Kenzo, the luxury French fashion brand, has re-entered Thailand with an outlet in Bangkok's Zen Department Store in response to demand from fans.
Kenzo returns to Thailand in Zen Department Store after an almost one-year absence.
It has appointed Central Department Store to become its Thai distributor after the agreement with its previous distributor ended in mid-2012.
Kenzo will be the latest luxury brand under Central's fashion portfolio, joining Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Red Valentino, Vivienne Westwood, Pierre Balmain, K by Karl Lagerfeld, Love Moschino and Just Cavalli.
Pattlika Artharamas, Central's director for imported fashion products, said the first Kenzo shop was opened under a shop-in-shop concept at Zen last week.
A second branch will open in Central Embassy, a luxury shopping complex due to open this year.
More pop-up Kenzo stores will be opened in Central Chidlom, CentralWorld and CentralFestival Phuket.
The Kenzo shop at Zen offers luxury fashion items for men and women.
Pattlika: Luxury brand competition is tight
It has 72 fashion brands from countries including the US, Italy, Britain, France and the Netherlands.
Another two or three brands of luxury and affordable items will be added in the third quarter and another two or three next year.
Demand for fashion brands in Central Department Store grows each year, while some brands have recorded higher-than-expected sales, Ms Pattlika said.
"This is due not only to Thais having more purchasing power but also to the narrowing product price gap between Thailand and places such as Hong Kong," she said.
Many luxury fashion brands are moving into the country, and competition is growing tougher.
To make their brands attractive to customers, brand owners control their prices for the Thai market, meaning they are not much different from other countries.
Some jeans brands offer the same prices as in Hong Kong, while other brands are only 10-15% higher.
Ms Pattlika said Central Department Store is now very well known in international fashion markets after the Central Group expanded its network abroad including in China and acquired two long-established retail projects _ La Rinascente in Italy and Illum in Copenhagen.
More than 20 luxury, affordable luxury and mass market fashion brands have contacted Central to sell their wares here.
"It's good that we will have more alternative fashion products for Thai customers. But we'll be selective by choosing only brands that are different from what's already available here," she said.