Ozwald Boateng seeks licensees

Ozwald Boateng aims at developing his brand. Bespoke Couture, the trading company owned by the British stylist, has commissioned the Copyright Promotion Licensing Group to select a series of qualified licensees in various product categories: watches, eyewear, footwear, underwear, sportswear, home and desk accessories, women's perfumes, hats, suitcases, and leather goods.

'We have not yet signed any contracts' David Crickmore, managing director of Bespoke, told Fashionmagazine. 'We are looking in various European countries, depending on the type of product. For example, for shoes and eyewear we are oriented towards Italian producers; for watches, we're assessing Swiss companies.'

The development of the Ozwald Boateng designer world will also take place through further expansion of the sales network. Currently the label is distributed in the Uk, some stores in Japan, France, Germany, Hong Kong and the United States, but plans are to land soon in Italy and the Middle East by way of franchising agreements.

'Probably in the future we will also open monobrand boutiques in major cities like New York, Moscow, Paris and Milan', Crickmore concluded. 'We're also hoping that in five years we'll achieve a turnover of 25-30 million pounds sterling, compared to our current billings of 4,5 million pounds sterling.'