Aspesi to Accelerate Expansion in Asia Pacific With 35 New Points of Sale in Korea by 2026

Luisa Zargani
·3 min read

MILAN — Aspesi is accelerating its expansion in Asia Pacific, planning the opening of 35 points of sale in Korea by 2026. Five new doors will open by the end of the year with Shinsegae, Hyundai and Lotte Department Stores in Seoul and Daegu.

“We were attracted by one of the most influential retail groups, such as Hyundai, for its reputation in the sector but also for its capacity to have an innovative vision of retail,” said Carlos Pellegrini, vice president global sales and marketing at Aspesi. “We have appreciated their understanding of our fundamental values and their ability to offer a very loyal representation of the DNA of the brand to a Korean public that is increasingly more trendsetting and looking for authenticity.”

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The shop-in-shops in Korea will further expansion in the Far East and Asia Pacific, where the brand has already established a strong business in Japan. A 2,153-square-foot flagship opened in Tokyo’s luxury Aoyama district in 2020, further contributing to the brand awareness in the market.

At the same time, fueling the ambition to expand internationally, Aspesi is strengthening its presence in Europe, leveraging the openings at El Corte Inglés in Spain and Portugal, for example, and a new menswear corner at Rinascente in Italy.

While keeping details under wraps, an exclusive capsule with an e-tailer partner is expected in February 2024, as well as marketing alliances with key regional players.

The brand is available in 16 stores around the world and distributed through more than 600 points of sale.

A brand historically connected to art and design, Aspesi will also announce two exclusive lifestyle collaborations and launch a hospitality project next year.

Focused on a very precise look, essential and unfussy, Aspesi is known for its discreet take on urban wear, high-quality wearable pieces with a refined color sensibility and minimal chic design.

Lawrence Steele was named creative director of Aspesi in 2021.

After working at Moschino and Prada and in 1994 launching his namesake line, now discontinued, the American designer landed at Aspesi in 2004 with a job as a creative consultant, which he retained for 13 years until 2017.

Following a stint as associate creative director at Marni, Steele made his debut as creative director of Aspesi with the spring 2022 season.

In May, Aspesi partnered with niche Italian brand Retrosuperfuture for an eyewear capsule, combining both brands’ quintessentially Milanese roots. The capsule comprised two sunglass styles and a jacket.

Retrosuperfuture’s signature Milano sunglasses, inspired by the sleek frames of the ’50s in a black acetate frame, came with a quirky touch, a third eye-shaped enamel in the eyewear’s internal bridge.

Last year, after signing its first license in 2021 with Il Gufo for a childrenswear line, Aspesi continued to expand its product category by signing an agreement with Area B for beachwear.

In 2024, Aspesi will present its first sustainability report. The company is a founding partner of Ethicarei, the first ethical production supply chain made in Italy and guaranteed by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).

The Aspesi store in Hyundai Pangyo.
The Aspesi store in Hyundai Pangyo.

As reported in January, Pellegrini was named to his role, a new one for the company, tasked with strengthening and accelerating its commercial and communication expansion and strategic development.

Pellegrini was previously commercial director of Missoni and has more than 15 years of experience in fashion in executive positions in companies including Karl Lagerfeld.

Alberto Aspesi founded the company in 1969 as a shirt brand. At the end of the ‘70s, he began to create men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections, collaborating with designers including Walter Albini and Franco Moschino.

Italian private equity fund Armònia SGR acquired Aspesi in 2017.

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