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Kim Jones is taking his signature blend of street and luxury to China.
The British designer, best known for reshaping the look of luxury menswear at Louis Vuitton and Dior and serving as artistic director of Fendi, has been named creative director of Areal, a new high-end urban wear line by Bosideng, one of China’s largest outerwear retailers.
The appointment, confirmed to Fashion Network by Bosideng creative director Pietro Ferragina, signals the company’s growing ambition to position itself as a global brand.
The vision for the new line, which will carry a higher price point, is to offer clothes that fuse Bosideng’s technical outerwear heritage with a high-end, city-centric aesthetic. Ferragina described Areal to Fashion Network as a “capsule” that will be distributed at two pop-ups and 50 stores in China this autumn.
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Shanghai-based Bosideng, known for its down jackets and functional performance gear, reported sales over $3 billion last year and has expanded internationally in the last decade, selling in 72 countries. The brand staged its first show at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month, and previously collaborated with Jean Paul Gaultier in 2019 and 2020.
Learn more:
Why Chinese Brands Excel at Down Jackets
Local fashion designers experimenting with puffers and other down clothing have scored collaborations with outerwear companies like Moncler and attracted the attention of prominent international retailers like H.Lorenzo.
