Karl Lagerfeld Opens in China

Apax Partners LLP (London) has opened its first Karl Lagerfeld retail units in China — a flagship location in Beijing and a more compact unit in Shanghai — that Women’s Wear Daily reports are the first volleys in a rollout that could see around 40 stores over the next five years.

Lagerfeld ceo Pier Paolo Righi told Women’s Wear that the company plans to capitalize on curiosity about the German designer’s own  signature brand, which until now has been available only in a small selection of Chinese department stores.

“It’s great for the consumer to see the breadth of the Karl Lagerfeld world,” Righi told WWD, citing a “very positive” initial reaction to the two mall-based units in China, which opened over the summer – an 1100-square-foot store in Shanghai’s Jing An Kerry Centre and a 2400-square-foot store in Beijing’s Charter Shopping Centre.

Andrew Cai, a veteran of Asian operations for Burberry and Louis Vuitton, is the new president and ceo of Karl Lagerfeld Greater China, overseeing the business on the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Singapore.

“Our expectations for China are very high because what we also see is a new emerging consumer group,” Righi told WWD. “There’s a younger luxury consumer, a young fashion consumer that is looking for not-so-established brands – not the brands their parents are wearing, but something new and fresh that gives them access to a luxury world but in an accessible way.”