Charles & Keith

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Charles & Keith Pte. Ltd.
TypePrivate
IndustryFashion
Founded1996; 26 years ago (1996)
FoundersCharles & Keith Wong
Headquarters6 Tai Seng Link, Singapore 534101,
Singapore
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Charles Wong (Founder)
Keith Wong (Founder & Chief Executive)
Fong Shee Beng (Executive Director)
Websitecharleskeith.com

Charles & Keith Pte. Ltd., styled as CHARLES & KEITH and also known as C&K, is a Singaporean fashion house and luxury goods company founded in 1996. Based in Singapore, the brand has a global footprint, operating more than 600 stores worldwide across 37 countries.[1][2]

History[]

Founding[]

The company started out in 1990, when Charles and his younger brother Keith worked at their parents shoe store in the Ang Mo Kio district of Singapore. They had wanted to learn the ropes of managing a shoe business[3] before subsequently opening their first store in 1996 at Amara Shopping Centre (now known as the 100 AM).[1]

Charles & Keith adopted a new business model for their label because they observed that the traditional model of selling shoes purchased from wholesale suppliers was unsustainable.[3] To emerge from intense competition, the company started designing their own shoes in 1997 based on customers' feedback.[4] This strategic move allowed the company to gain greater brand recognition from their target clientele. As the business grew the company cut out the middleman and began working directly with production factories as a unique brand.

Charles & Keith launched Pedro in 2005, which is a line of men's footwear. Their product range was increased in 2007 to include accessories such as belts and sunglasses and higher end products.[3]

Overseas Expansion[]

In 1998, Charles & Keith began to expand their operations overseas beyond Singapore when they ventured into Indonesia and Australia.[5][6]

In 2001, Charles & Keith their first store in the Philippines, where by 2015, they had more than 30 stores around the country.[7] In 2004, the company ventured out of Asia and debuted in the Middle East with a store in Dubai,[8] and another in Saudi Arabia in 2005.[9] In 2011, the brand had over 230 stores across the world mostly based in the Middle East and Asia.[10]

In 2011, LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) invested in a 20 percent stake in the company.[11][12] At the time LVMH stated that they intended to expand Charles & Keith's presence with 40 or 50 new stores across India.[10]

By 2013, Charles & Keith had grown to over 300 stores worldwide, including locations in Africa, and in Japan, Malaysia where they opened a flagship store in Harajuku, Tokyo and also other shops in Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka.[11][13][14] All the stores are company-owned unless local legislation forbids this, in which case the stores are run through a joint-venture arrangement.[9] In 2015, the brand expanded further into Cambodia,[15] Panama as well as the Dominican Republic.

In 2022, Charles & Keith opened its 3rd concept boutique at Kaohsiung E Sky Mall. Spanning 302 sqm, the Kaohsiung location is the brand’s largest in Taiwan. [16]

Online store[]

In 2004, Charles & Keith became one of the first few companies in the world to set up an e-commerce website in an effort to expand its business, allowing the company to offer its products where it did not have a brick and mortar store.[17]

In 2021, Charles & Keith announced that such digitalisation processes were accelerated amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It added that the company now provides distance training for its 7,000 staff members worldwide, as well as hosting online sales presentations to wholesale buyers wherever they are in the world, in contrast to hosting physical wholesale events up to four times a year at its headquarters in Tai Seng.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Boon, Rachael (23 July 2013). "Full control ensures shoe retailer never misses a step". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings Inc. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Store Locator". charleskeith.com. Charles & Keith. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "The world at their feet". The Straits Times. October 22, 2008.
  4. ^ Tan, Jessica (2009-05-01). "The World at Their Feet". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  5. ^ "In Conversation: Charles & Keith CEO Charles Wong". Luxury Insider. July 30, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  6. ^ "2013 Business China Young Achiever Award Recipient" (PDF). Business China. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  7. ^ "Charles & Keith - A Successful Asian Global Fast Fashion Retail Brand". Martin Roll. 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  8. ^ "Charles and Keith opens in Abu Dhabi Mall". AmeInfo.com. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  9. ^ a b Tan, Jessica (1 March 2009). "The World at Their Feet". Forbes. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  10. ^ a b "LVMH invest 25 million dollars in developing Charles & Keith in India". CPP-Luxury.com. CPP Luxury. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  11. ^ a b Yupangco, Arian (28 August 2013). "Why the Louis Vuitton group invested in Charles & Keith". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  12. ^ Chan, Robin (20 March 2011). "Charles & Keith Goes Global With LVMH Tie-Up". Straits Times Indonesia. The Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  13. ^ Kumagai, Nao (4 March 2013). "Singapore Fashion Accessories Brand "Charles & Keith" Opens First Store in Japan in Harajuku this April". Fashion Headline Japan. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  14. ^ Nagata, Kazuaki (30 May 2013). "'Fast fashion' of South Korea, Singapore arrives". The Japan Times. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  15. ^ "Grand Opening Charles & Keith in Cambodia". ភ្នំពេញ ប៉ុស្ដិ៍ (in Khmer). 25 May 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  16. ^ Caldwell, Georgina (2022-01-12). "Charles & Keith opens concept store at Kaohsiung E Sky Mall". Global Cosmetics News. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  17. ^ "In conversation: Charles & Keith CEO Charles Wong". Men’s Folio. July 26, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  18. ^ Tan, Adeline (24 August 2021). "Important for retail sector to digitalise to emerge stronger from pandemic: Gan Kim Yong". straitstimes.com. The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 September 2021.

External links[]

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