Bruno Magli to launch in China and Japan

Bruno Magli Hong Kong will launch in August as the Italian luxury brand signs partnerships in China and Japan, paving the way for a focussed Asian expansion.

The luxury Italian fashion brand has signed new partnerships in Asia with Sitoy Retailing in China and Bruno Magli Partners in Japan. With these partnerships, coupled with its existing legacy business in South Korea, Bruno Magli believes is is positioned to become one of the leading luxury lifestyle brands in Asia.

Sitoy Retailing will open the first Bruno Magli shop-in-shop in the Sogo department store at Causeway Bay in Hong Kong in August, to be followed by at least 15 mono-branded stores throughout China. In September, Bruno Magli Partners will launch an eCommerce business in Japan, a historic market for Bruno Magli loyalists. Physical stores will start to open from 2017.

“Bruno Magli has a classic Italian heritage with 80 years in luxury and a reputation for unique design and quality craftsmanship” said Andrew Yeung, executive director and head of retailing at Sitoy Group.

“With 55 years in Japan, Bruno Magli has built a brand synonymous with classic styling, quality craftsmanship, and exceptional comfort,” said Kyle Nakamura, president at Bruno Magli Partners.  “As investors, [we] are confident that Bruno Magli will continue to grow as a leading lifestyle brand in the Japanese market.”

The Italian brand plans to launch an “extensive” fall/winter 2016 global advertising campaign, coinciding with the re-launch of Bruno Magli women’s footwear, with actress Lucy Liu as the category’s brand ambassador.

Other new categories set to launch for holiday include men’s tailoring, men’s bags and small leather goods, men’s hosiery, women’s handbags, and men’s and women’s timepieces.

“This is an incredible time for Bruno Magli,” said Cory M Baker, COO of Marquee Brands, parent of Bruno Magli. “As we celebrate the brand’s 80th anniversary, our expansion into China and Japan with these strategic partners will help solidify our global growth with an already loyal customer base.”

Sitoy Group was founded by Michael Yeung in the 1970s and was listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2011. It has been actively developing the Greater China retail market since 2011 for Tuscan’s, a leather goods brand from Italy, with retail outlets in major cities including, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, while simultaneously expanding a select distribution network into secondary and tertiary cities.

Marquee Brands is a brand acquisition, licensing and development company, sponsored by Neuberger Berman Private Equity, which targets high quality brands with strong consumer awareness and long-term growth potential.