Charles & Keith

CHARLES & KEITH is a fast fashion brand specializing in ladies footwear and accessories. It was founded in 1996 by brothers Charles and Keith Wong, under the CHARLES & KEITH Group which also owns the brands CHARLES & KEITH Signature Label and Pedro.

From beginnings in 1996 at a 500 square feet store in Amara Shopping Centre Singapore, CHARLES & KEITH has made significant growth over the years. Since its launch in 1996, CHARLES & KEITH has been churning out ladies accessories and footwear. To date, its retail presence spans a wide variety of countries from Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe, and its online store  ships to over 70 different destinations around the globe.

Origins and history
The first CHARLES & KEITH store was opened in 1996 in Amara Shopping Centre, Singapore. Within three years of its first store opening, CHARLES & KEITH expanded to a total of 10 stores located island-wide.

Seeing the potential for further expansion, CHARLES & KEITH embarked on its venture into the international market with the first store opening in Indonesia in 1998, followed by the Philippines during 2001.

In 2004, CHARLES & KEITH expanded out of Asia into the Middle East when it opened a store in Dubai. Since then, it continued to steadily expand into new markets across Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe over the next 10 years.

In 2010, the brand stepped into the Greater China market.

In 2011, CHARLES & KEITH sold a 20 per cent stake to L Capital Asia, the private equity arm of LVMH, for a figure that is reportedly over S$30 million.

On April 6, 2013, CHARLES & KEITH entered the Japanese market with a flagship in one of the most outstanding shopping areas in the world Harajuku, Tokyo CHARLES & KEITH extended their presence in Yokohama and Osaka shortly after.

CHARLES & KEITH stores are company-owned, except where local legislation forbids foreigner-owned businesses; in those cases, CHARLES & KEITH franchises the stores and through joint-venture.

 CHARLES & KEITH SIGNATURE LABEL

In 2007, CHARLES & KEITH launched two major lines- the CHARLES & KEITH SIGNATURE LABEL, as well as its handbags & accessories collection. The CHARLES & KEITH SIGNATURE LABEL provides a more expensive option.

Manufacturing and distribution
CHARLES & KEITH adopts a vertically integrated distribution structure, consisting of Shipping and Logistics teams which ensure an annual distribution of over 5 million units worldwide. Production takes place in the Brand's self-owned factories in China and Malaysia.

Design and development
Having over 70 design and development staff, CHARLES & KEITH produces over 750 footwear designs and 300 bags and accessories designs annually.

Global stores
CHARLES & KEITH has retail presence in the following countries:

Asia
 * Armenia
 * Azerbaijan
 * Brunei
 * China
 * Georgia
 * India
 * Indonesia
 * Japan
 * Kazakhstan
 * Macau
 * Malaysia
 * Myanmar
 * Pakistan
 * Philippines
 * Singapore
 * South Korea
 * Sri Lanka
 * Thailand
 * Vietnam

Middle East
 * Bahrain
 * Egypt
 * Iran
 * Jordan
 * Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
 * Kuwait
 * Lebanon
 * Oman
 * Qatar
 * United Arab Emirates

Africa
 * Morocco
 * South Africa

Europe
 * Cyprus
 * Turkey

Online store
CHARLES & KEITH had its first online store in 2004, serving as an official CHARLES & KEITH Online Store. It was re-launched on 11 November 2011, and caters to both Singapore and international orders. Currently, it ships to over 70 destinations worldwide, mostly in countries that do not have a CHARLES & KEITH retail presence and it extended the service to Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, South Africa and Thailand. The simple website allows shoppers to filter a search by sizes, colours, materials, prices, etc. Shoppers can view products in precise details from different angles and use the zooming feature to get an exceptional close-up look at the details of each item.