LF Officially Launches French Luxury Designer Brand “PATOU” in South Korea
- LVMH’s up-and-coming label introduced to target Millennial and Gen Z buyers looking for luxury brands with new values
- French couture brand founded by Jean Patou, considered in the 20th Century as “the most elegant man in Europe”
LF, the lifestyle culture company, has officially launched a new emerging brand, PATOU, in South Korea, to strengthen its portfolio of imported brands.
LF has finalized a contract to import and sell the luxury goods of PATOU, a young couture brand from France, and will officially begin operating its South Korean business. With the inclusion of PATOU to its roster of prominent fashion labels such as Isabel Marant, Vince, Leonard, Officine Generale, Barbour, and Ba&sh, LF intends to solidify its portfolio of new, foreign new luxury brands, which are favorites of Millennial and Generation Z customers.
PATOU is a French brand that was founded as a fashion house in 1914 by Jean Patou, an enormously talented twenty-three-year-old designer. Jean Patou traveled throughout Europe and America, integrated himself into high society in the 1920s, and was described at that time by American media as the “most elegant man in Europe”. Creative and innovative, Jean Patou astounded the fashion industry by defying social expectations about women’s clothing and designing corset-free dresses and short skirts. He also invented sportswear ahead of his time and created the first monogram using his initials “JP”, making him a legendary designer on par with contemporary rivals Jeanne Lanvin and Gabrielle Chanel.
After his untimely death in 1936, although his fashion house continued to soar through the likes of talented designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Bohan, Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix, it eventually closed in 1987. In 2018, LVMH acquired Jean Patou and revived the brand under the name of PATOU in 2019. Guillaume Henry, who had shown sufficient potential at Givenchy and Carven to be called “Young Saint Laurent”, was appointed Creative Director and re-introduced the ready-to-wear line, reincarnating the brand as a modern, trendy brand with elements of couture.
With Guillaume Henry at the helm, PATOU has rapidly become LVMH’s up-and-coming brand with its distinctive designs, fine details, and long-standing heritage. PATOU’s 2023 FW runway was held in La Samaritaine, one of the three major department stores in France and recent acquisition of LVMH. As this runway was the store’s first since its extensive renovation last year, it generated great interest from the global fashion industry.
A representative from LF’s Import Division commented, “We brought PATOU to Korea to meet the growing needs of South Korean consumers who are looking for luxury brands with new values. PATOU is not only attracting interest in Paris, but around the world. We plan to introduce PATOU’s diverse product lines, which combine both heritage and leading trends, and create a memorable, differentiated brand identity for PATOU.”
Photo Descriptions:
PATOU’s 2023 S/S photoshoot
PATOU’s 2023 FW Runway cut (La Samaritaine)
PATOU logo