Published
Nov 28, 2014
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Vilebrequin accelerates in Asia

Published
Nov 28, 2014

With the support of its owner since 2012, American group G-III Apparel, Vilebrequin is expanding its horizons. Already located in Europe and the United States, it was the Asian continent that was one of the brand's goals in 2014. Although its only anchoring points had been its subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Macao, the high-end beachwear label opened a new a store in Singapore and also signed several partnerships.

Photo: Vilebrequin


In Singapore, Vilebrequin opened its own store in the lobby of famous hotel Marina Bay Sands, known for its panoramic swimming pool and a Mecca of local tourism. And a second location is already being scouted by the brand, in the city this time.

A little bit earlier this summer, Vilebrequin set up a location in Seoul via a partnership. A permanent concession was thus opened in the Galleria department store, as well as several pop-up stores for the season while waiting to find permanent locations in 2015.

More partnerships: agreements were signed for the Thai and Indonesian markets, for openings in 2015 this time. In Bangkok, a store will be opened in March in the Emporium Mall, while in Jakarta, Vilebrequin will have a location in the Plaza Indonesia mall as of April. For the next phase, the brand is targeting seaside destinations, with notably Bali and Phuket in its line of vision.

But for sustainable locations in Asia, the label originally from St Tropez is obviously not counting on skipping over the two biggest markets, China and Japan, for which negotiations are underway. "Since these are essential countries, we want to take the time to build very solid relationships, to be sure that we get along well with our local allies," said Roland Herlory.

At the same time as the Asian development, Vilebrequin still wants to strengthen itself on other continents. The brand should notably consolidate its positions on the American west coast, but also in the big European cities, with notably new stores announced for Munich, Hamburg, Zürich and Milan... After 20 openings in 2014 for a total of 160 single-brand stores (half of them subsidiaries), 25 new ones are planned for 2015.

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