CHARLES & KEITH

CHARLES & KEITH
Private
Industry Fashion
Founded Singapore (1996)
Founder
  • Charles Wong
  • Keith Wong
Headquarters Singapore
Number of locations
 374 (2014)
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
  • Charles Wong (Founder)
  • Keith Wong (Founder)
  • Fong Shee Beng (Executive Director)
Products
Website www.charleskeith.com

Charles & Keith is a Singaporean fast fashion brand specializing in ladies' footwear and accessories. It was founded in 1996 by brothers Charles and Keith Wong, under the Charles & Keith Group which also owns the brands Charles & Keith Signature Label and Pedro.[1]

Origins and history

Charles & Keith opened their first store in 1996 in the Amara Shopping Centre, Singapore.[1]

In 2001 Charles & Keith opened an international venture in the Philippines, where by 2013 they had 33 stores.[2] They debuted in the Middle East in 2004 with a store in Dubai,[3] and another in Saudi Arabia in 2005.[4] In 2011 the brand had over 230 stores across the world mostly based in the Middle East and Asia.[5] By 2013 this had grown to over 300 stores worldwide, including locations in Africa, and in Japan, where they opened a flagship store in Harajuku, Tokyo and other stores in Yokohama and Osaka.[2][6][7] All the stores are company-owned unless local legislation forbids this, in which case the stores are run through a joint-venture arrangement.[4]

In 2011, LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) invested in a 20 percent stake.[2][8] At the time LVMH stated that they intended to expand Charles & Keith's presence with 40 or 50 new stores across India.[5]

Brands and output

The Charles & Keith Signature Label was launched in 2007 to offer a more luxurious range of products alongside Charles & Keith's shoes and handbags line.

By 2009, the Charles & Keith design and development team was annually producing over 750 designs for footwear and 300-plus designs for accessories, many tailored specifically for consumers in certain locales.[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Boon, Rachael (23 July 2013). "Full control ensures shoe retailer never misses a step". The Straits Times (Singapore Press Holdings Inc.). Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Yupangco, Arian (28 August 2013). "Why the Louis Vuitton group invested in Charles & Keith". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Charles and Keith opens in Abu Dhabi Mall". AmeInfo.com. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tan, Jessica (1 March 2009). "The World at Their Feet". Forbes. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "LVMH invest 25 million dollars in developing Charles & Keith in India". CPP-Luxury.com. CPP Luxury. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Kumagai, Nao (4 March 2013). "Singapore Fashion Accessories Brand “Charles & Keith” Opens First Store in Japan in Harajuku this April". Fashion Headline Japan. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Nagata, Kazuaki (30 May 2013). "‘Fast fashion’ of South Korea, Singapore arrives". The Japan Times. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  8. ↑ Chan, Robin (20 March 2011). "Charles & Keith Goes Global With LVMH Tie-Up". Straits Times Indonesia (The Jakarta Globe). Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  9. ↑ JapanConsuming staff reporter (15 May 2013). "A New Growth Brand for Japan’s Onward Holdings: Charles & Keith". The Business of Fashion. JapanConsuming. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "His Heart & Sole". August 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2014.

External links