Chinese fashion brand Urban Revivo ramps up store openings in Southeast Asia

China’s Fashion Momentum Group (FMG) has opened its largest Urban Revivo store and the first Benlai store in Southeast Asia in the heart of the newly opened shopping precinct One Bangkok, signaling its bigger goal to increase its market share outside its home market.

“When we entered Thailand, it was similar to when we entered China or other countries,” Leo Li Mingguang, chairman and CEO of Fashion Momentum Group, said in the media conference hosted at One Bangkok.

“What we observed in Thailand is that our business model still holds unique differentiators. Of course, from entering the market until now, our sales performance has already validated that we are able to meet the needs of Thai consumers” 

While the Benlai store spans 1286 square meters with the core concept of “authenticity,” Urban Revivo takes over nearly 3000 square meters across the ground and first floor, revolving around the brand’s concept of openness and diversity.

According to the brand, the store design showcases the coexistence of conflict and harmony by blending history with the future, the city with nature, and fashion with humanity.

The interior features industrial materials, while the striking exterior facade showcases a double-layer gold leaf design and multiple LED screens. An art installation inspired by orchids combines with industrial T-shaped steel, symbolising nature’s resilience in an urban setting.

“When consumers visit our stores, I hope it’s not just about buying clothes. We want them to experience a visual and sensory enjoyment that goes beyond just making a purchase. We aim to create a great shopping space, not just a place where customers buy clothes and leave,” he said.

“We believe the integration of online and offline channels is the key to real success. Since our founding, we have placed significant emphasis on offline channels. We have invested a lot of time and effort into our offline stores, creating unique spaces that integrate artistic creativity.”

Founded in 2006 with the launch of Urban Revivo in Guangzhou, FMG has grown into a major player in Asia’s fashion landscape, going toe-to-toe with established fast fashion brands like Zara and H&M. The group currently operates more than 400 physical stores worldwide.

“From the beginning, we aspired to build a global brand, not just a domestic one. It has always been a major vision and passion of mine and our company to bring our brand from China to the global market. Therefore, we have been committed to internationalising our brand’s image, product management, and overall approach from the early stages,” Li said.

After building a solid presence in its home market for a decade, Urban Revivo launched internationally in Singapore in 2016. After the pandemic, the company accelerated its regional expansion, opening stores in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

While Urban Revivo positions itself as a fast fashion brand, Benlai, launched in 2022, takes a different approach with “slow fashion” by focusing on fabric innovation.

“We envisioned this brand as a revolution in casual wear. It was designed to redefine casual wear by incorporating performance technology and sustainable fabrics,” Li said, adding that while many casual brands mostly use core materials like cotton, linen, and denim to develop their products, Benlai uses technology-driven, eco-friendly functional fabrics to create a new form of casual wear.

“In the past, consumers would typically wear cotton T-shirts and denim jeans on weekends or during vacations. But now, many consumers might choose functional leggings from Lululemon, a Nike performance T-shirt, and running shoes for their casual outfits. This is the new image of casual wear today, and we believe this is the future of casual fashion.”

Opening the first store in Guangzhou with an area of more than 3000 square meters, FMG aims to open between five and 10 stores across Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. It currently has 21 stores globally.

Global ambition

Having established a strong presence in its home market of China, FMG has identified Southeast Asia as a key growth region and is taking a dual-model approach, franchising and direct ownership models.

“In countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, we partner with local top-tier businesses to grow our presence. At the same time, in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, we operate with direct ownership. For us, there is not a significant operational difference between the two, which has proven that both models can work together and expand, helping us achieve our goal of global growth,” Li said.

Building on its success in Southeast Asia, FMG is setting sights on major fashion capitals, including London, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Urban Revivo has signed a lease for its first UK flagship store at 8-12 Neal Street in London’s Covent Garden. Working with real estate advisor Savills, the retailer secured a five-year lease with landlord HIH Invest Neal Street Limited, while Cushman & Wakefield served as the landlord’s advisor.

The three-level store, formerly occupied by Mango, spans 5300 sqft across basement, ground, and first floors.

“In London, we’ve also established a design center to leverage the creativity of global designers. This will help us realise our vision of becoming a truly global brand. We aim to create designs that are more diverse, inclusive, and international, so that consumers around the world can appreciate and love our brand,” the chairman said.

The brand also recently signed a lease for its first US store, which will span 30,000 square feet and be located at 515 Broadway in SoHo, New York City.

“Our first store in New York will open in March, and we will also gradually open stores in London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and other cities,” Li said.

“We hope to fully cover key markets in the Asia-Pacific region within the next two years, including Indonesia, which we haven’t entered yet but plan to enter either this year or next. Our goal is to achieve full coverage of the Asia-Pacific market.”

The group aims to increase Urban Revivo’s store count overseas to more than 200.

“At the same time, we hope our overseas market share will exceed 30 per cent,” he added.

Challenges and uncertainly

Despite FMG’s rapid expansion and success in Asia, entering Western markets presents new challenges and uncertainties that the company must navigate carefully. Li acknowledges these challenges while expressing confidence in the group’s preparation and strategy.

“Entering the European and American markets is a very important strategy. Of course, these markets are much more competitive, and as an Asian brand, entering these countries comes with many uncertainties, including our own uncertainty. However, in order to enter these markets, we have made ample preparations. We have specifically established a European design team within our existing design team.”

The executive said the products in these markets will differ significantly from those in China and Southeast Asia, especially in terms of style, design, and fit.

“Overall, we aim to remain agile, adjusting quickly to the needs of the market. I firmly believe that our over ten years of product development and supply chain capability will enable us to achieve this. We’ve done a lot of preparatory work for entering these markets,” he said.

Fashion Momentum Group is reportedly pursuing a Hong Kong IPO debut, with projections indicating a valuation in excess of US$100 million. The group posted revenue of more than 7 billion yuan this year.

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