Liebeskind Brings Berlin Style to Bandung
Bandung. German handbag and accessories brand Liebeskind officially opened its standalone flagship store at the Paris van Java mall in Bandung, its first boutique in Southeast Asia, after previously gaining popularity through retail distribution in Urban Icon stores across Indonesia.
“When we first introduced Liebeskind in Bandung, we sold our entire stock in under a week without any promotion,” Liebeskind Berlin sales director Michael Stührenberg said in Bandung.
“While sales in other [locations] are strong, we have never seen a product debut quite like what we saw in Bandung.”
Liebeskind first entered the Indonesian market at the end of 2013, distributing its products at selected Urban Icon stores before eventually expanding its reach by distributing to even more Urban Icon stores in the country and through one-off events such as a pop-up store at the Plaza Indonesia mall in Central Jakarta.
“[We chose Bandung] because of the crowd and the taste of its people – we feel like we fell in love at first sight [with the city],” Stührenberg said, adding that Bandung became an obvious choice for Liebeskind due to the many things it had in common with Berlin.
“It has a lot of similar cultural aspects and the young crowd that we have in Berlin. [The people] have a similar vibe – their coolness and their innovation, it strikes us as something that can be very helpful for developing our brand for the entire Indonesian market,” he said.
Like Bandung, Stührenberg said, Berlin is a city known for its artistic touches and its creative scene, inspiring Liebeskind to also collaborate with local street artists, one of whom made a special mural with the word “Bandung” in the parking lot of the Paris Van Java mall for the store’s opening.
Liebeskind’s Bandung outlet is also designed similar to its latest concept store in Germany, adopting not just its design but also its little details and touches, as well as its furniture.
“The furniture is also built in Germany, which we then brought here, so it’s 100 percent Berlin,” Stührenberg said, adding that the company also made sure to add touches of Indonesian culture to the store.
With the opening of its Bandung outlet, Liebeskind will also be releasing the Liebeskind Summer 2015 collection, introducing its select handbags, wallets and other accessories that come in a variety of modern styles.
Indonesian actress Olivia Jensen, named Liebeskind’s “muse” alongside local fashion icon Ayla Dimitri and singer Lala Karmela, said she was a huge fan of Liebeskind’s leather goods and was confident the brand would grow within the Indonesian market.
“I love [Liebeskind] because it’s all leather goods,” she said.
“It has a great opportunity in the Indonesian market because no other brands offer leather goods with such optimal quality. The design is also up-to-date, very modern. I think it’s suitable for young adults and young women like me.”
Stührenberg said he was optimistic that Indonesian consumers would find great interest in Liebeskind products, which he guaranteed represented high quality at affordable prices.
“Liebeskind is always about accessible prices. Our price quality and value is really, really good and we only use the finest leather material for our handbags and accessories, the finest metal pieces that you can have,” he said.
“I am 100 percent optimistic that this would be the first store and not the last store in Indonesia.”
The Liebeskind store is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Paris van Java, resort level, Bandung.
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