Twenty French fashion labels are taking their business to China, through the ‘French Boutique’ launched by the French Federation of women’s ready-to-wear apparel (FFPAPF) on Alibaba’s Tmall Global website. Participating labels include Teddy Smith, IKKS, Ateliers de la Maille, Ollygan and Bensimon.
Labels Prêt pour Partir, Nathalie Chaize, Groupe Mado, Mât de Misaine, Urbahia, Daniel Faret, Zyga Lin’n Laundry, Les Petites Bombes, Lab Dip, Europann and Rica Lewis will also take part in the initiative. They will all be featured on a website that claims it draws 439 million active Chinese customers per year. The market is expected to grow even further, given that only 50% of Chinese consumers currently have internet access.
The online ’boutique’ will be launched next March, with the support of DEFI. The brands featured on ‘French Boutique’ will be assisted locally by the FFPAPF’s Chinese office, established at the end of 2015 in Hangzhou, also home to the Alibaba Group‘s headquarters.
FFPAPF President Pierre-François Le Louët underlined how the objective is to introduce a “French multi-brand” presence, presenting Chinese consumers with “the best that French ready-to-wear [labels] can offer.” “The FFPAPF has carried out research work to simplify logistics, and handling social media presence,” said Marion Bayle, Asia business representative for IKKS, which established a foothold in China five years ago through a local partner. The French label is planning to expand internationally, and the initiative is expected to allow IKKS to learn more about its Chinese customers through the information on consumer preferences yielded by the online presence.