Friday, April 2, 2010

Lane Crawford introduces American Apparel to Hong Kong

What a weird timing for this to take place, a friend of mine who's a entrepreneur was just sharing with me how he wants to bring American Apparel over to HK. Well, I guess someone else was a step earlier.

Lane Crawford, one of my favorite department store since my childhood in HK, is ready to launch AA with a party/sales event at International Financial Centre (IFC). This is a continuation of the company's effort at diversifying its porfolio and market. By introducing the comparatively lower priced label(though considered high-end for basics), Lane Crawford strives to communicate to a younger crowd while maintaining its older, more financially protected customers who've been loyal since years ago.

I took a stroll through the Times Square branch today and I was pleasantly suprised to find a bigger share of contemporary and young designers taking over the floor space. While the major labels such as Armani, Zagna, St. John, MaxAzria are still front and center, you can now find younger labels such as RM by Roland Mouret, Phillip Lim, Elizabeth and James, and Save Khaki (which was a real surprise)making a presence, and not suprised to see more foot traffic around those racks (they ARE after all the hottest things out there right now). It was also a testiment to the global fashion market to see a designer such as Lim from NY to Moscow, from Japan, to HK, to Kuala Lumpur.

I've always been a fan of the Lane Crawford's effort to strive a fine balance between arts and fashion, and their campaigns have always struck a cord with me in terms of vision and style. Seems like the glitz and glamourous Lane Crawford I remembered as a kid in the 90s is now a bonefide style camelion that are both progressive and ever changing.