Italian premium accessories brand Furla has announced a
number of new store openings across Asia and has unveiled its Spring/Summer
2015 collection, inspired by the art world.
In China, the company has opened a 45sq m branded new-concept shop-in-shop
in Shanghai Pudong airport Terminal 1, operated by Chinese travel retailer
Sunrise Duty Free. The new Furla store opened on August 12 with its Autumn/Winter
2014 collection.
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| New Furla store at Shanghai Pudong airport Terminal 1 |
Said Gerry Munday, global travel retail director: “Asia
remains a key focal region in Furla's Silk Route business development strategy
with China's key locations Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong all seen as vital
locations for outlets both on domestic and travel retail markets.”
Shortly after the Shanghai opening, a 124sq m boutique began
trading in the new Haitang Bay Duty Free shopping complex in Hainan, in
collaboration with China Duty Free Group. The new location officially opened on
September 1, showcasing the Autumn/Winter 14 collection.
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| Furla's boutique at the new Haitang Bay Duty Free mall, Hainan |
“Given its large scale, this boutique is rather unique as it
allows more room to showcase our collections,” said Munday. “Working with China
Duty Free Group has been a very enjoyable experience and we are honoured to
have had the availability of such an extended space. It’s very positive that
the group shows this confidence in Furla’s performance and we share the same
expectation.”
A few weeks later, on September 17, Furla opened a 27sq m dedicated shop-in-shop at Chengdu airport (domestic terminal 2), in
partnership with top travel retailer Dufry Group.
“Chengdu airport is one the busiest airports in terms of
passenger traffic, so we are confident that business here will be excellent for
Furla and will help us to keep on increasing our presence in East Asia,"
said Munday.
Turning to Furla’s overall growth, she added: “Furla’s
travel-retail growth continues to reflect the brand’s increasing domestic
presence globally with turnover increasing by 37% from 2012 to 2013. Since 2010
we have increased the number of doors in travel retail from 33 to 175 in 44
different countries and that number is moving up all the time.”
Spring/Summer 2015 collection
In major product news, Furla has unveiled details of its
Spring/Summer 2015 collection, inspired by the synthesis between art and style.
“It's an energetic, playful collection that takes inspiration from the neo-pop,
a post-modern vision of pop-art, playing with many different techniques and
materials,” explained the firm.
The collection features urban graphism, with splashes of
paint on leather or rubber, the use of resins and cartoon-like colour matches
in metal accessories and details. The palette is also strongly connected to the
art world, combining vibrant primary tones with sweet and playful colours,
strongly contrasting with neutrals. “The result: a collection in which every Furla
bag is an ultra-modern piece of art,” it said.
Totes continue to be a dominant theme throughout with new
drawstring shapes, hand-woven seasonal offers and perforated, foldable styles.
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| Furla Candy bag Spring/Summer 2015 |
For 2015, Furla also continues to develop its men’s offer
with a globally focused collection.
For women, the Basic collection sees a new key item, the
satchel, with front exterior pocket, side snaps to widen the gusset, detachable
shoulder strap and added skus in Saffiano leather. Light business totes with
top zip compartment, drawstrings in two sizes with pouches attached to the
inside, and easy over-the-shoulder totes with micro-suede lining, are all
offered in fresh colour palettes and come with sleek hardware design, new Furla
charm branding and restyled elevated details.
The Premium line centres on strong colour blocking for
visual, on-trend impact, along with elevated construction and hardware, clean
lines and sophisticated shapes. New shapes include smaller totes with
detachable shoulder strap; perforated satchels with distinct patterns;
sophisticated hobos; and a cross-body mini-satchel.
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| Furla Spring/Summer 2015 |
In the Icon line, the Alice bag continues with new seasonal
colours such as Emerald, Ocean and Sunny plus an added cross-body style, while
other lines include new tote and drawstring functionality; expandable sides;
interior woven pockets for an element of surprise; and material combinations
such as Vitello Pop Star front, Suede sides and Cervo back.
The Fashion line-up spans small bags and pochettes. A
new Pop theme comes to life with hand-painted totes, all individually numbered, while a backpack becomes a key item.
Stud versions build on a rock theme, further explored with hand-sewn chain
detail. The Metropolis bag features an animated cartoon
look with a novelty mini cross-body style and colour-block closures that bring
personality to the line. It also has a piping detail.
Colourful Candy
Colourful Candy
The Candy bag continues to develop its colourful, fun, gomma gel look. This season sees a Candy Sweetie mini
cross-body in multiple colourways. Highlights are the hand-painted Candy
Satchel where each sku is unique and numbered; and the new Bubbles creative
concept with 3D resin bubbles on the exterior. Candy Cartoon brings
the Vanilla line to life with a cartoon-animated theme and quirky colour-block
locks.
For men, the SS15 Uomo offer sees a new global assortment
with improved branding, improved price positioning and elevated quality. With
every piece made in Italy, each item
features a personalised zipper-pull, symbolising the key to success. Materials
include Cervo, Saffiano, double leather Cervo/Saffiano, printed leather in
Tropical Camouflage, and high-resistance nylon. The colour palette allows men to be on trend with royal
blue, turquoise, taupe, grey, black and a Tropical Leaves camouflage print in tones
of blue or taupe.
The Lifestyle collection has a strong emphasis on accessories
such as shoes, eyewear, watches, textiles and jewellery. The collection will initially be offered through domestic markets, with travel
retail set to follow in time.
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| Elisabetta Canalis wears Furla sunglasses at Milan Fashion Week |
Celebrity spotting
Meanwhile, in celebrity news from the brand, Italian actress
Elisabetta Canalis was spotted wearing Furla sunglasses during her appearance
at Milan Fashion Week in September, following her wedding with Brian Perri.
Canalis chose a round frame in warm shades of stucco and
tortoiseshell brown with gradient lenses, which the company describes as a
sophisticated, retro-inspired design embellished with luminous crystal details
at the temples.
