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.

  • Design first for Victoria’s Secret catwalk show

    Design first for Victoria’s Secret catwalk show

    Victoria’s Secret has engaged Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing to create styles for its annual catwalk show, with a capsule collection to launch in stores the following day, November 29.

    While the lingerie brand often calls upon designers to create runway pieces, this is the first first time it has partnered with a fashion house on an in-store collection.

    There is also a parallel in that Rousteing has his “Balmain Army”, models who regularly star in his campaigns, while Victoria’s Secret uses star models for its shows.

    For the Shanghai showcase on November 28, the French designer is tipped to choose friends Sara Sampaio, Joan Smalls, Alessandra Ambrosio and Karlie Kloss to model his first mainline foray into underwear.

  • Alfred Dunhill launches store in Beijing

    Alfred Dunhill launches store in Beijing

    British luxury goods brand Alfred Dunhill has opened a store in Beijing, at the SKP Shopping Center.

    Offering the brand’s complete range of products for men, the store features the new Dunhill retail design concept.

    Based in London, the brand specialises in ready-to-wear, custom and bespoke menswear, leather goods, and accessories. Alfred Dunhill is owned by the Richemont group.

  • Secoo signs exclusive European footwear deal

    Secoo signs exclusive European footwear deal

    Chinese lifestyle platform Secoo Holding has signed a deal to be the exclusive partner in China for the European Confederation of the Footwear Industry (CEC).

    With the agreement covering more than 100 European footwear brands, Secoo Group has secured the exclusive China rights to 87 per cent of the supply of European premium footwear.

    Representing the footwear industry in the European Union, CEC has a membership that includes companies in 18 EU countries as well as five countries in Central and Eastern Europe. They include leading brands from Italy, France, Sweden and the UK.

    CEC sees China as its next major opportunity. President Cleto Sagripanti says many European footwear brands lack access to rapidly growing markets such China.

    “Secoo already has wide access to China’s high-end customers and, at the same time, provides protection for our intellectual properties.”

    Secoo has 15.4 per cent of the Asian market, as well as a quarter of the high-end online market in China.

    With nine years in the business, the platform has 15 million registered users with the average purchase per customer exceeding RMB3500 (US$520), and 300,000 SKUs in stock.

  • Suitsupply launches women’s chain, Suistudio

    Suitsupply launches women’s chain, Suistudio

    Fashion disruptor Suitsupply is taking its new concept targeting women international.

    Suistudio will open its first US store in New York City at the end of October, with both banners planning to roll out across the continental US.

    Suitsupply has so far opened 84 stores internationally, including in Hong Kong and Bangkok, to support it successful webstore. The concept is selling suits tailor-made in-store while the customer waits.

    In a bid to position itself apart from Suitsupply, Suistudio has released an edgy, if potentially controversial, advertising campaign with the message: “We’re #notdressingmen,” featuring model Rianne ten Haken. The theme shows a woman in a stylish suit while her male partner is naked, is designed to convey the message Suistudio is taking women’s suiting every bit as seriously as men’s.

    Suistudio recently launched its online store, which the company says is already proving a success.

    “The key to customer satisfaction is not only the true to size fit, but also offering both “the now” and “the classic” suit styles that women have been asking for,” the company says.

    Like Suitsupply, Suistudio combines high-quality Italian fabrics like Vitale Barberis Canonico and Ferla (mills from the Biella Region) with expert tailoring that is hand-finished. The result, a power suit.

    “We’ve been asked consistently for a long time to make a women’s collection,” explained CEO/founder Fokke de Jong. “Our brand is about bringing high-quality product for attainable price points. It isn’t a snap your fingers and done sort of project. After years of preparation, I think we finally nailed it. A perfect fit that our customers are excited to wear.”

    Suistudio’s suits and coats are priced between US$399 and $699, trousers $199 to $299 and jackets $299 to $699.

  • Michael Kors reopens Makati flagship store

    Michael Kors reopens Makati flagship store

    Affordable luxury leather goods brand Michael Kors has finished renovating its flagship store in Manila, reopening to the Filipino customer in October 2017.

    Located at Greenbelt 5, the improved Makati store unveils a new play on metal accents — as seen on shelves and fixtures – for the US brand.

    The New York handbag and accessories retailer is locally distributed in the Asian nation by Stores Specialists Inc. (SSI), and is looking to ramp up sales in the Philippines.

    “Michael Kors has contemporary styling and great value. It is very up to date with trends interpreted in a way that resonates with every kind of style,” SSI Group president Anton Huang, told local media.

    According to Huang, Michael Kors bags, accessories and footwear remain the Philippines’ most sought after item.

    However, Michael Kors Philippines has witnessed an increase in sales for ready-to-wear lines, adding the brand’s success is rising as more customers adopt a sophisticated lifestyle.

    “Ready-to-wear apparel has become more important to our customers. It  is been successful. For apparel, there’s growth season after season.”

    In addition to the newly reopened Makati flagship, Michael Kors has other stores in the Philippines located at Central Square on Bonifacio High Street, Newport Mall, Power Plant Mall, Rustan’s Makati, and Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

    Kors had been grappling with declining sales in recent quarters as more people shop online. The firm has faced over-distribution of its products and a reliance on promotions to boost sales also eroded some of Kors’ brand value and its appeal.

    However, in August 2017, Michael Kors Holdings reported better-than-expected profit for the first quarter as it cut down on promotions and sold more premium handbags, it said.

    Looking ahead, the company expects fiscal 2018 revenue of about $4.28 billion, slightly higher than its earlier forecast of $4.25 billion.

  • Longchamp Singapore reopens at Paragon

    Longchamp Singapore reopens at Paragon

    Longchamp Singapore has reopened its Paragon mall boutique.

    Marking the relaunch at 02-40 kiosk, the French luxury leather brand released its Mademoiselle Longchamp range of bags, which is exclusively distributed there until September 15, and at all Longchamp outlets thereafter.

    Inspired by 1970s heroines such as Jane Birkin and Francoise Hardy, the bags are available in black, grey, cognac and mimosa, and are sold from US$630 to $1955.

  • Céline opens in Sydney

    Céline opens in Sydney

    French maison Céline has opened its second Australian store in Sydney.

    Located on level four of Sydney’s Westfield Shopping Centre, the 186-square-metre store is designed with clean lines and pared-back simplicity, hallmarks of the brand’s creative director, Phoebe Philo.

    Raw materials such as onyx, fired terracotta, carved lime wood and industrial chipboard mix in with foliage, and bounce off black metal hanging rails, brought to life by a concrete floor in grey.

    A central sculpture wall divides each room, with bespoke furnishings – designed by Danish artist FOS – splattered throughout. Features include mirrors, a jewellery table, sunglasses and jewellery display casing, and a large seating area in ceramic and wood.
    The new Sydney flagship hosts Céline’s autumn/winter 2017 collection, as well as a range of ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories.

    The Sydney store is the brand’s 141st store globally. The first Australian flagship opened in Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre in 2016.

    Founded in 1945 by Céline Vipiana, the Paris house is today owned by global luxury conglomerate LVMH group.

  • Asia Beauty Group deal for ‘beauty park’

    Asia Beauty Group deal for ‘beauty park’

    A consortium comprising a Macau firm and two Mainland Chinese companies has signed an agreement with Hong Kong’s Asia Beauty Group Holding to open a “beauty park” in Grand MixC, an urban complex being developed in Hengqin.

    Macau’s San Fong Wang Property Development & Investment is also funding the construction of the RMB50 billion (US$7.52 billion) mixed-use complex. The two other parties are real-estate developer China Resources Land and financial services group China Resources Trust, according to information released by the Zhuhai government.

    Aimed at providing “one-stop fashion and leading cosmetic services” for women, the 20,000sqm park will include hairdressers, beauty salons, spas, catering, wedding services, photography resources, a themed hotel and a media centre within 10 theme areas. Hengqin is an island and special economic zone in Zhuhai, in Guangdong province.

    Previously owned by Ng Lap Seng, a Macau real-estate tycoon convicted on July 30 of bribery, money laundering and corruption, San Fong Wa is now headed by his son Ng Kei Nin.

    Completion of the beauty park is expected next year, when the first phase of the Grand MixC project is also expected to be completed. The complex is expected to become a retail and cultural destination, targeting the boutique trade and exhibitions, healthcare, cultural and creative activities as well as the hi-tech industry.

  • Myer welcomes Android and Apple pay on new credit card

    Myer welcomes Android and Apple pay on new credit card

    Myer has become the first Aussie retailer to launch Android Pay and Apple Pay on a Visa card, in a move that the department store retailer says accelerates its commitment towards digital.

    Launching this month, the card is issued by Macquarie Bank and supplied by Visa payment technology. It allows shoppers to access smart phone digital wallets and designed to make it easier to track and manage spending through the Myer credit card app.

    The new card is also now the only way for customers to earn Myer one shopping credits on eligible credit card purchases.

    “The card will provide our customers with an easier way to pay and reward them for their loyalty,” said Richard Umbers, Myer CEO and managing director.

    “We are delighted with our partnership with Macquarie and Visa which will further accelerate the growth of Myer’s digital capability.”

    The head of Macquarie’s Banking and Financial Services Group, Greg Ward, said the finance firm had offered credit cards directly and through white label arrangements for “many years” and that the Myer partnership was the “latest step in supporting innovative digital banking solutions for Australians.”

    Stephen Karpin, Visa’s group country manager for ANZ and the South Pacific, said digital technology is driving “new and imaginative commerce experiences” within retail, and that “how people pay is at the heart of these experiences.”

    It’s the second tech-related launch embarked on by Myer in recent weeks, after the department store retailer dipped its toes into radio frequency identification technology, with a six to eight week trial.

  • Bonia Vietnam moves south with second store

    Bonia Vietnam moves south with second store

    Leathergoods retailer Bonia Vietnam has opened its first Ho Chi Minh City boutique, at Crescent Mall.

    Covering 192sqm on the mall’s second floor, the store has a simple design featuring timber and bright colours as a background to the brand’s latest items.

    Celebrities attending the grand opening included actress/director Ngo Thanh Van, who joined Bonia representatives in cutting the opening ribbon.

    It is the Malaysian brand’s second store in Vietnam, the first being at Vincom Hanoi.

  • Fashion link for Acer Philippines promotion

    Fashion link for Acer Philippines promotion

    A pre-holiday promotion has been launched by Acer Philippines in conjunction with SM men’s fashion brand Salvatore Mann.

    Backpacks and duffel bags are being given away for buyers of certain Acer projectors and computers. Under the promotion, which runs until October 15, holders of BDO Rewards, SM Advantage and SM Prestige cards will also receive exclusive Salvatore Mann sling bags.

    A fashion show featuring the exclusive Salvatore Mann collection designed especially for the promotion, has been held at SM Megamall’s Mega Fashion Hall.

    To introduce the campaign’s faces, Kita Kita stars Alessandra De Rossi and Empoy Marquez, Acer produced a short film, #KasyaPa.

  • Sephora to open at Highpoint Shopping Centre

    Sephora to open at Highpoint Shopping Centre

    Global beauty giant Sehpora has today announced its next store location, continuing its extensive retail expansion in Australia, opening at Highpoint Shopping Centre this November.

    It’s the beauty retailer’s 13th Australian store and third in Victoria, (Melbourne Central and Chadstone), and follows hot on the heels of the cosmetic’s chainslatest opening at Erina Shopping Centre on the Central Coast yesterday.

    “The demand for more Melbourne stores has been considerable and we want to be able to meet the expectations of our local beauty aficionados,” said Sephora country manager Libby Amelia.

    “Highpoint Shopping Centre is a great fit for us and we’re looking forward to launching there next month. We have some super exciting activities planned for launch day to welcome Melbourne’s inner western beauties to the wonderful world of Sephora,” said Amelia.

  • Uniqlo plans denim concept shop for LA

    Uniqlo plans denim concept shop for LA

    Fast Retailing’s Uniqlo says it plans to open a “denim concept shop” in Los Angeles soon.

    “We take so much inspiration from Los Angeles,” says Uniqlo head of US marketing Marisol Tamaro.

    The brand has been increasing its commitment to LA and its latest autumn denim campaign gained its inspiration from LA style. Its Denim Innovation Center opened in the city in November last year as a hub for both Uniqlo and J Brand denim creation and manufacturing. There are also innovation centres in Paris, Shanghai, New York and Tokyo.

    Tamaro says the concept shop will mostly stock denim but also feature complementary clothes. The shop will also carry J Brand as well as collaborations from local artists and designers.

    The denim concept shop will be Uniqlo’s eighth store in Los Angeles and the 47th in the US.

  • Sacoor Brothers Inaugurates “Flagship Store”

    Sacoor Brothers Inaugurates “Flagship Store”

    After the recent launch of the AW2017 collection with the new #WEARCONFIDENCE concept, first “Flagship Store” Sacoor Brothers in Portugal, Downtown Colombo opened its doors on Oct 3rd in Lisbon. On Tuesday, October 3rd Sacoor Brothers inaugurated the first Flagship store in Portugal. Located on the first floor of the Centro Colombo in Lisbon, this is the largest store of the brand worldwide. The new collection presents itself in 450 square meters of sales area, aimed at a younger and trendy audience, following the launch of the brand’s new concept #Wearconfidence.

    The store is divided into three distinct spaces: Man, Boy & Woman, with a strong emphasis on the latter, where it presents a wide range of clothing options and accessories for the female audience. The Flagship store wears a distinctive store concept and features a number of unprecedented additional services: Barber, Sharing Work Table, Touch Screen with Social Wall, Healthy Bar, In-House Tailor, DJ and fully stocked music store, all in a chic and super cool environment. The digital presence in this store is also a must with digital screens to pass Sacoor Brothers’ content, and a social wall where all the photographs marked with #SacoorBrothers and related hashtags are shown.

    The façade of the store also has a LED screen that in addition to the logo, passes several different pictures and videos throughout the day. This new space intends to create for its shopper the feeling of being in the living room of a Manhattan penthouse, hence the availability of some services such as espresso and bottled water, several sofas, works of art and sculptures among other details that mark the difference.

    Differentiating and irreverent, this alignment is in line with the recent launch of the AW2017 collection, which aims to make a brand repositioning closer to a younger, more fashionable and trendy audience, taking advantage of the motto to communicate its offer to the public, demystifying the idea that the brand is essentially masculine. The concept itself, colours and spaces are innovative, as they follow a line of revamping that the brand wants to do for new audiences, aiming to captivate them as customers. This new concept is being launched firsthand in Portugal, where the brand was born, and because it is also the mission of Sacoor Brothers to shed spotlight on the country across borders.

    This opening is a very important milestone for the presentation of the new #SacoorNextGeneration store concept. This hashtag will be used for new projects, with the intention to lead the evolution of the brand. Today, there are many open perspectives and the brand also brings with this new concept a much greater emotional level to its campaigns, services and customer connection.

    #SacoorNextGeneration will be visible on all brand content, including the E-Commerce store, whose release is coming soon in some countries. This Flagship store will define the service and image standard of Sacoor Brothers, which intends to reposition and involve the entire Sacoor family in the project. Also the launch of E-commerce will help in cementing the digital experience of this store, with the integration of a service omni-channel, among other novelties, which will also include the existence of devices in the store. The whole experience of the omni-channel world was created to think about the needs of our final customer. For Nelson Pinto, CEO Europe “Sacoor Brothers will soon celebrate 28 years of history. This means that we will soon be able to celebrate the opening of 115 stores in 13 countries – Portugal, Spain, Belgium, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia “. High resolution images:

  • City Chain parent warns of loss

    City Chain parent warns of loss

    City Chain parent Stelux Holdings has warned shareholders of a worsening loss for the latest half year.

    Stelux, which also owns the Optical 88 and Egg eyewear chains, says that current information shows the loss for the six months ended September 30 will exceed that of the same period last year.

    But the result appears to be impacted by extraordinary events rather than poor trading in its store network, which spans greater China and Southeast Asia.

    The loss is mainly because of non-cash impact including a one-off gain from the redemption of convertible bonds of HK$75.9 million (US$9.7 million), the amortisation of a share-based payment of convertible bonds of $9.3 million, and an increase in the liability component of convertible bonds of $41.2 million.

    Last July, in advance of the release of final first-quarter data, Stelux reported a year-on-year sales decline of 9.5 per cent (reduced to 8.4 per cent on a foreign-exchange neutral basis) to HK$624.7 million for the June quarter. However, it pointed out that was an improvement on the 16.2 per cent decline for the full financial year to March 31.

    Chairman/CEO Joseph Wong says this has not been reviewed or audited by the company’s
    auditors and is based on the board’s preliminary review of the unaudited consolidated management accounts of the group.

    The group’s results for the half-year may vary, and the interim results will be published next month.