Furla Shanghai flagship opens

Italian leather goods brand Furla China has launched its first flagship store in Shanghai as part of a move to expand its presence on the mainland.

The new Furla Shanghai store is in Citic Square in Nanjing West Rd. As the first duplex design store on the mainland, the flagship has two levels covering 300 sqm, and features women’s and men’s leather collections and accessories, as well as items exclusive to the store.

A feature of the flagship is its 234 sqm LED facade – a first for Furla.

Founded in Bologna in 1927, Furla has a strict made-in-Italy policy for its leather goods. The company had more than 30 per cent growth and strong retail expansion across all regions last year, resulting in 339 million euros (US$377 million) in sales.

In China, the brand has been bucking trends, growing its market sales by more than 60 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

Furla president Giovanna Furlanetto says the opening of the Citic Square flagship marks an important step in the company’s dynamic expansion strategy in China.

A highlight of the opening was the Furla “Made for You” service, with Chinese actress Jiang Shuying designing her own bag, carrying a “Made by Jiang Shuying” tag. The bag was auctioned with the proceeds going to the China Women’s Development Foundation (CWDF), which supports women’s rights and career development.

As well as Shuying, fashion bloggers Elle Lee, Liu Xiao, Peter Xu and Toni attended the opening event, which also featured the launch of Furla’s limited-edition Metropolis bag, which has the themes “Hello Shanghai”, “Love Shanghai” and “Kiss Shanghai”. It has heart-shaped patterns and comes in red, black and pink.

Furla has a presence in 100 countries with 400 single-brand shops on international shopping streets, a distribution network with more than 1000 points of sale, and growing channels in travel retail and eCommerce.