Lotte finds women’s fashion from China a fine fit

“Made in China” is no longer a bad thing, and as consumers put a greater emphasis on style and quality, fashion brands from China are hot this summer.

The Chinese women’s wear brand Marisfrolg has seen more than 100 million won ($89,000 won) in sales each month at Lotte Department Store in Sogong-dong, central Seoul.

Lotte said yesterday that brands it introduced for Chinese customers are attracting both local and foreign buyers in the highly competitive women’s fashion market.

The Marisfrolg brand was introduced in November 2011 as Lotte became the first domestic department store to use popular Chinese brands to cater to growing numbers of Chinese shoppers.

Marisfrolg is ranked in the top five fashion brands by sales in China, noted for a stylish European sensibility using natural fabrics imported from Italy, France and Japan.

The brand receives positive responses from not only Chinese tourists, but domestic consumers as it showcases designs that complement the demanding tastes and body types of Korean women.

To piggyback on the success of Marisfrolg, Lotte is opening a pop-up store for the Chinese fashion brand JNBY (Just Naturally Be Yourself), to showcase another high-quality Chinese brand. The pop-up store will be open through Thursday on the second floor of Lotte’s main store in Sogong-dong.

JNBY is a leading Chinese women’s wear brand with 770 stores in China, Europe, and North and South America with annual sales of 220 billion won.

It has five stores in Itaewon, central Seoul, that reportedly attract top Korean celebrities.

The brand features natural materials such as cotton, hemp and wool, an excellent feel and original design.

“The Chinese fashion market is growing by 30 percent every year and brands such as Marisfrolg and Orchirly are especially standing out internationally. We plan to continue excavating various Chinese brands of high quality and introducing them,” said Lee Ji-yeon, women’s fashion product planner at Lotte Department Store.

BY Kim jung-yoon [kjy@joongang.co.kr]