BRAND PROFILE

“Dressing brings the joy of freedom, self-expression, and the ability to move through the world with self confidence” – Charles & Keith Wong

 

Established in 1996, CHARLES & KEITH is a Singaporean fashion label that creates collections – shoes, bags, eyewear, accessories and costume jewellery – that enhance life and work. From a single footwear shop in the suburbs to an international network offering memorable retail experiences both in physical stores and online, CHARLES & KEITH’s humble beginnings are a testament to its challenger spirit, which has put Singapore on the map as a place of originality and creativity.

 

CHARLES & KEITH celebrates the joy of fashion and embraces its natural duality: Asian & Global. Night & Day. Work & Play.

 

To embrace our Asian roots while building a global brand that is self-assured and empowering, so as to inspire confidence in all women.

 

To unlock an aspirational brand experience that remains accessible, never compromising on creativity and challenging the convention that fashion is for the few.

 

Singapore-born entrepreneurs, Charles and Keith Wong, established their namesake label in 1996 with the vision of harnessing the transformative power of fashion to inspire women around the world to unleash their creativity and confidence. The brothers opened their first retail store at Amara Shopping Centre in central Singapore.

 

Having grown up helping their parents run a humble footwear shop in suburban Ang Mo Kio, they were no strangers to the trade. Since their early teens, both Charles and Keith worked closely alongside their mother, who managed day-to-day operations of the family’s store. Inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit and resilience, they challenged themselves to take the business further: They set out to create their own brand, with ambitions to set it apart from the competition. After learning their customers’ preferences, they took a leap of faith by shifting away from the traditional model of selling shoes. Instead of obtaining their products from wholesale partners, CHARLES & KEITH started to offer original designs. This novel business strategy was pivotal to the brand’s success and subsequent rapid expansion across Singapore and shortly after, the rest of Asia.

 

In 2004, CHARLES & KEITH expanded its retail presence with the launch of its e-commerce website. In 2011, L Capital Asia LLC, a private equity firm linked to LVMH, was invited to take a minority stake in CHARLES & KEITH group. Leveraging on this strategic investor, CHARLES & KEITH successfully launched the brand in China. Today, CHARLES & KEITH is fully owned by the Wong family and has an established retail presence of nearly 700 stores in over 30 countries, with a strong foothold in the Asia Pacific and Middle East. Flagship stores opened in key fashion cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Dubai. The brand is also available online — CHARLESKEITH.COM ships to nearly 60 markets worldwide, including Australia, Europe and the United States of America.

 

With a deep-seated belief in social and environmental responsibility, CHARLES & KEITH has partnered with international organisations such as UN Women, Dress for Success, The Asia Foundation, Save The Children, UNICEF, Red Cross, WWF and Plastic Bank. The brand also works closely with The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), The Leather Working Group and The Textile Exchange to ensure that it adopts an increasingly sustainable approach in all aspects of the business.