I.T CEO Sham Kar Wai Discusses the Acquisition of A Bathing Ape, the China Fashion Market, and the Power of E-Commerce
Sham Kar Wai
Founder and Owner of I.T
Profile
Description
Sham Kar Wai is a Chinese retail industry mogul. He is the founder of department store I.T, the chairman of the board of directors of I.T Limited, and the executive director, owner and CEO of privately run investment companies Dynamic Vitality Limited, Effective Convey Limited and 3WH Limited.
Sham Kar Wai founded his department store I.T in collaboration with his brother in Hong Kong in 1988. What began as a small shop in the Causeway Bay district of eventually lead to the boutique stocking brands that were not yet available in Hong Kong. The retail conglomerate quickly garnered a cult following, and was popular among the local youth. Eventually it started to become internationally known in the fashion world in 2002. Wai is considered to have helped redefine fashion retail on a global scale.
With an impressive roster of brands ranging from avant-garde to contemporary and street, I.T carries retail concept brands like Double-Park and Izzue, as well as in-house brands like Chocoolate, b+ab and 5cm.
I.T is also the parent company of several small labels, which are exclusively distributed within China at I.T locations and stand-alone boutiques; this includes Comme des Garçons, Zadig & Voltaire, Ann Demeuelemeester and Gareth Pugh. Wai’s made his first acquisition, of A Bathing Ape, in 2011. In late 2013, Wai opened a joint venture department store with Galleries Lafayette in Beijing.
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