Global Icons is negotiating licensing deals with potential Fred Segal licensees that would open stores in Canada, China, Japan and South Korea starting in 2021 as the company moves to build out the fashion brand it acquired a majority stake in earlier this year, says CEO Jeff Lotman.

Global acquired the majority stake in Fred Segal from Evolution Media in March. Now the company is in negotiations for a licensee to open Fred Segal stores in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver starting with a 12,000-sq.-ft. flagship location in the first half of 2021 and then adding 2-4 smaller, 4,000-5,000-sq,-ft. stores in each market over time, says Lotman.

The deal would bring Fred Segal into Canada for the first time by pairing the brand with an as yet unnamed fashion retailer already entrenched in the market and familiar with it, says Lotman, who declined to identify the retailer at this time as negotiations haven’t been finalized.

Lotman said he expects the brand will perform well in Canada where this is an affinity for the “LA lifestyle” vibe that the Fred Segal label embodies.

In the Far East, Fred Segal will follow a similar course, but with 1-2 stores operated by fashion retailers already established in China, Japan and South Korea.

Fred Segal, which first opened in Malibu, CA in 1961, currently has nine stores, the majority of which are licensed, including a new Malibu location that opened in April. The brand has expanded internationally, adding shop-in-shops in Zurich and Bern, Switzerland with Swiss department store Globus, a mall-based location in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and a standalone store in Taipei, Taiwan.

The brand also has licensing deals with Salt Optics (eyewear), Kangol (headwear and apparel), Rogue & Co. (R+Co haircare) and Vitamin A (women’s swim suits) and is seeking to expand in home décor, says Lotman. Global Icons inherited an existing collaboration for CB2 x Fred Segal indoor/outdoor furniture and accessories with Crate & Barrel’s CB2 18-store affiliate that targets younger consumers.

Contact:

Global Icons, Jeff Lotman, CEO, 310-873-3560, jeff.lotman@globalicons.com