home segment and it will be decoration products and not furniture, said H&M India CEO Janne Einola. “There are not many players in that category and the product range doesn’t change for years. In the organised sector, our strength will be the latest assortment.”

    Internationally, H&M Home trades predominantly in shop-in-shop formats, with only eight standalone stores out of 370 locations in roughly 50 countries.

    H&M India has achieved considerable success after three years in the country, currently holding second place in the apparel market behind Zara.

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  • Poney flagship Store in KL opens at Central iCity

    Poney flagship Store in KL opens at Central iCity

    Malaysian childrenswear retailer Poney has opened a flagship store in the new Central iCity shopping centre.

    Poney Group has three brands – Poney, Baby Poney and Poney Enfants, offering apparel and accessories for newborns, toddlers and children aged up to 12 years old.

    The new boutique displays the full range in a bright, light setting, located next to Trudy & Teddy.

    Central iCity is the first shopping centre in Malaysia’s capital city to be opened by Thailand’s Central Group. It also features a Sogo department store and Malaysia’s 500th (and the world’s 15,000th) AS Watson store.

    Founded in 1992 by Albert Tan and his wife Sharon Ng, Poney Group began with consignment counters inside department stores before opening its first boutique in The Mines Shopping Mall in 1997. A flagship store opened in Suria KLCC two years later.

    The company has since expanded in Malaysia and offshore into markets including Singapore, China, Indonesia and the Middle East.

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  • New CEO For Zara Owned Inditex

    New CEO For Zara Owned Inditex

    Zara owner Inditex has named chief operating officer Carlos Crespo as its new chief executive to spearhead a bigger push into e-commerce.

    Crespo will continue in his existing position until his appointment as CEO becomes effective in July, when he will begin taking some of the responsibilities currently held by executive chairman and current CEO Pablo Isla, the company announced.

    The appointment of Crespo, who oversaw the integration of Inditex’s online and bricks-and-mortar stores, puts an emphasis on the retail giant’s digital efforts amid changing consumer habits.

    Isla said Crespo’s contribution to the company in this new role will be vital “at a time marked by Inditex’s strategic digital transformation and far-reaching commitment to sustainability”.

    Isla, who until now has held the positions of both chairman and CEO, will continue to lead the apparel company as executive chair. Crespo will work with Isla to define the overall company strategy, Inditex said.

    The new chief joined Inditex in 2001 as the head of accounting policies in the finance department. Going forward, he will be responsible for technology, procurement and sustainability.

    “I am very excited to play a role at this important time for the company in which digital transformation and sustainability in all its manifestations represent exciting challenges,” Crespo said.

    Last year, Isla announced all products from all Inditex’s brands will be made available online by 2020, including markets where it does not have any stores.

    Other than Zara, the world’s largest clothing retailer also sells the brands Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Uterque across its network of almost 7,500 physical shops. It also operates online in 49 markets.

    Isla also said all of the group’s brands will be adopting an integrated stock management system by 2020 in all the countries where there is a physical store presence.

  • Fred Perry x Amy Hong Kong Launches Winehouse Collection

    Fred Perry x Amy Hong Kong Launches Winehouse Collection

    Fashion brand Fred Perry has released a new crossover collection as part of its continuing collaboration with the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

    The Fred Perry x Amy Winehouse Collection takes influences from Winehouse’s first designs for the brand, with pieces rooted in the singer’s distinctive sportswear and pin-up silhouettes. For May, there are three iterations of the Fred Perry shirt inspired by Winehouse’s styling and distinctive tattoos.

    The partnership makes a contribution each season to support the charity’s work with young people suffering from drug and alcohol problems. The latest Fred Perry x Amy Winehouse SU19 Crossover Collection is available this month at the Fred Perry store in Times Square, Causeway Bay.

  • Showpo loses Important Mangement Executive

    Showpo loses Important Mangement Executive

    Jane Lu’s right-hand woman, Alex Durkin, is leaving Showpo after seven years to start her own business.

    One of the first outsides hires to join Showpo in 2012, Durkin saw the retailer evolve from a physical store selling party outfits under the name Show Pony, to an online-only fashion brand with a team of more than 150 people and annual sales approaching $100 million.

    During her tenure, Durkin helped manage three major website rebuilds, introduced a new warehouse management operations system, oversaw a complete rebrand of the business and was eventually named general manager of the fast-growing company.

    But now she is looking to pursue a venture of her own.

    “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and I am currently in the process of working through different business models for my next venture which will not necessarily be in fashion, or a physical product for that matter – so watch this space,” Durkin said.

    Durkin has been preparing to depart Showpo for the past year to ensure she leaves the business in as strong a position as possible. She discussed her plans with Lu along the way.

    “It’s been a busy year aligning strategy and ensuring that the key people were in place,” she said.

    Showpo will not immediately replace Durkin, who plans to leave next month, though Lu said she is currently working through some options.

    “They’re big shoes to fill,” Lu said.

    “She has not only helped grow the team and the business, but she has also been an incredible mentor and friend that has helped me develop personally and professionally as well.”

    Lu credited Durkin with putting the systems and processes in place that have enabled Showpo to grow to the size it is today, while Durkin said she has learned many valuable lessons from Lu’s leadership.

    “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through the business is a success is all about people. Getting the right people, doing the right things at the right time,” she said.

    Durkin and Lu announced the change on Thursday in posts on the company’s blog.

  • Vans and China drive strong Profit

    Vans and China drive strong Profit

    Outdoor apparel giant VF Corporation says sales from continuing operations surged 12 percent last financial year, to US$13.8 billion.

    Vans proved a standout brand for the group, with sales rising 24 percent on a constant-currency basis, while geographically, China proved a powerhouse, sales there up 22 percent.

    The North Face brand achieved a 9 percent increase in sales year on year.

    “Fiscal 2019 marked one of the most significant periods of transformation in VF’s 120-year history, highlighted by our announcement to spin off our jeans business as an independent, publicly traded company,” said Steve Rendle, chairman, president and CEO. “Despite the tremendous workload, we remained sharply focused and delivered another year of strong financial results and top quartile returns to our shareholders.”

    Rendle said the company’s portfolio is well positioned heading into the 2020 financial year, with growth and momentum strong, fuelled by investments made in support of the company’s long-term strategy.

    “The bold decisions we continue to make to evolve our company underpins the transformational journey we’re on to deliver on our commitment to be a purpose-led, performance-driven and value-creating enterprise capable of delivering sustainable long-term shareholder value,” he said.

    The company projects full 2020 fiscal-year revenue to be between $11.7 billion and $11.8 billion, reflecting growth of approximately 5 per cent to 6 per cent compared to historical results excluding Kontoor Brands, or about 7 per cent to 8 per cent on a constant dollar basis, excluding the impact of acquisitions net of divestments.

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  • Richemont watch Sales Drops

    Richemont watch Sales Drops

    Richemont has brushed aside the gloom and doom of the global watch market, reporting sales of its watches and jewelry grew by 10 percent in the year to March.

    While figures for Swiss watch exports show sluggish sales to Hong Kong and the US this year, Richemont’s brands, which include Baume & Mercier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Officine Panerai, seem to have some degree of collective immunity.

    The company says jewelry and watch sales did very well in both the US and Asian markets.

    Richemont has reported net more than doubled to €2.79 billion euros (US$3.12 billion) for the full year, largely driven by a one-off gain of €1.38 billion euros relating to its acquisition of Yoox Net-A-Porter Group (YNAP).

    Sales reached €13.99 billion, 27 percent up on last year when including the recently acquired online businesses YNAP and Watchfinder, and up 8 per cent with those companies excluded.

    By brand, the growth was led by jewelry brands Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, with IWC and Jaeger LeCoultre, also posting higher growth.

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  • LVMH Acquires of Italian jeweller Repossi

    LVMH Acquires of Italian jeweller Repossi

    French luxury house LVMH has taken a controlling interest in Italian jeweller Repossi.

    The group quietly increased its 42-per-cent stake in the heritage jewellery brand to 69 per cent last year, and has since focused on expanding Repossi’s retail network, with openings in Tokyo and New York in the works for later this year. The brand recently launched at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.

    “The goal is to finance the brand’s international expansion,” said Repossi CEO Benjamin Comar.

    While the hard-luxury category only contributes a modest amount to the brand’s overall takings, LVMH’s investment signals a continuing interest in the potential of the hard-luxury market, thought to be rapidly expanding among young Asian consumers in particular.

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  • HMV’s Heroes walk away

    HMV’s Heroes walk away

    Two prospective saviors of the HMV Hong Kong business have walked away after it became clear they would be unlikely to be allowed to use the historic brand name.

    A liquidation sale may now be held for stock stored since the retailer entered provisional liquidation last December, said to include about 70,000 DVDs, 20,000 CDS and 9000 vinyl records.

    “Two potential white knights, one a mainland company, the other a Hong Kong firm, had been very keen on rebooting the HMV business in the mainland and Hong Kong,” liquidator Wong Sun-keung, a partner at accounting firm Vision AS said.

    “There is some legal issue that the HMV licences here are considered to be ended with the liquidation. It is a shame,” he said.

    Citing the trademark issue, Wong says he will no longer be seeking a buyer for the business and will now work with the company’s creditors to find alternative ways of recovering about HK$40 million (US$5.1 million) in debts.

    A committee comprising seven representatives of the company’s 340 creditors will vote before month’s end on the next step, most likely a massive liquidation sale.

    “It may include the option of selling the stock to some music collectors. Or we may host a big liquidation sale for a few days,” Wong told the SCMP.

    “We are negotiating with a landlord for a potential location in Causeway Bay. Another possible location will be in Mong Kok.”

    While the stock, currently stored in shipping containers, has a book value of $9 million, given the discounts applicable in a liquidation sale, it may have a realisable value of less than $1 million.

  • Free Ice creams at Tiffany Singapore

    Free Ice creams at Tiffany Singapore

    Tiffany Singapore celebrates the launch of Tiffany True collection with Tiffany Blue benches in front of its stores.

    Tiffany Ion Orchard is its first location and other venues include Clifford Square, Ngee Ann City, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore River and Sentosa Cove.

    Visitors who post a creative photo with any of the benches and include the hashtags #TiffanySingapore #BelieveInLove on their social media will get a free rose ice-cream cone.

    Customized love poems are also available to all visitors.

    Tiffany True is described as “a more modern interpretation of the same ultimate expression of commitment”.

    “Tiffany True is a next-generation symbol of love and commitment, the next chapter into the future,” said Reed Krakoff, Tiffany & Co’s chief artistic officer.

    “It gives people a different choice that’s equally inspired and equally special.”

    Last year, Tiffany & Co partnered with local bakery brand Tiong Bahru Bakery to offer free coffee and croissants outside its Ion Orchard store.

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  • H&M LGBTQI range celebrates ‘love for all’

    H&M LGBTQI range celebrates ‘love for all’

    Global fashion retailer H&M is supporting “love for all” with a new capsule collection celebrating equality.

    The H&M LGBTQI range will be available in selected stores worldwide and on hm.com from this month.

    Celebrating “everybody’s right to love whoever they want”, the fast-fashion brand’s show of support for LGBTQI equality is a capsule collection for women, men and non-binary individuals. The range features slogan t-shirts, sportswear-inspired garments and fun accessories.

    “We wanted to create a certain vibe with a colourful collection – vibrant, statement-making and joyful,” said H&M’s head of design Emily Bjorkeheim. “There´s actually a lot of mixing and matching that can be done, which reinforces H&M’s messages of inclusivity and equality. Anyone can find their favourite piece and simply wear it with self-confidence.”

    The H&M LGBTQI capsule collection includes tops and t-shirts with graphic prints championing diversity, equality and pride as well as rainbow colours. Silhouettes range from cropped and boxy to body-hugging and sporty – all with a retro nod while remaining modern in expression.

    “H&M strives to be a mirror of global society, one that fully embraces a central message of ‘Love for All’, standing up for people’s right to love whoever they want, wherever they are,” said H&M’s global marketing and communications director Sara Spannar. “We are proud to continue our support for LGBTQI equality by celebrating love and raising awareness about the fight for equal rights, diversity and inclusivity.”

    H&M is donating 10 per cent of capsule sales to the UN Free & Equal campaign for equal rights and fair treatment for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex people around the world.

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  • Tapestry plans Network Expansion in Asia

    Tapestry plans Network Expansion in Asia

    Tapestry, the parent of Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, plans to open about 100 stores in Asia this year, most of them in China.

    The company is focusing its growth on regions where it believes it is underrepresented, namely Greater China, Southeast Asia and Europe.

    According to the company’s latest results filing, it plans to open between 60 and 70 new Kate Spade stores this year and another 30 for Stuart Weitzman.

    “China has emerged as the second-largest luxury market in the world according to Euromonitor, and we expect the country to continue to drive growth for Coach, and Tapestry, over the foreseeable future,” the company said.

    Coach’s comparable-store sales rose by 1 per cent during the third quarter, or by 2 per cent on a constant-currency basis, driven by strong international growth and increased online sales.

    Strong consumer demand has fuelled sustained growth for the business in China during recent years and that trend continued in the third quarter when sales growth there outperformed that of other geographical markets.

    Third-quarter revenue reached US$1.3 billion.

  • Goodbaby opens Chengdu Flagshop Store

    Goodbaby opens Chengdu Flagshop Store

    Goodbaby International has opened two flagship stores in Chengdu, China.

    One of the new stores is located at International Finance Square (IFS), the other at Chengdu Joy City. Both opened last Saturday.

    The stores represent the parenting-products retailer newest offline store model and were designed by an unnamed “well-known designer” who has previously cooperated with many globally renowned luxury concept stores.

    “The key to mom-and-child products lies in experience,” said Goodbaby China CEO Jiang Rongfen.

    “The new global flagship stores are designed with both the sensitive and sensible factors of the consumers’ shopping behaviors in mind.”

    The designer aimed to create an immersive, scenario-based smart lifestyle environment for parenting families, where consumers can experience and interact with the products to make better shopping decisions with the help of AI, VR and AR technologies, as well as making one-stop shopping convenient.

    “Our goal is to make every customer willing to share their satisfactory experience with their friends,” Jiang said.

    With Chengdu considered an up and coming fashion hub in China, Goodbaby decided to launch its new Hey Box smart products at the two flagship stores.

    “It is usually said that winning Chengdu’s consumers is a big step towards winning China’s consumers,” said Jiang.

    Goodbaby was set up in China 1989 as a global company with local operations in China, Germany and the US. At the core of its range are baby carriages and child car seats.