LONDON — The Chinese government’s crackdown on tech giants’ monopolistic behaviors has finally allowed luxury players to not pick a side, and instead have a full presence across all major platforms. As evidence of this, Thom Browne , now owned by Ermenegildo Zegna Group, launched its official online flagship store on Alibaba’s business-to-consumer platform Tmall on Friday. The brand said the Tmall store will concentrate on delivering diversified fashion ideas and providing customers with a comprehensive online shopping experience. It carries a selected range of fashion products including ready-to-wear, bags, footwear and accessories. While the brand has built up a sizable retail network across China over the years — including flagship stores in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Chengdu, as well as retail presences in Hangzhou, Nanjing, Changsha, Qingdao, Xiamen and Ningbo — the nation’s fashion consumers previously could purchase directly from the brand only via its Chinese official website or WeChat mini-program. Rodrigo Bazan, chief executive officer of Thom Browne, said, “In such a vast country, Tmall will perfectly complement our direct-to-consumer capabilities allowing us to reach a much wider audience of Thom Browne fans. We worked hard to ensure an elevated presence with regards to product presentation and customer service, and we look forward to continuing and strengthening the already strong relationship with the Chinese consumers.” The brand also revealed plans to introduce capsule collections or special activities for Tmall in the near future. Earlier this year, Thom Browne collaborated with Chinese photographer Leslie Zhang to produce a series of images to promote the brand’s Chinese New Year capsule.
