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Tag: Bluebell Group

  • Owndays and Bluebell Group to open HK store in partnership

    Owndays and Bluebell Group to open HK store in partnership

    Japanese fast-fashion eyewear retailer Owndays is to launch in Hong Kong with local partner Bluebell.

    The first two Owndays Hong Kong stores will open at the end of this month in East Point City in Tseung Kwan O, and Tuen Mun Town Plaza in the Northwest New Territories.

    Hong Kong marks the 11th international market for the company. In Asia-Pacific it has already launched in Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. It has more than 120 stores in Japan and sells more than 2 million pairs of glasses annually.

    Owndays’ business model is based on fixed pricing, fast service, a fast-fashion approach to frame design and a complete process from design to after-sales service. In each market, customers are promised that all frames are sold between upper and lower price-points – including an eye test and lenses – and that the glasses will be ready within 20 minutes (with a limited number of exceptions).

    The only part of the process Owndays does not control itself is the lenses, which are sourced from third-party suppliers. The retailer offers progressive, polarised, transitional, coloured and PC lenses.

    More Owndays Hong Kong stores are planned.

  • Bluebell Group invests in designer startup

    Bluebell Group invests in designer startup

    Bluebell Group has invested in a new luggage design house Ookonn, which takes inspiration from a hat box, selling direct to consumers online.

    Ookon is the brainchild of Anson Shum, who conceived a style and design based on an old-fashioned, round hat box.

    At the time, Shum was working in a marketing and communications role with Bluebell Group.

    “When I resigned last year, I told the company of my plan to start my own label,” Shum said in an interview.

    ookonn-lugguage

    “They were so nice to me, and asked if there was any way we could work together. I showed them my business plan, and they offered to coach and mentor me.

    “Eventually nearing the end of my employment period, I did a formal presentation in front of all the shareholders. And the week after, I was told that Bluebell wanted to invest in Ookonn. It was a surreal moment. I think they decided to invest because of the product, the business model, and obviously the fact I have built a good relationship with them.”

    Shum and his business partners sell the Ookonn bags online, where they cost upwards of HK$2280 for basic models.

    “Online business is more relevant to my target audience. Ookonn is a lifestyle brand targeting millennials. While we get customers from different age groups, the feeling and foundation of the brand is for a younger audience in their early 20s to early 30s. While online is important, it is only one part of the business model, since we are launching in Hong Kong and China. But for other markets, perhaps we can collaborate with several bricks-and-mortar multi label stores,” said Shum.

    He describes his case designs as “a bit more playful” than most common luggage ranges.

    ookonn-lugguage-1

    “I’ve been working in fashion and luxury for 12 years, and have had plenty of opportunities to travel. But while I can find a lot of beautiful options for clothes and accessories, there are not that many for luggage. Most luggage brands in the market are business oriented. So I wanted to see if I could create a luxury brand that would generate excitement.”

    The bags come with a variety of options for handles, covers and belts and can be customised with the buyer’s chosen monogram.

    The bags come from Transport Safety Authority locks, wheels which turn a full 360 degrees and a light polycarbonate shell.

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  • Manolo Blahnik Malaysia debuts in KL

    Manolo Blahnik Malaysia debuts in KL

    Women’s shoe retailer Manolo Blahnik Malaysia has launched its first store, in Pavilion KL.

    The 95 sqm store is part of an Asia expansion plan that includes the refurbishment of its Singapore store at Takashimaya, as well as the launch of a flagship store in Tokyo next year. The brand is partnering with retailer Bluebell Group on the projects.

    Founder Manolo Blahnik, who opened his first shop in Chelsea in London in 1973, was born in the Canary Islands to a Spanish mother and Czech father. He studied languages and art in Geneva before moving to Paris in 1965, where he became a set designer.

    On a visit to New York in 1970, he showed his theatre designs to Diana Vreeland, then editor-in-chief of American Vogue, who encouraged him to concentrate on his shoe designs.

    Blahnik learnt the art of making shoes by visiting factories, and by 1971 was in London making shoes.

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  • Another $3.5m funding for Grana

    Another $3.5m funding for Grana

    Hong Kong-based online clothing retailer Grana has secured an extra US$3.5 million in seed funding.

    This brings total funding to date to $6 million, with an additional Series A funding pending. The lead investor  is Golden Gate Ventures, with MindWorks Ventures and Bluebell Group also involved.

    Grana has just launched in the US market, and the extra funding will help the brand continue its international growth. The company offers clothing made from international fabrics including Chinese cotton twill and silk, French poplin, Irish linen, Italian merino wool, Japanese chambray and denim, Mongolian cashmere and Peruvian cotton. Designing in-house, Grana works directly with fabric mills to ensure the best possible prices.

    In its beta launch in March last year it sold 2000 Peruvian Pima cotton T-shirts in three weeks, shipping to eight countries. Month-over-month sales have been increasing by 40 per cent since the company launched in October 2014.

    As well as helping Grana ship to new markets, the new funding will support its entry to the China and US markets. The funds will also be critical to new product category launches such as leather goods, undergarments and activewear.

    “The support is critical to our US expansion, a priority market that already represents 20 per cent of our global sales,” says CEO and co-founder Luke Grana, an Australian based in Hong Kong.

    Grana opened a “fitting room” in San Francisco in December, and has also introduced the concept in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney. These outlets are designed as showrooms rather than retail shops, offering interaction with Grana Cheetahs (customer service representatives) and the chance to explore the website.

    “In a world where startups are disrupting established industries, Grana is disrupting how to build a global brand with bottom-up marketing from their biggest fans, city by city,” says Golden Gate Ventures managing partner Vinnie Lauria.

    Grana will also use the new funding to build its global team. It now has more than 40 employees in Hong Kong, and has just added team members in San Francisco.

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