Bosideng opens pop-up shop in NYC

Bosideng, known in China for its line of down jackets, launched a pop-up shop in New York City, with plans to expand into the US market in the coming years.

The Shanghai-based fashion brand will sell select items from its collection at Rothman's men's store in Manhattan's Union Square until Feb 16, and will be participating in the upcoming New York Fashion Week.

Pushing for an international presence is on the brand's agenda, and founder of Bosideng Gao Dekang spoke to China Daily about why the US was the next obvious location for the label's expansion.

"The US is a country with major influence on international fashion trends, and it is one of the key centers of the fashion industry," he said. On taking a Chinese brand global, he said that domestic brands like Bosideng already have a "stronghold" in the Chinese market.

"Now it's time we should expand to the international market," he said.

The brand made its overseas debut in London in 2012 with the opening of a 1,600-square-meter flagship store in the city's West End. Though Bosideng is little known outside of China, where it has more than 10,000 retail locations and appeals to the country's mass market, the label introduced an up-market line for its London store with premium menswear items for European consumers.

Earlier last week, Benelux-based import and trading firm Zantman Modegroep announced that it will work closely with Germany-based e-commerce platform KeenOn to help Bosideng in continuing to develop its presence in Europe, after acquiring British menswear retailer Greenwoods in October of 2013.

In June of last year, Bosideng brought on UK-based Amelia Pretious to be head of design and buying for the brand. She has focused on mixing East and West in the clothing's aesthetic and design, catering to customers in China as well as abroad.

"The way people dress is really changing," she said. "Chinese consumers are dressing up in a modern way, where it's not just about the big logo in the center of the piece," and subtlety is going to be a priority for Bosideng, she added.

The designer's first collection for Bosideng was the spring/summer 2014 season, focusing on fine tailoring with fabrics from Italy, while keeping the brand's Chinese heritage "intact," Pretious said.

Marty Staff, a consultant to Bosideng and previous president and CEO of menswear brand Hugo Boss, said Bosideng plans to sell to between 15 and 25 upscale retailers.

Andrew Xing contributed to this story.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 01/24/2014 page2)