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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.

  • Jeanswest in largest Australian Cotton woven launch

    Jeanswest in largest Australian Cotton woven launch

    Jeanswest is partnering with Cotton Australia to launch its largest woven womenswear collection, with the summer collection set to hit stores on September 19.

    The fashion retailer said the collection continues its commitment to traceability and ethical sourcing in manufacturing, with the partnership the next step in delivering world-class woven product for its female consumers in partnership with a local agricultural industry.

    Unveiling its plans at a media event held at the Sydney Opera House yesterday, Jeanswest said the collection taps into key trends for the coming season.

    “The soft stripes, embroidery, and tie detailing align with the trends we’re seeing come through for this summer, and of course we’ve included a pair of jeans; a beautifully crafted ripped and repaired slim boyfriend fit that customers will love,” said Lisa Hunter, Womenswear senior product manager for Jeanswest,,

    “This collection is an Australian fashion story, so in designing the product we’ve really worked to ensure there’s something new in this range for every woman, across all ages and body shapes.”

    In developing the range, Jeanswest joined Cotton Australia on a farm tour in Narrabri, northern NSW for further understanding of the industry and its processes.

    “We were thrilled to be standing in a cotton field, where it all begins, at the very start of a manufacturing supply chain, said Hunter.

    Adam Kay, CEO of Cotton Australia, said Aussie cotton is grown under the world’s best environmental social practices and produces a high quality ethical end product,

    “Buying Australian Cotton not only means a quality, sustainable product – it also means you’re standing beside farmers, and the 150 local communities they support across Queensland and New South Wales where cotton grows,” he said.

    The collection will launch in-store and online across Australia and New Zealand.

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  • Watchdog grants Essilor and Luxottica merger

    Watchdog grants Essilor and Luxottica merger

    The Commerce Commission has granted clearance for Essilor International (Compagnie Générale d’Optique) S.A. and Luxottica Group S.p.A to merge their business activities in New Zealand.

    The proposed global merger brings together a supplier of prescription lenses (Essilor) with a supplier of prescription frames and sunglasses (Luxottica). The parties have sought clearance from a number of regulators in different countries including New Zealand.

    Commerce Commission Chairman Dr Mark Berry said the watchdog is satisfied that the acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition in New Zealand markets.

    “Competition is strong and we believe the merged entity will be sufficiently constrained by the presence of existing competitors with the ability to expand at all levels of the supply chain and in all relevant markets.”

    In reaching its decision, the government agency said it considered the impact on New Zealand markets for the import and supply of unfinished prescription lenses, the wholesale supply of finished prescription lenses and frames, and the retail supply of prescription lenses and frames, contact lenses and non-prescription sunglasses.

    In New Zealand, Essilor is principally active in the wholesale supply of finished prescription lenses to optical retailers. Essilor is also active in the retail market to a limited extent via its online store. Meanwhile Luxottica is a global manufacturer and wholesale supplier of prescription frames and sunglasses. In New Zealand, Luxottica’s activities are limited to the wholesale supply of prescription frames and sunglasses, and the retail of optical products and services (via its OPSM, Sunglass Hut, and Oakley stores).

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  • Proposal made to restructure Surfstitch

    Proposal made to restructure Surfstitch

    A party previously involved with Surfstitch has submitted a draft bid to restructure the company, which would see it re-list on the ASX, pending support from a creditor vote in coming months.

    Administrators FTI Consulting, appointed last week, notified creditors of the proposal at a meeting in Sydney on Tuesday morning, but FTI senior MD John Park declined to say what the response was, other than that the meeting was “quick” and “calm”.

    Park would not confirm whether major shareholder and co-founder Justin Cameron was behind the proposal, but said Cameron did not attend the creditor meeting.

    “I’ve received one draft deed of company proposal this morning,” Park said. “It’s a proposal to see…a relisting of the vehicle.”

    Creditors include management, advisors and the shareholders associated with the Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Gadens shareholder class actions, as well as Crown Financial’s Kim Sundell, who also has pending legal action against the company.

    FTI expects to receive more restructure proposals for the company over the next 30-50 days before its due to deliver its report and recommendation to creditors about the future of the business.

    Liquidation is still a possibility, although not something that Park believes will deliver an optimal outcome for stakeholders.

    “My experience is that creditors look upon a deed of company arrangement a lot more favourably than a liquidation scenario,” he said.

    “[Litigators will] be looking for a palatable commercial outcome.”

    The administration was undertaken to put a stay on the legal proceedings. Park said a restructure would be the only outcome that would generate a return for shareholders.

    “[Litigaton funders] have indicated that they are receptive to looking at some form of restructuring proposal which takes into account their interests and they will assess it on its merits and make a decision,” Park told journalists on Tuesday afternoon.

    Park could not quantify what the company owed to creditors, citing the inability to determine the value of the pending legal action.

    Quinn Emanuel filed a $100 million class action on behalf of shareholders against SurfStitch in May and was in the process of negotiating a settlement with the company when it entered voluntary administration two weeks ago.

    Quinn Emanuel partner Damian Scattini has previously declined to say what size settlement would be acceptable to shareholders, at the time citing ongoing negotiations.

    Meanwhile, Gadens did not place a specific value on the claim it filed in June, other than to say it would be a “large” claim.

    “It’s a bit pointless to pluck figures out of the air. It all depends on how loss is to be calculated. What’s more, we don’t know the full spread of members of the class in order to make that calculation,” Gadens’ Melbourne-based partner, Glenn McGowan, QC, told IR last week.

    McGowan said he has not been contacted by administrators, except for a standard form letter to prove the claimed debt.

    “I imagine they have spoken to the [litigation] funders. But they [the administrators] will have to speak to the lawyers in each proceeding if any agreement is to be reached,” he told IR on Tuesday.

    However, he has previously said he is pessimistic about shareholders’ chances of recouping losses from Surfstitch. That is why Gadens in June also filed a class action against Cameron, who, like many CEOs, holds an insurance policy.

    Surfstitch’s operating subsidiaries continue to trade while the holding company is in administration, Park said there was initial concern from suppliers but that they’d been “pleased” with internal stakeholder response so far.

  • Donna Karan parent boosts sales by 21.6 per cent

    Donna Karan parent boosts sales by 21.6 per cent

    Donna Karan parent G-III Apparel Group has reported a 21.6 per cent increase in quarterly sales to US$538 million.

    Of that, about $45 million of sales were of the DKNY and Donna Karan brands, acquired last year from LVMH. Its other licensed labels include Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Ivanka Trump and Karl Lagerfeld Paris.

    However the ongoing costs of bedding down its Donna Karan acquisition contributed to a quarterly loss of $8.6 million, substantially higher than the $1.3 million loss in the same quarter last year.

    Morris Goldfarb, G-III’s chairman and CEO, said, the company has created a “powerful” brand portfolio through acquisition and partnerships.

    “This great portfolio is enabling us to perform well despite significant headwinds in the marketplace. We are fortunate to have developed a diverse business, anchored by Calvin Klein and supported by other brands including Tommy Hilfiger and Karl Lagerfeld Paris. And now, Donna Karan and DKNY, both global power brands, will help us capture additional opportunities. We are positioned to provide exciting new assortments to a range of retailers and to demonstrate leadership in our industry at a critical time. We expect to generate growth in sales and achieve higher levels of profitability as we move forward.”

    Goldfarb said G-III planned to rationalise its own store network, improve merchandising and reduce expenses to return to profitability.

    “We believe we can mitigate the pressure on our retail results while reaping the benefits of an exciting new phase of wholesale growth as we look forward to a successful second half of the year.

    We anticipate achieving our operational and financial objectives and fulfilling our ongoing mission to offer brand and product solutions to an industry affected by disruption and change.”

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  • Hublot opens Kyoto store

    Hublot opens Kyoto store

    Swiss watch brand Hublot has opened a boutique in Kyoto on 26 August 2017, taking up residence in the former space occupied by Hermès.

    Located in an old machiya-style townhouse in Kyoto’s famous Gion district, the shop features custom Japanese ‘washi’ paper and wickerwork reiterating the watchmaker’s logo.

    Shopping the latest timepieces and watch accessories from the Swiss luxury horologist, customers will also receive Japanese-style folding fans as gifts with each purchase. The Kyoto shop will primarily carry timepieces priced at around 1 million yen to 2 million yen ($9,081 to $18,162).

    The 212-square-metre boutique forms part of Kyoto’s Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store. In 2016, the mall retailer spent 100 million yen refurbishing the two-story wooden former teahouse. It fronts onto Hanamikoji-dori Street, which is Gion’s main street.

    French luxury brand Hermes was chosen as the first tenant, opening up a pop-up shop for a limited time from November 2016 through to July 2017.

    The history of the machiya is unknown, with records of extensions being added in 1938, according to Japan Property Central. In 2001, the overhead power lines along this street were buried underground and the road was refinished with stone paving.

    Hublot, founded in 1980 in Switzerland, targets mainly men in their late 30s and early 40s.

    The shop is the company’s third directly operated outlet in Japan after one in Tokyo’s Ginza district and another in Osaka.

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  • Jimmy Choo Japan steps to the fore

    Jimmy Choo Japan steps to the fore

    Jimmy Choo Japan delivered the strongest performance internationally for the luxury shoe brand’s first half.

    While there was strong growth across Asia, Japan shone with an 11 per cent rise in revenue on a constant currency basis.

    Growth was underpinned by the men’s category, says the company. It continues to be the fastest-growing category, and in Japan it represented 28 per cent of revenue for the six months, up from 26 per cent year on year.

    Excluding Japan, Asia had 8.2 per cent revenue growth with all territories delivering strong like-for-like growth.

    “Mainland China continues to experience double-digit like-for-like growth, driven by increased brand awareness and greater demand for the seasonal fashion offerings,” says Jimmy Choo.

    “We have also seen strong results in Malaysia and Singapore following the conversion of franchise stores to retail in 2015, driven by improved merchandising and store performance.” Within wholesale, the company continued to expand its travel-retail footprint with the opening of two franchise doors.

    Overall revenue for the brand grew by 4.5 per cent on a constant currency basis (16.5 per cent on a reported basis), with growth driven by retail rather than wholesale. Retail revenue was up 6.7 per cent to £127.1 million (US$164.5 million) while reported revenue was 18.5 per cent  ahead of last year.

    Good performance continued from the company’s new concept stores despite disruption from its store development program. Eight store were renovated or relocated during the period. As at the end of June, more than half the company’s outlets, including the seven flagships, had the new concept.

    Meanwhile, Jimmy Choo says its online business, at 6.3 per cent of total revenue, performed particularly well with sales growth of 3.5 per cent.

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  • Pandora bets big on Melbourne

    Pandora bets big on Melbourne

    Pandora Australia and New Zealand managing director Mikael Kruse Jensen has just signed the dotted line on a five-storey flagship store in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall, in a deal that’s understood to be worth almost $1 million in annual rent.

    It’s a big store, with a big price tag – but Jensen is bullish on the Australian market after the Copenhagen-headquartered brand unveiled a 12 per cent sales uplift in the June quarter.

    The store itself is being designed as an activation hub, with the third floor of the venue set aside for events and staff training.

    It will be Pandora’s fourth store in Melbourne’s CBD and its eleventh opening Down Under in twelve months – with more to come.

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  • Adidas HomeCourt store opens at SM Megamall

    Adidas HomeCourt store opens at SM Megamall

    Sports Central’s new Adidas HomeCourt Concept Store on the ground floor of the SM Megamall in Ortigas, Metro Manila, brings together innovation in both design and retail.

    Covering 279sqm, the store is designed as a retail space offering a sporting arena experience. Customers are welcomed by a bold, distinctive Arena Facade, similar to the entry points of many Adidas sporting venues. Window displays feature the brand’s latest campaigns.

    At the heart of the store is “the Shoebase at Centerfield”, where customers can check out the latest footwear across all sport categories. Surrounding this is the concourse, where customers can engage with different categories and sub-brands. The store’s wall fixtures are simple metallic frames that allow the products to stand out.

    Another highlight is the Team Room, a themed changing area that elevates the fitting experience – the locker-room vibe allows customers to feel like they are part of the team. The decor features key Adidas athletes like Caroline Wozniacki, Damian Lillard and James Harden.

    As well as athletic footwear, the store offers sports apparel and accessories. A feature is the Adidas Warp Knit collection for training, as worn by supermodel Karlie Kloss.

  • Thomas Sabo Hong Kong opens flagship

    Thomas Sabo Hong Kong opens flagship

    Thomas Sabo Hong Kong has opened a flagship store at Hong Kong Ocean Terminal, with the German jewellery brand’s founder/designer Thomas Sabo officiating at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

    He was helped by guest of honour Korean pop star CL, and also in attendance was Korean singer/celebrity Lee Chae Lin.

    The boutique’s fresh colour palette of warmer and lighter colours marks a new era of shop-fitting for Thomas Sabo stores in Asia. Its new design concepts incorporate mid-century elements with simplistic decoration, says the company.

    After the official opening, guests were given a special preview of the exclusive Dragon Nights Edition, available from next month. The collection’s key pieces include dragons as a sign of happiness and the “Shou” sign as a symbol of long life.

    Decorated with feathered dragon heads and intertwined ornaments, the handcrafted collection draws on Far Eastern mythology and is also available at selected Thomas Sabo shops in Hong Kong.

    Established in 1984, Thomas Sabo has about 300 branded shops across all five continents and also collaborates globally with about 2800 trade partners as well as airlines and cruise companies.

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  • Star turn as Armani Box pops up in Central

    Star turn as Armani Box pops up in Central

    Originally launched in Paris last year, Armani Beauty’s red Armani Box pop-up store has arrived in Hong Kong.

    The brand’s latest product, My Armani to Go cushion foundation, was launched at the cocktail party to celebrate the opening of the store. Guests were welcomed by a giant red gorilla named Uri, created by Italian designer Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba and a reproduction of the gorilla in Giorgio Armani’s lounge in Milan.

    Inside the red box, guests tried out the latest makeup products including the new foundation, the Ecstasy Shine lipstick and the signature Lip Maestro lip gloss.

    Attending the party were such celebrities as Elva Ni, Janet Ma, Kary Ng, Sammie Yu, Shu Qi, Yvonne Kung and Zelia Zhong.

    The pop-up runs through to September 21 at the IFC Mall in Central.

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  • Star leaks Fenty Beauty by Rihanna campaign images

    Star leaks Fenty Beauty by Rihanna campaign images

    Pop star Rihanna has uploaded visuals from the advertising campaign for her new cosmetics line Fenty Beauty by Rihanna on Instagram.

    The Barbados-born entertainer has 56.2 million followers on the social-media site.

    Little information has been released yet about the beauty line, created in collaboration with Kendo, the LVMH group’s subsidiary which also works on Kat Von D and Marc Jacobs Beauty.

    Rihanna presented her first make-up product, a bronze lip gloss with a glistening rosy shimmer and “holographic” effects 12 months ago at a catwalk show for Fenty Puma, the line designed in collaboration with German sports brand.

    Fenty Beauty by Rihanna will be available at Sephora stores and on the perfumery retailer’s e-shop from Friday.

    This is not Rihanna’s first foray into make-up. She had a collaboration with Mac Cosmetics in 2013.

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  • Aland introduces K-pop style to Bangkok

    Aland introduces K-pop style to Bangkok

    Korean fashion retailer Aland, known by millennials in its homeland for its styles influenced by K-pop, has opened a store in Bangkok.

    It has a network of shops across Seoul and also in Hong Kong. Like these, its new Siam Center outpost offers young and emerging Korean fashion and lifestyle brands.

    Run as a franchise by Thai retail and development company Siam Piwat, which owns Siam Center as well as other malls in the capital. The store’s interior design palette is dominated by stainless steel, creating a minimalist environment geared toward millennial shoppers.

    The store carries 80 Korean brands in different categories including fashion, beauty, accessories and lifestyle. It will also partner regularly with artists to launch collaborative collections, such as the 3.3 Field Trip x MMMG co-designed eco bags and pouches by Soo-yeol Bae.

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  • Thailand’s Jim Thompson plans global expansion

    Thailand’s Jim Thompson plans global expansion

    A Jim Thompson flagship store will open in Bangkok’s Siam Paragon tomorrow as a preliminary step in a five-year global expansion plan.

    Similar flagship stores have been announced for Hong Kong and Singapore, and other major international retail destinations.

    The luxury brand’s first flagship, it is next to Bombyx, one of Jim Thompson’s five restaurants, and integrates touchscreens to give customers access to the catalogue as well as animated representations of its designs.

    These adaptations reflect the brand’s commitment to going digital (just two years ago it did not have a website or sell products online). It plans to launch it first online store soon in Thailand, to be followed by online stores abroad following the establishment of physical retail locations.

    Jim Thompson’s expansion plans have been presented to the board of the owner, The Thai Silk Co, by its first chief executive Gerald Mazzalovo, who has been seeking new locations and partners taking charge two years ago. He was formerly chief executive of fashion labels Bally, Clergerie and Loewe, and group president of Salvatore Ferragamo.

    The Thai Silk Co already exhibits its Jim Thompson, No.9, Fox Linton and Studio B home-furnishing products in five countries but for now offers its clothing and personal goods only in Bangkok, Malaysia and Singapore.

    Mazzalovo says Bangkok is an obvious choice for the first flagship store, given that the brand’s history and identity are so closely connected to the Thai capital. Within the next five years the company will set up similar flagship locations in London, Paris, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai – in that order, says Mazzalovo.

    His idea is that expansion to Europe first will help it build its reputation as a global brand before
    moving into the Chinese market.

    He says China is one of the most profitable opportunities for the brand, but the market there is much more likely to welcome the brand when it has established a name in Europe, rather than only in Southeast Asia.

    Global ambition

    Mazzalovo believes the company has all the makings of an international fashion house.
    “We have the ambition of going global because we have a lot of the prerequisites needed, including more than 70 years of heritage, know-how and historical anecdotes,” he says.

    The company’s values of authenticity and mystery are still anchored in its founder Jim Thompson, a Princeton and University of Pennsylvania graduate who arrived in Thailand in 1946 after working in Southeast Asia for a US wartime intelligence agency. He disappeared mysteriously in Malaysia in 1967.

    Meanwhile, the company opened a fabric showroom this year in Bangkok and will open a high-end contemporary restaurant in the next few months.

    Mazzalovo says the firm is highly profitable despite competing against brands like Chanel, Ferragamo, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada. He considers the company to be closest to Hermes in terms of product and brand management.

    In this first year with the company he recruited 15 designers and assistants from Korea, Italy, France, Finland and Thailand. The company employs 3000 people and has nearly 40 boutiques around Thailand.

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  • Hublot Japan launches Kyoto townhouse outlet

    Hublot Japan launches Kyoto townhouse outlet

    Hublot Japan has opened a shop in Kyoto’s Gion district, its third directly run outlet.

    The Swiss luxury watchmaker has a store in Tokyo’s Ginza district and another in Osaka. The latest location is in Kyoto’s second Daimaru department store, which has just opened in a traditional Kyoto-style townhouse.

    Hublot Boutique Kyoto is on the ground floor of the two-storey townhouse store in Gion’s main street. A Japanese tearoom on the upper floor can be used for hosting events.

    Founded in Switzerland in 1980, Hublot mainly targets men in their late 30s and early 40s. The Kyoto shop will primarily carry timepieces priced at around ¥1 million (US$9080) to ¥2 million. The shop is a mixture of traditional Japan and 1970s US. A noren (traditional Japanese curtain) printed with the shop’s logo hangs at the entrance; inside, the walls are decorated with American pop art. The sofa is made from Nishijin-ori (a traditional Kyoto textile) while take-zaiku (bamboo crafts) and washi (Japanese paper) are also used in the shop.

    The shop carries some limited-edition items such as the Spirit of Big Bang All Black model.

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  • Old Navy Vietnam opens second store

    Old Navy Vietnam opens second store

    Old Navy Vietnam has opened its first store in Hanoi, three months after its debut in the country.

    The 655sqm store is located in Vincom Nguyen Chi Thanh and offers collections for men, women, kids and babies.

    Melissa Fehlman, GM of Old Navy Vietnam, said the brand aims to open more stores throughout Vietnam in coming years, with Ho Chi Minh City’s second shop scheduled this month.

    Acknowledging that Vietnamese customers are trendy, Old Navy commits to refreshing 70-80 per cent of its products every three months, alongside core, long-term lines such as denim wear.

    Old Navy came to Vietnam under a franchise agreement between Gap Inc and Vietnam IPP’s subsidiaries ACFC and CMFC, which also hold the Gap and Banana Republic franchises in Vietnam.

    The nation’s fashion market is booming, buoyed by the recent arrival of international brands, including Pull&Bear and Stradivarius on September 1.

    H&M opens its first store in Ho Chi Minh City on September 9 and Zara will open its first Hanoi store next month.

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