Jacques Roizen (third from left), CEO of Etam China, introduces the concept of French brand Etam's lingerie line.(Photo/Shanghai Daily)
A leader in lingerie, Etam recently opened its first store featuring sexy underwear, sleepwear, legwear and sportwear in China, at Super Brand Mall in Shanghai.
"At Etam, we're experts in lingerie. But not just any lingerie: we offer lingerie that inspires and captures the effortlessly sexy spirit French women are known for," said Marie Schott, CEO of Etam Europe.
"That means lingerie that you find yourself reaching for again and again, that always fits your mood, your outfit and — most importantly — your body."
"With between 2,000 and 3,000 products every fashion season, we are able to deliver the best for women and make them feel joyful and chic. Because for us, lingerie is more than just underwear – it's a way of enhancing self-esteem and sexiness."
Jacques Roizen, CEO of Etam China, said the wide selection of designs Etam is offering is very much in sync with the expectation of the Chinese market.
"Chinese consumers in the past two decades have developed a real taste for new trends. We believe that lingerie is the next frontier in how women think about their appearance, and they will pay more attention to lingerie made outside China," said Roizen.
Etam started in Paris in 1916 as a legwear brand. Now, it is the No.1 lingerie brand in Europe by turnover, with an average of three pieces sold every second.
"We are in the midst of a major facelift for Etam China. What we want is to make a very strong statement about the new type of stores we are going to open. Part of our strategy is obviously lingerie so we are opening our first lingerie-only store in China, which is an exact replica of the stores we have in France," Roizen said.
"Super Brand Mall, being a prestigious mall that is frequented not only by Shanghai residents but also lots of tourists from all over China, is a great place to introduce ourselves to the China market as the lingerie leader in France and Europe," he added.
The new store itself reflects a strong Parisian sensibility, using black and soft pink backdrops to showcase different signature collections. The black section, for instance, displays lace-decorated, sexy lingerie pieces; while the pink section features loungewear, nightwear and accessories.
Currently Etam's Shanghai store features more than 60 percent of the items available in France.
For example, the Glam by Etam collection, now on display in Shanghai, is one of the brand's signature lines. "We did a lot of research and designed the lace in-house. This collection reflects our concept: understated sexy, trendy, with colors in season," said Schott.
Talking about the muse of Etam, Natalia Vodianova, Schott said the supermodel captures the French allure Etam is known for. The mother of four children, a model and creator, Vodianova designs two lingerie collections a year for Etam.
