S.Korean fashion company LF diversifies portfolio with new brand Patou

In a move to expand its range of offerings, South Korean fashion company LF Corp. has introduced a new emerging brand, Patou. As the preferences of millennials and Z generations shift toward foreign luxury brands, LF is making strides to diversify its portfolio by importing promising labels.

LF unveiled on Monday the French designer brand Patou in Korea, adding to its existing roster of over 10 brands, including Isabel Marant, Officine Generale and Barbour.

With Samsung C&T Corp. and Shinsegae International paving the way for foreign brand imports, other companies like Handsome Corp. are actively following suit by importing fashion brands such as Our Legacy and Totem this year.

Patou is a French fashion brand founded by Jean Patou in 1914, who gained fame as a talented designer at the age of 23. Despite the suspension of operations after Patou's untimely death in 1936, the brand was revived under LVMH's ownership in 2018, quickly gaining a reputation as an up-and-coming label in the fashion industry.

Write to Jeong-Cheol Bae at bjc@hankyung.com