South Korea’s popular fashion labels are rushing to enter Europe and America’s prestigious department stores.

According to fashion industry sources on Friday, Fila Korea Ltd., country’s leading shoe and apparel brand, will make its debut at Bloomingdale’s, well-known department store chain in the United States. It will open Fila stores at Bloomingdale’s nine locations in the first half of this year by starting with one in New York on May 1, and launch additional stores at 30 other Bloomingdale’s department stores across the U.S in the latter half of this year.

Fila already operates outlets in Kohl’s and Macy’s – American department stores that carry many budget clothing and fashion item stores but it is the first time for the company to add stores in the luxury department store chain Bloomingdales, the company said. It hopes that its advancement into the America’s prestigious department store will boost its brand awareness in the country.

Meanwhile, other Korean fashion brands are making forays into European fashion market.

Louis Quartorze, Korea’s popular handbag brand opened a store in France’s luxury department store chain Galeries Lafayette. It is located on the first level of the department store’s new building with heavy shopping traffic.

Handsome Co., fashion unit of the nation’s leading retail company Hyundai Department Store Group, opened its men’s apparel “System Homme” in Galeries Lafayette in Paris for the first time as an Asian fashion label. It is also operating a pop-up store of female lineup of "System" for a month in the French department store. The pop-up store is located on the same floor with global fashion names like Kenzo, Isabel Marant, and Carven, and it is the first time for a Korean fashion brand to run a pop-up store in Galeries Lafayette, said the company.

In Great Britain, Samsung C&T Corp. is expanding its presence through its men’s apparel brand “Juun. J.” It opened its Juun.J store in Harrods, a London-based luxury department store well known to be selective about their offerings of brands and items, in 2013 and has operated a pop-up store, temporarily introducing its latest collection, in recent months.

By Kang Da-young

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