Page 20 - March #170

Embracing the

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Perry Ellis International is a global fashion house that represents
an impressive and diverse portfolio of lifestyle, heritage and
licensed brands. For this article, RLI sat down with Oscar
Feldenkreis, CEO & President of the company to discuss the
evolution of the organisation and its continuing growth across
multiple markets.

Perry Ellis America

he key objective for Perry Ellis International (PEI) is to build stores in India later this year through a new license partnership with
brand value through innovation in product design and new shop-in-shops across wholesale channels following shortly afterwards,”
Tbusiness development, and licensing is one of the most powerful explains Feldenkreis.
components of their corporate strategy. Licensing allows the company When discussing standout brands, Oscar explains that Perry Ellis
to expand the overall brand lifestyle, as they seek new partnerships that America is enjoying a recent resurgence following its relaunch during
o er natural brand product extensions resulting in growth opportunities New York Men’s Fashion Week in the US. He goes on to say that
that reach new audiences and increase brand awareness. this reboot of a true American sportswear brand with an urban
“Headquartered in the US, our brands are distributed globally twist appeals to a new younger generation of athleisure logo loving
and available in every market within Europe which accounts to 43 customers which will resonate globally.
countries,” says Oscar Feldenkreis, CEO & President of Perry Ellis As a global organisation, PEI has the ability to look at di erent
International. “We are present within every market in the Middle East, markets and is able to be nimble and agile, shifting and changing where
as well as South Africa and India. There are also new opportunities and when it is required. The diversification of their customer base
throughout the rest of Africa, where we are entering with Nike Swim. across every channel of retail distribution from luxury to mass enables
From a licensing standpoint, we currently have 145 active licensees in them to sell across the gamut.
approximately 70 territories around the world.” Because of Covid-19 the company has seen a large change in the
In the coming months, focus will be put on expansion in Greater channel mix. Brick and mortar remains the largest part of the business,
China, South Korea, India, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Latin and South but the growth in online shopping was remarkable whilst Covid-
America and all territories throughout EMEA. restrictions were in place and the propensity to shop online accelerated.
New Gotcha stores will be launching across EMEA this year, with “For us this was good news as it opened up weighted distribution in
two in Dubai, UAE and one in Bordeaux, France and these will be a market, we are not limited by non-elastic shelves and can better tell
launched by existing licence partner Kennek FZE. Additional expansion our brand stories in front of shoppers. It has also meant that we look
will see the brand land in locations such as Bahrain and Qatar. to curate our collection more often as opposed to dropping it all at
“We will also be looking to expand brands such as Perry Ellis in once,” Feldenkreis comments.
Middle Eastern territories and we are adding Perry Ellis standalone Adopting a strategic and holistic approach to the marketing strategy of
18 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL MARCH 2022