 Marly’s first boutique in Korea is located in AK Plaza, Bundang. |
By Cathy Rose A. GarciaMarly’s Group, an Italian fashion company, is hoping its diverse collection of ready-to-wear luxury brands, such as high-end Marly’s and Carlo Pignatelli, and youthful Marly’s 1981 and Kathleen Madden will appeal to fashionable Korean women.
Marly’s opened its first multi-shop in Korea at the AK Plaza, Bundang last September, and there are already plans to open two or three more boutiques at Hyundai and Shinsegae department stores in Seoul by early next year.
Marly’s might not be a familiar brand name for Korean women, but the company is known for its excellent and high quality designs in Italy.
The company was founded in by Ines Lagnerini and Rosalina Volpiana in 1948, and is now helmed by Paolo Bastianello. In recent years, the brand has been expanding in Italy, Russia and other parts of Europe, as well as China, Japan and Taiwan. Marly’s opened a shop at the famous Gum department store in Moscow’s Red Square last year, and a second one is expected to open in 2011.
``Marly’s has always been interested in Korea. They recently launched in China, and they were looking for another market. Korea is very competitive and attractive as a fashion market, but they’re confident about Marly’s success here,’’ Kim Sae-hyun, planning chief for S.C. Studio, told The Korea Times, Monday. S.C. Studio is the official distributor for Marly’s in Korea.
Marly’s collections are characterized by elegance, femininity, quality and comfort, which will appeal to women of all ages. Variety is also a main selling point, because every season over 4,000 pieces are introduced in the different labels under the brand. This ensures that customers can come back to the store as often as they wish and they can find something new each time.
Kim said the shop focuses mainly on promoting Marly’s 1981 and Kathleen Madden because of its modern and chic style that caters to women in their 20s and 30s.
The ``image brands’’ Marly’s and Carlo Pignatelli may appeal to women in their 40s and 50s, perhaps because of their higher price. While prices for jackets start at one million won at Kathleen Madden, Marly’s coats start at three million won.
``Mothers and daughters can shop together and they can wear the clothes well. We noticed some of the women in their 50s and 60s want youthful clothes too... There was one dress with a zipper front from Kathleen Madden that we thought young women would like to wear to clubs, but the entire stock was sold to women over 50,’’ Kim said.
Another unique aspect about Marly’s is that items from its different labels are complementary and can be mixed and matched, without clashing colors or styles. ``We want to offer real Italian and European designs to Korean women, not just the basic and safe designs that other luxury brands usually bring to Korea,’’ Kim said.
The Italian company is expected to go head-to-head with well-known luxury designer brands like Chloe, Max Mara and Loewe in the highly competitive Korean market.
But Kim feels that Korean women will be attracted to the top-notch quality of Marly’s designs, which are comparable to other luxury brands. For example, Marley’s 1981 is designed by Alfredo Magliola, a designer with years of experience working for Valentino, Gucci, Max Mara and Missoni.
In fact, the company is also an original design manufacturer (ODM) for top Italian brands Versace and Dolce & Gabbana. As an ODM, Marly’s designs and manufactures products that are sold under brands of another firm.
Marly’s also puts priority on exceptional service for its clients. If a customer’s size is not available in Korea, the item in the right size can be shipped overnight from any of the Marly’s shops in Italy and delivered to the customer directly.
``We are focusing on making Marly’s known for its good quality. We believe Marly’s, with its excellent service and wide range of styles, will attract many Korean women,’’ Kim said.
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