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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.

  • Yoshitsu opens physical store in Hong Kong

    Yoshitsu opens physical store in Hong Kong

    Yoshitsu, a retailer and wholesaler of Japanese beauty and health products, as well as sundry products and other products in Japan, today announced the grand opening of its physical retail store (the “Store”) in Hong Kong on August 30, 2022. The Store is located at No. 118, 1/F, Nina Tower 1, No. 8 Yeung Uk Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong, an iconic shopping destination. The opening hours are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday – Thursday, and 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday – Sunday.

    The opening of the Store is a part of the Company’s long-term expansion plan to expand its footprint in Hong Kong. The Store features an extensive product assortment, including cosmetics, skincare, fragrances, cosmetic applicators and body care products. Customers will not only have a large selection of exclusive Japanese brands, but also receive personalized beauty assistance with finding new and trending products.

    Mr. Mei Kanayama, the Principal Executive Officer of Yoshitsu Co., Ltd, commented, “We are thrilled to bring our new store closer to more of our customers in Hong Kong. Providing a remarkable customer experience is the top priority for our business, and we will try to bring the best shopping experience to every customer. To celebrate its grand opening, the new store in Hong Kong will offer 5% off from the opening day to September 15, 2022. We are planning to have two more new stores open in Hong Kong in the remainder of 2022 and are excited to bring the beauty experience we offer to more new customers. We believe that our expansion strategy is in line with our goal to increase market share and achieve long-term growth.”

  • Japanese fashion label Enfold launches in South Korea

    Japanese fashion label Enfold launches in South Korea

    South Korean luxury fashion and lifestyle brand operator, Shinsegae International, is bringing Japanese up-market fashion label Enfold to the country, opening the brand’s first independent overseas store.  Enfold’s first South Korean store, scheduled to open on September 14, will occupy a 35sqm space on the fourth level of Shinsegae Department Store in Gangnam. The interior design will feature the key motif of the cylinder shape. “By bending the cylinder into various shapes, it can be

    “By bending the cylinder into various shapes, it can be used to represent people lying down, tilting their head, and standing still,” the company said. “It expresses the world view of Enfold that changes.”

    Found by Mizuki Ueda in Spring 2012, Enfold means to embrace. The brand plays with the concept of offering comfortable and elegant style to hide the form of the body, curating a lasting wardrobe rather than following seasonal trends. The brand has more than 10 stores in its home market.

    The launch is part of Enfold’s plan to expand its influence in overseas markets, after rolling out several pop-up stores in the US, London, Hong Kong, and Paris during the past few years.

    Enfold will join Shinsegae International’s portfolio of more than 40 high-end brands, including Celine, Chloe, and Banana Republic. The South Korean retailer has a network of more than 860 stores nationwide ranging from fashion, and beauty to lifestyle brands.

    Enfold is owned by Baroque Japan, which operates more than 20 fashion brands, including Moussy, Sly, Lilidia, and Shel’tter.

  • Desigual plans 60 stores in Mainland China

    Desigual plans 60 stores in Mainland China

    Spanish fashion label Desigual says it plans to open 60 stores in Mainland China, including flagships in Shanghai and Beijing.

    The launch will be via a joint venture with E-Shine, also a local partner of listed fashion company Septwolves Industrial.

    Desigual aims to reach an annual turnover of US$40 million five years from now, with half coming from online and the remainder from sales through physical stores. The company said its primary focus will be Chinese digital channels.

    “This collaboration is in line with our strategy of continuing to develop our business in the Asian market, growing China as well as Japan, which is our main market outside of Europe, as well as in other significant markets such as South Korea,” said Alberto Ojinaga, MD at Desigual.

    “Our goal is for sales made through the digital channel and those coming from geographies outside of Europe to represent 60 per cent of turnover by next year. Right now this percentage stands at 49 per cent.”

    The move is part of the fashion company’s strategy to secure more market shares in Asia, which constitutes 6.5 per cent of its international business. Desigual entered China in 2014 via Tmall launch.

    “Knowledge of consumer habits and preferences in the Chinese market is key to success,” Ojinaga added. “Our objective is to achieve even greater growth in the digital environment and to reach out to new customers with products designed for them and suited to the characteristics of the market.”

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  • Ami Paris opens its largest flagship

    Ami Paris opens its largest flagship

    Ami Paris, the Parisian fashion label, is expanding its Asian footprint with the opening of its first brick-and-mortar store in Seould, South Korea, which it describes as its largest boutique globally.

    The store, located in the city’s Garosu-gil area, contains a retail space of 300sqm over four storeys, stocking menswear, womenswear and accessories.

    It features a spiral staircase and mirror-decorated objects, as well as lighting throughout the space. Black, beige, and white are the three main colours running throughout the store.

    “It’s a major step for us, given the importance of Korea in our business. But, it’s beyond numbers, because of Korea’s soft power,” CEO Nicolas Santi-Weil told Vogue Business.

    “We have been looking at the market since the beginning – they are trendsetters.”

    Vogue Business reports Ami Paris debuted in South Korea in 2013 with Samsung as its local partner. Since then, it has expanded its presence to include shops-in-shops in upscale malls, wholesale accounts in multi-brand stores, an e-commerce website, and now the new flagship.

    The brand has stores in Japan and China in Asia, as well as operations in the US and the UK.

    Ami Paris was founded by Alexandre Mattiussi in 2011 to provide stylish and comprehensive wardrobes for men and women, blurring the lines between casual and chic.

    Ami’s new Spring-Summer 2023 collection will be showcased during Seoul Fashion Week on October 11. This marks the first time the brand to come back to hosting international fashion shows after the long Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Underwear label Triumph refreshes brand vision to ‘remain relevant’

    Underwear label Triumph refreshes brand vision to ‘remain relevant’

    German, family-owned lingerie brand Triumph has diversified its product offer and refreshed its brand vision. Alana Jones, head of marketing at Triumph Australia, described the transformation as “only natural” for a historical brand to remain relevant.

    “Women’s lives, attitudes, wants and needs are forever developing, and as such, brands need to move and adapt alongside them,” she said.

    The brand says it aims to “contemporise” the fits of its products to suit the “ever-evolving underwear landscape better”.

    Triumph surveyed 20,000 females worldwide to understand a “monumental shift” taking place in their lives. The brand says women no longer wish to engage with brands promoting toxic or unrealistic body stereotypes.

    The survey concluded that consumers are “seeking out” brands that understand them as individuals taking all their complexities and nuances into consideration.

    “From the products they purchase, the images they see, through to their purchase experience, both online and in-store, we want to create a consistently memorable consumer journey by being distinctive, inspirational and relevant,” said Jones.

    Coinciding with this renewal, the brand’s new Spring/Summer 22 season includes new products and sizings celebrating women’s individuality. The season is led by a variety of Shape Smart Syles which includes an adaptable underwear concept called Triumph Flex Smart – which follows the unique movements of a woman’s body and supports them.

    Likewise, Triumph’s Fit Smart collection also features material that physically adapts to the body and adjusts to meet individual needs. A new wire-free Shape Smart bra has been designed to enhance and accentuate women’s natural curves, available in 35 size variations.

  • Hermes reseller Ginza Xiaoma makes its Singapore debut

    Hermes reseller Ginza Xiaoma makes its Singapore debut

    Ginza Xiaoma, the Japanese authorised partner of French luxury brand Hermes, has opened its first boutique in Singapore, its third globally. Located on Orchard Road, the 240sqm store follows a flagship in the Ginza Tokyo, and a Hong Kong boutique.

    Founded in 2015, Ginza Xiaoma has almost 10 years of experience buying, consigning, selling, and trading-in Hermes handbags and accessories.

    According to the company, customers can purchase Hermes handbags at the Singapore store, which offers the region’s largest selection of rare Hermes handbags, including a Sterling Silver Kelly 15, Diamond Himalaya Kelly 28, and Birkin Faubourg.

    Ginza Xiaoma Singapore also hosts the region’s private buyer-only online Hermes auctions and allows individuals to consign their bags. The company says it will introduce NFT auctions and blockchain proof of authenticity in future.

    “We’d already established some strong relationships with local collectors and knew there was an appetite for Hermes resellers,” said a Ginza Xiaoma executive.

    “Singapore is rich with stylish, affluent luxury lovers, but there are a limited number of high-end resellers catering to them.”

    As reported by Statista, Singapore’s luxury fashion industry will generate $770 million in revenue this year. The market is anticipated to increase by 4.79 per cent annually (CAGR from 2022-2027).

  • Swiss watch brand Norqain opens first store in Asia

    Swiss watch brand Norqain opens first store in Asia

    Swiss-made watch brand Norqain has made its debut in Singapore, as part of an expansion into the Asia market.  The watch retailer has collaborated with Southeast Asia distributor Melchers, a Singapore branch of Melchers Group, for the launch. This is also the brand’s second global flagship store after the first opened in Zermatt, Switzerland, last year.  Norqain says the new store, located on Orchard Road, aims to replicate the feeling of the Swiss Alps, features an original ski-lift ch

    Norqain says the new store, located on Orchard Road, aims to replicate the feeling of the Swiss Alps, features an original ski-lift chair from Zermatt.

    The store’s interior was inspired by the Swiss Alps, with black, blue, and white as the primary colours running throughout the space. There is also a wooden bar inside the store.

    Norqain says on its Instagram that it wants to convey to customers “a real feel for the Norqain world and the Norqainer spirit”.

    The family-owned Swiss watch company is based in Nidau (Bienne), the heart of the Swiss watch industry. Founded in 2018, it makes mechanical automatic watches designed in-house.

    Jean-Claude Biver, a well-known Luxembourgish-Swiss watchmaker who used to serve as president of the LVMH Watch Division, announced in June that he would join Norqain’s board as an advisor.

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  • LVMH to launch Stella beauty Maison with Stella McCartney

    LVMH to launch Stella beauty Maison with Stella McCartney

    Following a successful partnership with LVMH which began in 2019, Stella McCartney has collaborated with the LVMH Beauty division to develop her new skincare line, STELLA by Stella McCartney.

    After pioneering the conscious luxury fashion industry, Stella’s ambition is to offer an alternative to luxury skincare, an Alter-Care™.  A new approach that supports caring for ourselves and Mother Earth in perfect harmony.  Rooted in nature, with Stella’s vegan and cruelty-free principles at its heart, this ‘conscious luxury’ skincare line is natural, effective, and responsible.

    “I am delighted that Stella McCartney, after pioneering a sustainable and responsible luxury fashion, is now partnering with LVMH, committed to change the codes of cosmetics, the packaging and the ingredients. The launch of STELLA by Stella McCartney perfectly resonates with the Group’s longstanding commitment toward sustainability and we are proud to support it”, said Antoine Arnault, Image & Environment, LVMH.

    “We set out with an idea, and because we didn’t want to compromise – on outstanding results, the origin of our ingredients, and, of course, ensuring we minimised our impact on Mother Earth – we kept on trying.  We worked hard for almost three years with LVMH constantly evolving and aiming for what I felt was possible: rooted in nature, truly effective and responsible skincare. It’s a game changer and I want to share it with everyone.  I believe the consumer needs to know there’s another way, that they have a choice.”  said Stella McCartney.

    Based on Stella’s personal philosophy of using ‘only what you need’, the range consists of three essential products: Reset Cleanser, Alter-Care Serum and Restore Cream. The line-up is a culmination of three years’ worth of innovation and exploration with LVMH Recherche, the Group’s Beauty R&D unit. Offering impressive, clinically-proven results, this new range has been formulated to work in harmony with the skin, supporting its key functions of regeneration and protection.

    Each stage of the product lifecycle has been challenged to minimise its impact – from the ingredients to the packaging, to operations all the way through to consumer usage.  All product formulas are made with at least 99% natural-origin ingredients, and each is available in a unique eco-conscious refill.

    The line has a uniquely beautiful scent, ‘High Cliff’, created in collaboration with renowned perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, Founder and Artistic Director of Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Perfume Creation Director of Parfums Christian Dior.

    All the products will be available on www.stellamccartneybeauty.com and through a selection of UK retailers and boutiques including: the Stella McCartney UK flagship store on Old Bond Street from early September and Space NK from mid-September.

    Stella McCartney has chosen to support the conservation NGO Wetlands International, committing to donate 1% of the net sales of STELLA skincare.

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  • Onetime airline Pan Am reimagined in South Korea as a lifestyle brand

    Onetime airline Pan Am reimagined in South Korea as a lifestyle brand

    South Korean fashion retailer, SJ Group, has brought the famous American airline brand Pan Am into the country as a lifestyle brand, opening its first store inside the Shinsegae Starfield Coex Mall.  Featuring Pan Am’s signature blue and white, the Starfield Coex store is home to a selection of Pan Am-branded fashion apparel and accessories, ranging from bucket hats, travel bags, and phone cases to toys. The first Pan Am retail store also introduced The Pan Am AW2022 Collection, which the

    Featuring Pan Am’s signature blue and white, the Starfield Coex store is home to a selection of Pan Am-branded fashion apparel and accessories, ranging from bucket hats, travel bags, and phone cases to toys. The first Pan Am retail store also introduced The Pan Am AW2022 Collection, which the brand described as “designed for both fashion and functionality”.

    The launch of the Pan Am lifestyle brand’s first store will be followed by the opening of its first flagship location in Seongsu-dong, which is known as ‘The Brooklyn of Seoul’ with hip cafes and restaurants. Set to open its doors to the public on September 2, the 330sqm store will present a series of content collaborations with local artists and labels, such as Nuri Yeon, Playmobil, and Arc.N.Book.

    SJ Group aims to further increase Pan Am’s physical presence in the country with plans to open 13 stores in the country, including those in Daejeon Shinsegae Art & Science department store, Hyundai Department Store Pangyo branch, and Lotte Department Store Busan main branch.

    SJ currently has a portfolio of five brands, including Kangol, Helen Kaminski, LCDC and Le Conte Des Contes.

    Founded in 1927, Pan Am, an abbreviation for Pan American World Airways, was the largest international air carrier and unofficial flag carrier of the US during the 20th Century. An American drama series created by writer Jack Orman was named after the airline in 2011. The brand was also featured in the famous movie ‘Catch Me If You Can’ with Leonardo DiCaprio as a con artist disguising himself as a pilot of Pan Am.

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  • Gentle Monster invests $15 million in Chinese AR startup

    Gentle Monster invests $15 million in Chinese AR startup

    Augmented reality headsets have been around for years, but none of the market players has really expanded beyond the techy demographic and broken into the mainstream. An AR startup hopes to change that by partnering with an eyewear fashion brand.

    Nreal, the well-funded Chinese AR headset maker that’s been making aggressive global expansion, said Thursday that it has raised $15 million from Korean sunglasses brand Gentle Monster’s parent company, IICOMBINED.

    The investment, which came just five months after its $60 million Series C extension, boosts its total raised to $240 million since its inception in 2017.

    The fresh capital will enable Nreal to accelerate its global expansion and double down on the company’s consumer business in the U.S., the company said.

    Neither Nreal nor Gentle Monster said much about how they might work together, but it’s almost certain that the single-investor capital infusion marks a step toward a strategic partnership. It won’t be surprising that Nreal’s glasses — aimed to be fashionable and lightweight from the outset — would hit the shelves of Gentle Master’s global retail stores someday.

    Indeed, Nreal’s co-founder Peng Jin said the firm’s goal for the next twelve months is to “scale and reach more audiences and aggressively grow adoption for AR technology starting with our latest AR glasses, Nreal Air.”

    Nreal has already carved out a global distribution network, much of it through its enterprise partners like Qualcomm and LG, in countries including the U.S., U.K., Japan, South Korea, Spain and Germany. It only debuted in China, where it’s based, in August.

    Nreal’s demand is currently the highest in the U.S., Japan and Korea, though the company expects China to grow soon to be one of its top markets.

    Earlier this week, Nreal unveiled an array of its products, including AR glasses such as Nreal Air and Nreal X (Chinese version) and an AR adapter for Apple devices in its home market.

    “Fashion and design will be important aspects in the future development of AR glasses as we continue to expand the sector’s consumer base,” said Jin. “As such, having Gentle Monster as our investor will open up interesting opportunities not just for Nreal, but also for the wider AR industry as a whole.”

    Gentle Monster, which entered China in 2016 and partnered with Huawei in 2019 to make smart glasses, opened its seventeenth store in Beijing in early August for further expansion in China.

    “This investment is exciting for the combination and exploration of the boundary of fashion and tech,” said co-founder of Gentle Monster and CEO of IICOMBINED Hankook Kim. “We will leverage both parties’ strength and make joint efforts to create more possibilities.”

  • Uniqlo to expand physical presence into Poland

    Uniqlo to expand physical presence into Poland

    Japan’s leading fast-fashion brand Uniqlo is opening a pop-up in Domy Towarowe Wars Sawa Junior in Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, this fall.

    The opening of the two-floor, 8,600-square-foot pop-up store will mark the first time the Fast Retailing-owned brand will extend its physical presence to Poland, a market served by the retailer’s Europe online store for the past six years.

    The brand operates offline stores in the U.K., France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands and Italy.

    Located a stone’s throw from the landmark building Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, the store will stock items from the brand’s women’s, men’s and babies collections.

    Taku Morikawa, chief executive officer of Uniqlo Europe, said the decision to establish a physical presence in this new market “builds on our experience of offering customers the latest products via the Uniqlo Europe online store.”

    “Through our pop-up store, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of the Polish market and use learnings to make long-term plans for the future,” he added.

    In a previous interview, Morikawa said that Uniqlo’s European expansion plans are not to increase sales, at least not for now.

    “The priority now is to show our company and to be respected by the consumers with flagship stores showing everything and offering a good shopping experience,” he said.

    Scott Dwyer, group managing director of retail at Atrium European Real Estate, the owner of Wars Sawa Junior, believes Uniqlo will “feel right at home” as “Wars Sawa Junior is the perfect place to start a presence in the Polish market for the most popular international brands.”

    “The location is right in the bustling city center, close to the city’s busiest commuting hubs, business districts and most popular tourist attractions. By working with brands such as Uniqlo, we wish to attract a new generation of customers that values a genuine relationship with brands and the ability to directly experience the products they offer.”

  • Canada Goose China appoints Larry Li as new president

    Canada Goose China appoints Larry Li as new president

    Canada Goose has appointed Larry Li as president, China, effective immediately. In this role, Li will oversee all business activities in the Mainland China market, including commercial, marketing and finance. He will be based out of the company’s regional headquarters in Shanghai and report to Paul Cadman, president of Asia Pacific, Canada Goose.

    Li joins Canada Goose with nearly 20 years of experience in the luxury sector, having held regional senior leadership positions across retail, operations, and finance. Most recently, he was managing director, China at Dunhill, part of the Richemont group, and was instrumental in the brand’s repositioning and new product direction. Prior to that, he was with LVMH group and worked at brands including Louis Vuitton, Givenchy and Kenzo in Shanghai and Tokyo, holding various senior management roles, the company said in a press release.

    This announcement comes as Canada Goose continues its expansion in the China market, which the company entered in 2018. Mainland China is home to Canada Goose’s largest retail network, with 16 stores. In addition to the store that opened in Xi’an in May 2022, Canada Goose plans to open another three this fall in Tianjin, Qingdao and Chengdu. The brand will continue its category expansion, having launched its inaugural footwear collection last fall, and deepen its ties with local design talent, exemplified by its upcoming collaboration with Feng Chen Wang and Xu Zhen for Fall/Winter 2022.

    “Li is a proven strategic leader with an entrepreneurial mindset and exceptional business development skills. Running China from China has been pivotal to our success in the market. Li’s luxury expertise in China makes him uniquely suited to lead the local team, drive our business forward and seize the strategic opportunities that we see ahead,” Dani Reiss, chairman and CEO, Canada Goose, said.

    “I am honoured to join Canada Goose, as the business enters an exciting new phase of expansion in China. Canada Goose’s functionality, purpose and design in performance luxury have deeply resonated in China. I look forward to building on this great foundation and bringing the company vision to life,” Li said.

  • Heineken drops new sneakers

    Heineken drops new sneakers

    Are you ready to ‘walk on beer’? Because Heineken’s here to ensure that you do just that! The infamous Dutch brewing company recently unveiled Heineken Silver – a new smooth, easy-to-drink beer brewed for a new generation of drinkers. And they decided to kickstart its launch, with a pair of kicks! Heineken collaborated with celebrity sneaker designer Dominic Cambrione, more popularly known as The Shoe Surgeon, to create – the ‘Heinekicks’.

    What are the Heinekicks? Quite simply put, they’re limited edition sneakers FILLED with beer. There are only 32 pairs available in the world, and yes, you heard it right, they actually contain soles filled with the new Heineken Silver. Heineken promises these liquid-filled kicks “will have you Walking on Beer”.

    The Shoe Surgeon maintained the brand’s iconic red, green, and silver colors in the shoes as well. The acclaimed designer has created kicks worn by the likes of LeBron James, DJ Khaled, and Drake.“Partnering with Heineken for their new beer was a fun challenge. We both share a passion for innovation and pushing boundaries and created a design to reflect that,” said The Shoe Surgeon. “The shoe not only embodies the energy of Heineken Silver but literally carries it. I can’t say I’ve ever designed a sneaker that contains actual beer before.’’

    He power-packed the sneakers with a sleek green lenticular upper with silver and red accents. A removable metal bottle opener has been integrated into the tongue of the shoes. This could come pretty handy when it’s time to pop open a cold one!

    Of course, the most fascinating element of the shoes is the transparent soles filled with the golden liquid, which is Heineken Silver. The beer was inserted into the soles using a specialized surgical injection method!

    The one-of-a-kind soles provide the wearer with an extremely smooth walking experience, drawing a smart parallel to the smooth taste of Heineken Silver. These are the first pair of sneakers that allow you to walk on beer and a super genius marketing hack! We can’t wait to see how avid beer lovers react toward Heineken Silver!

  • L’Oreal Korea names Samuel de Retail as its new CEO

    L’Oreal Korea names Samuel de Retail as its new CEO

    L’Oreal Korea announced Monday that it appointed Samuel du Retail as the new chief of its Korea operation.

    The new CEO has worked at the France-headquartered global cosmetics company since 1996. Over the past 26 years at the firm, du Retail has assumed various key roles, including finance, management and e-commerce.

    He served as CFO at L’Oreal China from 2006 to late 2011, which was followed by another CFO position representing the Western Europe operation of the company from 2012 to 2013. He went on to serve as global CFO of the consumer products division in France from 2013 to 2016, continuing working as general manager for the consumer products division in China from 2017 to 2020.

    Before his latest promotion, his previous role at the firm had been as a group e-commerce general manager in France from October 2020 to earlier this year. He’s been attributed with the successful growth of L’Oreal and Maybelline in the Chinese market. He also led significant growth in the profitability of the company’s e-commerce efforts.

    “I am very pleased to work as the chief of L’Oreal Korea, as Korea is leading the global beauty market with its K-beauty trends,” du Retail said, adding that he will focus on cooperative leadership to continue the innovative path of L’Oreal in the country.

  • Esprit set to achieve five-year profit milestone

    Esprit set to achieve five-year profit milestone

    The Hong Kong-listed fashion retailer says it estimates its profit attributable to shareholders for the year to Dec. 31 to reach approximately $47 million. This would mark the company’s first full-year net profit since 2017.

    Esprit has changed its financial year, so comparisons are not directly comparable. But for the six months to Dec. 31, 2020, the company posted a loss of $53 million, and for the 12 months to Jun. 30, 2020, it lost $503.2 million.

    In a stock-exchange filing, Chairman Christin Chiu attributed the profit turnaround to increased sales – especially online – together with a higher gross profit margin, and improved cost controls and inventory management.

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