São Paulo – RK Denim, a Brazilian premium jeans brand, started being exported to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The brand is owned by designer Renato Kherlakian, the former owner of Zoomp, and shipped its first order to Dubai, which is a fashion hub in the Gulf, approximately thirty days ago. According to an interview given to ANBA by Kherlakian, the trousers will be sold by a store chain named Bugatti.
Contact was made with the owners of the Arab chain in January this year, during the Casa Moda Salon, in São Paulo. A total of 300 women’s and men’s jeans trousers were shipped. Regarding the women’s items, the buyers opted for ‘skinny’ jeans models that highlight the buttocks. For the men’s items, the option was also for tighter, more modern, cigarette jeans. The order comprised 14 women’s and 5 men’s models.
According to Kherlakian, in addition to the Bugatti stores, the brand’s owners also own franchises of other important international brands. There are 14 stores in total. The designer explains that exporting was not part of his plans yet, as the brand was established in early 2009. According to him, however, the product’s impact on the domestic market ended up attracting international buyers as well.
Proof of it is the fact that RK Denim has started exporting to the Russian market as well, as a consequence of its participation in the Casa Moda Salon. The Russians have already placed two orders, according to Kherlakian. In addition to these two targets, there are “flirts” underway with other importers. Kherlakian claims, however, that the Brazilian exchange rate poses a problem to exports, and that competition for price on the international market is fierce.
RK Denim’s production is fully outsourced. The brand has a showroom in Jardins, one of São Paulo’s high-end neighbourhoods, and sells at multi-brand stores. According to information from the company’s website, there are 150 points of sales in Brazil. Even though it is only one year old, the brand was already born with renown on the fashion market as a result of the career of its owner, one of the jeanswear pioneers in Brazil.
A son of Armenians, Kherlakian acquired his taste for the fashion world by influence of his family. His parents used to sell cashmere in São Paulo, and his ancestors even had a warehouse in the United Kingdom, from which the fabric was sold to European countries. In 1974, the designer founded Zoomp, which was a trend in jeans in the 1980. The brand was sold in 2006 due to financial problems, and Kherlakian established RK Denim two and a half years later.
Contact:
RK Denim
Telephone: (+55 11) 3061 1737
Site: www.rkdenim.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
