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SINGAPORE: Chinese fashion brand Mark Fairwhale has opened its first Southeast Asia store in Singapore's Iluma shopping centre in Bugis.
The Shanghai-based menswear retailer has some 900 outlets in China and it is planning to open eight to ten more stores across Southeast Asia in the next three years.
Overseas expansion has always been part of Mark Fairwhale's corporate strategy, and the Chinese men's fashion retailer said the current downturn will not stop it from becoming an international brand.
General manager of international business at Mark Fairwhale, Chai Kim Fatt, said: "During the past two, three years, it has always been part of Mark Fairwhale's programme to expand overseas.
"People are still buying (despite the economic crisis). If we sell products that other people are selling, then we have a problem. But I think Mark Fairwhale products are different from others.
"In Singapore, and even in Southeast Asia, we dress more casually. Sometimes it's a little too simple. Our products can add a little bit of colour, or something extra."
Few in Singapore may have heard of Mark Fairwhale, but the company hopes to change that with this flagship store. The company also said it wants to help local males be more “versatile and daring” in making fashion statements.
The company expects to break even in a year's time. It declined to reveal how much it has invested in Singapore, but is focusing on gaining international brand recognition.
Mr Chai said: "We won't be holding back any investment that is worth investing. So to be very frank, there's no budget or anything. As long as we think it's needed, we are okay to invest."
It plans to open a store in Bangkok in the next two months, followed by outlets in Philippines and Jakarta.
The company also said it is open to meeting with potential business partners and designers in Singapore.
The Singapore outlet currently carries three of the company's five fashion lines.
- CNA/yt
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