IICombined, the Seoul, Korea-based owner and operator of Gentle Monster, a global eyewear designer brand, received an investment of undisclosed amount.
The round was led by L Catterton Asia, the Asian unit of global consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton Asia, with participation from Groupe Arnault.
The investment will support the company in further expanding its presence into Europe and the Middle East.
Founded in 2011 by Jay Oh and Hankook Kim, Gentle Monster is a global fashion eyewear brand sold through 31 direct stores (6 flagship stores, 19 stores in department stores, 6 duty free shops) and 130 optical stores in Korea. Since 2013, the brand has expanded beyond Korea and reached global status through the help of brands and designers such as Hood By Air, Henrik Vibskov, and Opening Ceremony, while also creatively collaborating with Tilda Swinton.
The brand can be found in over 160 POS in 19 countries, including 6 overseas flagship stores in New York, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hong Kong and fashion retailers such as Opening Ceremony, Dover St. and Beakers, with the next new flagship store opening in the ION Mall, Singapore in September 2017.
The company is also globally available through its brand site, gentlemonster.com.
FinSMEs
08/09/2017