Samsung's Kuho label to launch in U.S. next spring

Samsung’s C&T Fashion Group is making a move to expand its presence overseas. Its women’s designer brand, Kuho, will be launched in the U.S. market next spring and accelerate its sales efforts.

The fashion industry insiders said on Friday that Samsung C&T will introduce its Kuho label for spring with a presentation during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 14 and begin to sell in the department stores next spring.

Kuho is a women’s apparel brand established in 1997 by fashion designer Jung Kuho. It was acquired by Cheil Industries (the current Samsung C&T) in 2003 and now it has become a major label, recording over 100 billion won (89.52 million U.S. dollars) in yearly sales.

“We believe that the style and lifestyle of Kuho will be a good fit for the U.S. market," Jean Colin, a Samsung vice president for global expansion, said at an interview with fashion-industry trade journal Women’s Wear Daily (WWD). "Kuho has a high potential to really grow in the U.S.”

A global fashion expert, Jean Colin previously worked for Fendi, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, and engaged in the renewal project of Galleria Department Store in Seoul. Samsung C&T’s Fashion Group CEO Lee Seo-Hyun recruited Jean last April and newly created the global expansion team. A special mission of the team is to globalize Korean fashion, a long-cherished desire of CEO Lee.

Lee's global strategies began to bear fruits this year. Jung Wook-jun, senior director and fashion designer of menswear label Juun.J, was invited as the featured designer at the Pitti Uomo show, the world’s most important platform for men’s clothing, in Florence in January for the first time in Korea. It was highlighted by the New York Times and major news outlets.

Neiman Marcus, a high-end department store of the U.S., is reportedly selling Juun.J this coming autumn. Samsung C&T's SPA label 8 Seconds is set to open its first flagship store in Shanghai, China. WWD explained Samsung's global fashion strategy, saying that Lee worked hard to discover Korean designers and introduce them to the world since she joined the company 14 years ago.

김현수기자 kimhs@donga.com