Mary Katrantzou pursues China expansion with an investment from Yu Capital

To boost its presence in China, London-based womenswear brand Mary Katrantzou has received funding from fashion investor Wendy Yu’s investment fund Yu Capital.

With only two points of sale on the Chinese mainland – in the stores of multi-brand retailer Joyce in Beijing and Shanghai – and one in Hong Kong at On Pedder, the Greek designer firmly believes her brand has expansion potential in China.

Katrantzou and Yu are friends, and the designer believes Yu to be an investor with “a pragmatic and forward-looking vision”.

Daughter of Chinese billionaire Jingyuan Yu, the owner of wooden goods company Mengtian, Wendy Yu attended boarding school in the UK, and as an investor aims to “bridge the economic and cultural gap between China and the rest of the world”, reports Fashion Network.

As well as philanthropic activities, notably with the British Fashion Council, the British Museum and the V&A Museum, she founded Yu Capital in 2015, an investment fund specialising in technology, lifestyle and fashion.

Along with Yu Culture, which aims to enrich the Chinese cultural scene through international projects and partnerships, and Yu Fashion, which has the goal of working with brands and designers to promote creativity, Yu Capital is part of Yu Holdings, a platform launched by Yu this month with the aim of investing US$20 million in emerging businesses this year.

Already Yu Capital has invested in brands such as ASAP54, now Fashion Concierge, a fashion-centered search application, and Bottletop, a British leather goods label.

By becoming a minority shareholder in Mary Katrantzou’s brand, Yu has entered the luxury sector. She says the brand, which has its tenth anniversary this year, owes its fame to its whimsical prints and collaborations with Adidas and Longchamp.