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Local Retail Brand Bite Dust

Pinkieslut

Alfrescian
Loyal
The last Raoul Singapore boutique has closed its doors as creator FJ Benjamin decides to focus on wholesaling.

Raoul, positioned as an affordable luxury brand, began life as a menswear brand back in 2002 before expanding into women’s fashion – because women shoppers were buying smaller sized men’s shirts to wear themselves.

At one point, it had boutiques as far afield as Melbourne and London and became a beacon for the Singapore fashion industry in a market dominated by European fashion labels.

Raoul closed its Paragon store on Orchard Rd in February, unwilling to pay the rents demanded.

The founding premise

When your business model is built around retailing products designed by others – as FJ Benjamin has for more than 50 years – your fortunes rise and fall with those brands and the head office decisions in other countries. That was a major part of the motivation to launch Raoul, which met with success very quickly.

Over its first 50 years, FJ Benjamin held Singapore or regional rights to brands as diverse as Gucci, Gap, Manchester United, La Senza, Fendi, Goyard, Celine, Givenchy, Banana Republic, La Perla, Naomi Campbell, Valentino, Nautica, Victorinox and Rado. But after the financial crisis, it pulled back from high end labels to focus more on lifestyle brands.

“In business you have to be nimble. We thought ‘OK, lifestyle has done well for us. Let’s continue’,” Douglas Benjamin, the company’s COO, told a presentation attended by Inside Retail Asia back in 2010.

The Raoul brand was conceived on a trip by Benjamin to London.

“The company had always been franchising and representing brands from other companies. My father was a strong believer we needed to have our own brand. In 2003 we bought some shirts from some expensive stores and after three to four months I was wearing shirt and the cuffs were fraying, buttons coming off.”

What if they could produce shirts that looked as high in quality, but actually lasted?

“We decided to develop a men’s shirt label. We’d get the best quality material and make it in Asia and if you give a man a choice, he will buy.”

So Raoul – the French name for Ralph – was launched through stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The first store combining both ranges opened its doors in 2007 and a flagship in the classic Paragon shopping centre on Orchard Rd in 2009. Later, stores would follow in Mainland China and the Middle East.

Raoul is by no means finished despite the closure of the Singapore stores. A concession continues to trade at Robinsons department store on Orchard Rd and the company will now concentrate on wholesaling with a particular focus on the US, UK and Middle East. Among the UK stockists of Raoul are Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Liberty of London. Saks and Neiman Marcus in the US and KaDeWe in Germany also stock Raoul, further underlining the brand’s fashion cachet.

Despite its high profile globally, Singapore seemingly cannot sustain a flagship store. As a saddened fashion designer Sabrina Goh of fellow home-grown brand Elohim By Sabrina Goh told the Straits Times this week: “Raoul has always been seen as a sound brand with years of industry experience, and financial and production clout. It really just illustrates how tough the current Singapore retail market is.”
 

jw5

Moderator
Moderator
Loyal
The last Raoul Singapore boutique has closed its doors as creator FJ Benjamin decides to focus on wholesaling.

Raoul, positioned as an affordable luxury brand, began life as a menswear brand back in 2002 before expanding into women’s fashion – because women shoppers were buying smaller sized men’s shirts to wear themselves.

At one point, it had boutiques as far afield as Melbourne and London and became a beacon for the Singapore fashion industry in a market dominated by European fashion labels.

Raoul closed its Paragon store on Orchard Rd in February, unwilling to pay the rents demanded.

This is what happens when an "affordable luxury brand" opens an outlet at paragon. :wink:
 

JohnTan

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Bought their shirts before. At close to $200 a shirt, it is hardly a premium brand. But the quality is rather good.

Why would an office shirt cost $200? It's hardly affordable to most and it is certainly not value-for-money. My most expensive office shirts cost around $80.
 

congo9

Alfrescian
Loyal
Why would an office shirt cost $200? It's hardly affordable to most and it is certainly not value-for-money. My most expensive office shirts cost around $80.

Premium business shirt pants or not , it should not be hanging at the wardrobe for more then 3 months. You should consider chucking it aside after 3 months.

It becomes old and worn out. The color, shine and the fashion fade away .
 

Narong Wongwan

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
from salvation army?

Hahaha that's a good one.
I din know Raoul was local....their clothes pretty good. I thot they were some kind of male version of Zara.

I remembered back then got one local brand sports shoes that came out of nowhere.....Ogaan or something.....very popular and giving then new IT brand reebok a run for its money.
Buoyed by its success the papers did a story about the brand and its shoes....when everyone found out it was local.....the brand went downhill and closed shop soon. Even the boss later lamented giving that interview
 

JHolmesJr

Alfrescian
Loyal
Why would an office shirt cost $200? It's hardly affordable to most and it is certainly not value-for-money. My most expensive office shirts cost around $80.

I always figured u were a G2000 man....im afraid that wont get you very far....be like me...i only visit cyc at the raffles....they pour me a cup of lapsong souchong tea while i browse the swatches of 140 count sea island cotton.
 

krafty

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
I always figured u were a G2000 man....im afraid that wont get you very far....be like me...i only visit cyc at the raffles....they pour me a cup of lapsong souchong tea while i browse the swatches of 140 count sea island cotton.

i am very brit when it comes to office wear, i am a fanboy of marks & spencer.
 

krafty

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
the office wear are normal, they have this collection under italian designer label "Collezione", very got the mama mia flair.:o
 

Bonut

Alfrescian
Loyal
charles & keith seems to be doing very well. what's their secret?

Their secret, like many CMI models and actresses, is to have a sugar daddy. Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy owns 20% stake in Charles & Keith. LVmH has massive distribution channels across the globe.

Another secret is to have your product OEM in China to exploit the Chinese workers. The litmus test as to whether your company is maximizing the labour costs in China is to calculate the number of workers jumping off your factory per year.
 

Narong Wongwan

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Their secret, like many CMI models and actresses, is to have a sugar daddy. Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy owns 20% stake in Charles & Keith. LVmH has massive distribution channels across the globe.

Another secret is to have your product OEM in China to exploit the Chinese workers. The litmus test as to whether your company is maximizing the labour costs in China is to calculate the number of workers jumping off your factory per year.

C&K also exploit prison labour.....I worked for them when I was under tagging then. Ccb $400 salary only.
In Thailand this brand very popular selling more ex than Sg.
CB my thai gfs never understand why I boycott this brand
 

scroobal

Alfrescian
Loyal
C&K was successful for years before LVmH came along. They began in 1996, had 230 stores internationally before LVmH bought a 20% stake in 2011. LVmH will not invest in something that does not have a track record and a future. The 3 brothers still run the show.

Their secret, like many CMI models and actresses, is to have a sugar daddy. Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy owns 20% stake in Charles & Keith. LVmH has massive distribution channels across the globe.

Another secret is to have your product OEM in China to exploit the Chinese workers. The litmus test as to whether your company is maximizing the labour costs in China is to calculate the number of workers jumping off your factory per year.
 

shittypore

Alfrescian
Loyal
Why would an office shirt cost $200? It's hardly affordable to most and it is certainly not value-for-money. My most expensive office shirts cost around $80.

Even if you wear a $500 shirt no one wud believe it, grasslooter usually shop at Pasar Malam cos the stalls are rented to tos vendors by Cc or the PA. Tell us how much discount u get for purchases u make at these stalls.
 

GoldenDragon

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
C&K was successful for years before LVmH came along. They began in 1996, had 230 stores internationally before LVmH bought a 20% stake in 2011. LVmH will not invest in something that does not have a track record and a future. The 3 brothers still run the show.

Not aware 3 of them. Thought only 2. Their dad is a piece of shit. Ran road many years ago coz of gambling debts. I believe he is a shareholder at golden dragon remittance. Always in people's park with his sunglasses.
 

scroobal

Alfrescian
Loyal
Youngest brother joined them much later. Was not aware of the father. Company heavily courted by our Govt as success story since the decline of Creative. Always recommend to foreign dignitaries.

Not aware 3 of them. Thought only 2. Their dad is a piece of shit. Ran road many years ago coz of gambling debts. I believe he is a shareholder at golden dragon remittance. Always in people's park with his sunglasses.
 
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