Korea's Handsome takes System Paris to Japan, targeting 10 stores by 2030

South Korean fashion group Handsome has signed an exclusive distribution contract for its System Paris label in Japan with a consortium of two Japanese fashion companies, Tatsuno and Urun, the Seoul Economic Daily reported on 1 November.

The plan

• The first store opens at the Hankyu Men’s department store in Tokyo in February.
• The network, centred on department stores in major cities such as Osaka and Nagoya, is to grow to 10 locations by 2030.
• Tatsuno, an importer of European textiles and apparel, will handle local distribution; Urun has run European premium brands including Ermanno Scervino, Peserico and Malo in Japanese department stores.

About the brand

System Paris was spun off from the collections that Handsome’s System and System Homme lines created for overseas markets. It has shown at Paris Fashion Week 16 consecutive times since 2019, opened a permanent store at Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann in January and runs a pop-up at Harrods in London.

Handsome sees Japan as a springboard for Asia: according to the report, it is also reviewing possible entry into China and Southeast Asia while building a global wholesale business around Time Paris and System Paris.