Alexander McQueen opens Tmall Pavilion store

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 2, 2019

British designer label Alexander McQueen has soft-launched an e-store on the luxury Tmall Pavilion platform. It will be the first directly-operated Chinese e-store for the Kering-owned brand, which means the company will have full creative control over its look and feel, Tmall Pavilion said.

Online is increasingly important for the luxury sector even though high-end labels have been fairly late to the party with a heavier focus on their physical store networks. 

McQueen has 73 directly-operated physical boutiques globally, as well as as a number of international franchised stores, and the giant Chinese market is a key focus for its expansion activities. In addition to the Tmall Pavilion debut, the label is also set to open stores in Shanghai and Hong Kong this year.

The official launch of its Tmall presence will be on April 16 and will follow other Kering-owned properties with Hong Kong-based jeweller Qeelin and Italy’s Bottega Veneta also operating storefronts on the site.

The McQueen debut will add to a strengthening luxury offer for Tmall that currently includes over 100 prestige brands across fashion, beauty and watches/jewellery, such as Valentino, Versace, Givenchy, La Mer and Guerlain.

Tmall said its Pavilion offer is key for helping brands create a luxury environment online and in reaching the younger consumers who are crucial to success in the country, especially in smaller cities and rural areas where they’re less likely to have access to the brand’s stores.