Moose Knuckles, which recently secured a strategic investment from Bosideng, China‘s biggest puffer jacket company, will be making its runway debut in Shanghai on Oct. 24.
Titled “Step in the Moose World,” the event will showcase the brand’s fall 2024 collection and take place at Feiyang Skating Center, an Olympic-size ice rink and stadium seating.
For the Canadian down jacket maker, its Shanghai runway debut will help the brand “reach a highly influential audience in a vibrant, fashion-forward city,” in turns cementing the brand’s position as a “functional and fashion leader from Canada,” according to the brand.
Moose Knuckles entered the Chinese market in 2019 after raising capital from Cathay Capital, a Paris-based private equity firm. The same year, the Montreal-based outerwear brand opened its first retail outlet at Beijing’s SKP-S department store and quickly expanded to 13 stores in 11 first- and second-tier cities.
News broke last week that Bosideng has become a strategic partner in Moose Knuckles, acquiring more than 30 percent of the Canadian company for an undisclosed amount.
“Our collaboration with Bosideng will be a catalyst for our growth in Asia and will strengthen the multicultural, disruptive, and creative spirit that defines our brand and resonates with our global audience,” said Victor Luis, executive chairman of Moose Knuckles.
“Bosideng will provide substantial strategic and financial support to Moose Knuckles. This is a strategic cooperation with complementary advantages that will inject new momentum into the mid-to-long-term development of both Moose Knuckles and Bosideng,” said Gao Dekang, founder and chairman of the board of directors and president of the Bosideng group.
The Moose Knuckles deal will help Bosideng break into the high-end down jacket market, where the likes of Moncler and Canada Goose have been seeing organic growth despite broader economic uncertainties in China.
The Hong Kong-listed Bosideng reported a net profit of 3.1 billion renminbi, or $438.4 million, a 44 percent increase year-over-year for its latest fiscal year ending March 31. Revenue surged 38 percent to 23.2 billion renminbi, or $3.3 billion in the same period.
