Roots Taiwan 100 collection launched
Write:
Quinlan [2011-09-02]
As part of its great success in Asia, Roots officially launched a special collection in honour of Taiwan's 100th anniversary celebrations. Roots Co-Founder Michael Budman took part in a press conference and fashion show in Taipei to unveil the line of custom designed apparel based on the colours and flag of Taiwan.
The Roots Taiwan 100 collection kick off took place at the Westin Taipei hotel with a media event, fashion show and VIP reception. An extensive advertising campaign created intense anticipation ahead of the launch. It was featured in Taiwanese editions of GQ, Elle and Vogue magazines, on billboards and on the sides of Taipei city buses. Amid a huge media presence at the event, Asian celebrity TV personality Patty Hou presented the new collection. Also in attendance was Brendan Murphy, Deputy Director of the Canadian Trade Office in Tapei.
This is the first time Roots has created such a project in Asia where the Canadian brand has become increasingly popular in recent years. In Taiwan, Roots is by far the most successful Canadian lifestyle brand, operating 41 stores, with another five opening in 2011. Roots has a near-ubiquitous presence in the country with its distinctive sweatshirts a particularly common sight, worn by Taiwanese of all ages.
The new collection also coincides with the launch of ecommerce for customers in Taiwan, which initially will offer the centennial products, followed by the rest of Roots merchandise in the coming months.
The centennial collection is made up of premium products featuring custom labels and gold-plated zippers. It includes a T-shirt, sweatshirt, sweatpant, polo, track jacket and kids line. A custom Village Pack, passport holder and flag pouch were also designed for the occasion. The collection, which is accompanied by commemorative reusable shopping bags and a custom, gift-with-purchase umbrella, arrives in stores in September.
"Given how the Taiwanese have so warmly embraced Roots, making it one of the top brands in Taiwan, we wanted to show our appreciation by doing something special for this historic anniversary," says Michael Budman, who has previously been to Asia several times with fellow co-founder Don Green. "We're thrilled to be showcasing Taiwan on our clothing and leather products and hope this will become an annual collection similar to our Canada Day campaign back at home."
During his current visit, Michael is also exploring other opportunities for future Roots expansion in Asia. As part of the process, he will be meeting with Roots' Hong-Kong-based Asian partners Li & Fung Limited.
Taiwan, which makes up 99 per cent of the Republic of China, is home to 23 million people. It celebrates its national day on October 10.