Coach, Kate Spade parent strikes strategic alliance with Tmall China

US-based luxury retail company Tapestry has entered into a strategic alliance with Alibaba’s Tmall platform to boost the sale of its Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman products online in China.

The partnership, announced last week, will see Tapestry unveil flagship stores for its suite of luxury brands on Tmall later this month, where it will offer exclusive products and personalized content and services to Chinese shoppers.

The partnership reflects a step forward in Tapestry’s ChinaNext strategy, which aims to grow the company’s China business and gather digital learnings that can be leveraged in other markets.

Currently, less than 20 percent of Tapestry’s revenue comes from China. The company is looking to increase that figure by tapping into Tmall’s active user base of over 750 million shoppers.

“Tapestry is committed to the Chinese market. We have a leadership position in China and all of our brands have a tremendous opportunity for further growth,” Jide Zeitlin, Tapestry CEO and chairman, said in a statement.

“Given Tapestry’s focus on customer experience, creating innovative strategic partnerships with leaders such as Tmall helps us to connect our unique lifestyle brands with the important fashion and digitally savvy Chinese consumer,” he said.

Beyond the new digital flagships, Tapestry is also working with Alibaba on intellectual property rights protection. Coach is a member of the Alibaba Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance and leverages the e-commerce company’s tools, technology and cooperation initiatives to protect its brand.