Pringle of Scotland will make its debut in Mainland China this month with a new store in Chengdu.

The company is owned by the Hong-Kong-based Fang family and currently maintains several locations in the city. Pringle clothes incorporate such diverse and contemporary elements as knitwear designs, muted sequins, and 3-D printing, using texture and shaping to balance the traditional with the modern.

According to Wilfred Koo, Pringle’s president for Greater China, Chengdu’s large consumer base and prime retail space make it the perfect fit for the brand’s first foray onto the mainland.

“Chengdu is a hot, hot market, and now they have all these new shopping malls,” Koo said in an interview withWomen’s Wear Daily. He also noted that Pringle’s Chengdu presence will draw customers looking for discreet, well-made luxury products with a contemporary flair, and that it will help to “differentiate” the brand’s products on the mainland.

“Chinese consumers are very quick to accept new things, innovation,” Koo said. “We are a 200-year-old brand, but making cutting-edge fashion.”

The brand’s Hong Kong stores already draw large numbers of consumers from the mainland, so the market for Pringle apparel is strong. They also plan to open stores in Beijing and Shanghai later this year, and will expand to 15 to 20 stores across the country within three to five years.

Pringle’s creative director, Massimo Nicosia, relates Pringle’s success to its ability to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing market.

“The recent history and what China is now is about moving fast and moving forward,” Nicosia said. “Belonging to the past, but really embracing the future. This is really the point, for myself as a designer and for Pringle as a brand.”

Source: red-luxury.com