Italy’s Moncler, best known for its puffer jackets, will exclusively debut its “Moncler Genius” collections in China through an online pop-up shop on the Tmall Luxury Pavilion, Alibaba Group’s dedicated luxury shopping platform.
Tmall shoppers can purchase the newest Moncler Palm Angels collection during the pop-up shop’s pre-sales, which start on Thursday and run through Oct. 4, which is when the jackets hit the brand’s physical pop-up stores and website. The pop-up will close on Oct. 14.
Moncler also said it is offering an exclusive collection especially designed for the Luxury Pavilion, entitled The Yellow Capsule, while inviting top members of Tmall’s Pavilion Club to offline events in Beijing and Shanghai. Tmall shoppers will also have access to other previously released collections, including Moncler 1952, Moncler Simone Rocha, Moncler Craig Green, Moncler Noir Kei Ninomiya and Moncler Fragment Hiroshi Fujiwara.
The launch marks the first collaboration between Moncler and Alibaba Group, “a bold step for the brand’s retail expansion into the digital sphere,” Moncler said in a statement.
“Digitalization opened a new era, and luxury brands are adapting to changing shopping habits, as the sector attracts younger consumers who are constantly seeking eye-catching new items,” said Remo Ruffini, chairman and CEO of Moncler. “I think China is our biggest digital challenge for the next years, and I am happy to partner with Tmall to offer customers a great, unique shopping experience through one of the most exciting online pop-ups we have created.”
The French-founded, Italian-based apparel label first unveiled its Moncler Genius project, made up of eight mini-collections, at Milan Fashion Week in February. Each collection enlists a different designer to reinterpret Moncler’s signature down jacket, including fashion names Pierpaolo Piccioli, Simone Rocha, Craig Green and Hiroshi Fujiwara.
In February, Moncler announced a shift to launching products monthly, as brands try to keep up with the increasingly fast pace of the luxury market and stay relevant to younger consumers. The firm said it aims to double its online sales in the next three years, bringing its current 3% of revenues closer to the industry average where e-commerce represents about 9% of total revenue, and is expected to represent 20% to 25% of the market by 2025, according to consultancy firm Bain.
Worldwide sales of luxury goods, worth about $321 billion, are growing at 4% to 5% percent a year until 2020, Bain reported.
Tmall Fashion and Luxury President Jessica Liu said the Tmall Luxury Pavilion platform will help the brand reach China’s millennial, digital-savvy luxury shoppers through innovative and exclusive experiences, such as the virtual pop-up shop.
“We look forward to leveraging our unparalleled technology and consumer insights to effectively engage with Moncler’s consumers both today and into the future,” said Liu.
Speaking on the Moncler Genius project, Tmall Luxury Pavilion’s general manager, Lili Chen, recalled that Moncler’s big reveal of the eight collections in Milan had amazed everyone watching the show. It had “pioneered a new presentation format and redefined a new era for cross-over collaborations,” said Chen, adding that she looks forward to supporting the brand’s first pop-up store on the Luxury Pavilion.
Launched in August last year, the Luxury Pavilion now offers nearly 70 brands, including Burberry, Versace, Moschino, Marni, Tod’s, Giuseppe Zanotti, Qeelin, MCM, La Perla, La Mer, Maserati, LVMH-owned Guerlain, Givenchy, Tag Heuer and Zenith. Products range from apparel and beauty items to watches and luxury cars.
