CJ ENM launches domestic fashion brand of Barneys New York

CJ ENM Co., South Korea’s entertainment and e-commerce giant, has launched the domestic fashion brand Barneys New York, a luxury department store chain, targeting the country's premium fashion market.

CJ ENM said on Monday it signed an exclusive license agreement last October to run Barneys New York’s domestic fashion business with the American Authentic Brands Group. The US brand management company owns the business rights to Barneys New York.

CJ, the producer and distributor of blockbuster movies and TV dramas, will release the fall/winter collection of Barney New York on Tuesday.

The fall and winter clothes line boasts elegant, sophisticated designs with a focus on outerwear such as trench coats and checkered jackets.

Founded in 1923, Barneys New York introduced high-end European brands to the US and became a fashion trend leader through collaborative products with designers and artists.

In Korea, CJ ENM will also release a limited-edition collection to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Manhattan, N.Y.-based department store, in collaboration with Olympia Zagnoli, an Italian-born illustrator known for her work with luxury brands such as Prada and Dior.

Together with the fall/winter collection, the limited-edition clothes will be introduced to customers at a pop-up store in LF's fashion select shop Raum East in southern Seoul starting on Sept. 5.

They will also be offered via CELEPSHOP, CJ ENM’s fashion platform targeting women between the ages of 35 and 44.

Ahead of its official launch, on August 31 CJ ENM held an event to mark the launch of the fall/winter collection in Garosu-gil, an upscale street in Seoul's Gangnam district with trendy and designer shops.

The CJ Group unit said it will release exclusive products every season under the Barneys New York brand in collaboration with global brands and artists, aimed at Korean fashionistas.

“This collection captures the sensibility and 100-year history of Barneys New York, which led the American fashion industry,” said Hwang Yena, who heads CJ ENM’s new fashion business.

“We will continue to present new trends in the domestic fashion market in collaboration with various artists in the culture and arts world.”

Korea has rapidly emerged as a major luxury goods market thanks to the growing buying power of millennials and Gen Z, as well as the global K-pop and K-drama fan base.

Write to Ji-Yoon Yang at yang@hankyung.com
 

Yeonhee Kim edited this article