By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
Samsung Electronics announced a strategic alliance with Giorgio Armani, following LG Electronics' partnership with Prada in marketing Italian-labeled, Korean-manufactured consumer electronics.
Samsung said on Sunday that it will develop a variety of ``fashion'' consumer electronics products such as mobile phones and TVs, founded on the combination of Giorgio Armani's iconic design aesthetic and Samsung's cutting-edge technologies.
The first product from the alliance is a luxury mobile phone, which was unveiled during Giorgio Armani's signature collection fashion show at the Milan Women's Fashion Week on Monday.
The second one will be a flat-screen TV, which will be released in January 2008, Samsung said.
``In fact, we make as much of a personal statement with the mobile phones that we carry or the televisions we have in our living rooms as we do with the shoes and bags we wear or the furnishings we chose to place in our homes,'' said Armani. ``These are all lifestyle decisions, where design and performance are the criteria.''
``This powerful partnership will match great design with leading technology to ensure performance is as impressive as appearance,'' said Yun Jong-yong, chief executive officer of Samsung.
The pairing of fashion houses and mobile phone makers became a new trend this year. LG Electronics partnered with Prada to launch a 1-million-won mobile phone called the Prada Phone, while Dolce & Gabbana produced a limited edition Motorola Razr phones.
The Samsung-Armani phone has the name of the Italian brand on the bottom of the front side where the Samsung logo usually sits. Like the Prada Phone, it is controlled by a large touch-sensitive screen, and is accompanied with a black leather casing.
The 10.5-millimeter thick phone is equipped with a 3-megapixel camera, MP3 music and MPEG-4 video player and a microSD memory chip slot. It will be available in selected mobile phone stores and Giorgio Armani boutiques in major European countries from November 2007, with expansion to other markets planned for 2008.
For further lineups, the two firms said that portable products will be developed for both the signature Giorgio Armani and fashion-forward Emporio Armani brands, while home electronics products will be developed as part of the Armani/Casa home interiors lifestyle.
Samsung is the world's second largest mobile phone seller as of this summer. It surpassed Motorola to become the No. 2 in the second quarter of the year, by shipping 37.4 million units, compared with 35.5 million for Motorola.
Armani is one of the leading fashion goods groups with its products ranging from cloths, accessories, eyewear, watches, jewelry, furniture, fragrances and cosmetics. The Armani Group also plans to expand in the hotel and resort business.