BEIJING, June 23, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International soccer icon and China Super League star Tim Cahill has announced he will enter the China fashion market for the first time, launching his CAHILLPLUS brand through a partnership with JD.com (Nasdaq:JD), China’s largest e-commerce company by revenue. The online store will be the first sales outlet for CAHILLPLUS in China, and will give many of JD.com’s approximately 170 million active customers nationwide the opportunity to access the CAHILLPLUS brand for the first time.
To mark the launch, Tim Cahill hosted a special kick-off celebration and fashion show, the CAHILLPLUS Fashion Team Event, on June 20th at the Jackie Chan Gallery in Shanghai to showcase the latest CAHILLPLUS range. Several of Tim Cahill’s famous sporting colleagues, such as footballer Chen Boliang and Formula One driver Ma Qinghua, modelled CAHILLPLUS clothing at the event. The event was also live streamed on the JD.com CAHILLPLUS store, allowing customers around the country to watch the show and purchase their favorite styles in real time.
CAHILLPLUS is created in China, for China and inspired by China, based on Tim’s experience living in some of the world’s biggest cities. This has resulted in a fashion brand that not only is unique in its global setting, but also special in China as it draws together global fashion trends with his unique athletic background.
Tim Cahill said, “When my family and I moved from New York to live in Shanghai and be a part of the China Super League, the next major plan for me was to launch my fashion brand CAHILLPLUS in the China market. I could feel the energy and respect of my fans in China and I’m truly delighted to work with JD.com because their focus on quality and originality resonates with my own personal values and the values of the CAHILLPLUS brand.”
“The CAHILLPLUS brand is all about taking a footballer’s lifestyle and creating a designer collection which has elements of sportswear, designer fashion and, most importantly, menswear designs I would love to buy and wear for myself. Being a professional footballer since I was 18, my experience in fashion has evolved from being a consumer to now a brand owner. I look forward to the journey which lies ahead with CAHILLPLUS in China and the partnership with JD.com to unlock its potential, this is only the very beginning of CHL+.”
Lijun Xin, President of JD.com’s Apparel and Home Furnishing Business Unit, said, “We are pleased to welcome Tim Cahill and CAHILLPLUS to JD.com. Chinese consumers are increasingly focused on quality and style, and we see a huge opportunity for exciting, emerging brands like CAHILLPLUS to build on this trend. Tim is of course an icon in the Chinese sporting landscape, and has deep roots here, and we’re looking forward to working with him and his team to help build a new chapter in his China story.”
Apparel is one of the fastest growing categories on JD.com. CAHILLPLUS is the latest addition to the wide selection of renowned fashion brands available on JD.com, which include TOD’S, Rimowa, Daniel Wellington, Trussardi, Y-3, Calvin Klein, TOM TAILOR, and a number of other popular household names.
The CAHILLPLUS Range and Design Concept
Tim Cahill’s interest in fashion runs deep and long. Since his days in London playing for Premier League club Everton, Tim has worked alongside key fashion icons such as Georgio Armani, where he was the brand ambassador for 8 years. Tim’s vision for CAHILLPLUS started when living in New York, playing for NY Red Bulls. Immersing himself in the vibrant New York fashion scene, Tim conceptualized a “sport-luxe” inspired fashion brand.
CAHILLPLUS draws together technical athletic fabrics and the latest in global street-fashion styling. The CAHILLPLUS range launching exclusively on JD.com featured prominently at JD.com’s New York Fashion Week runway show in February this year. The CAHILLPLUS Spring/Summer 2016 range is inspired by the iconic Shanghai Hongkou Stadium. Its architectural structure and defined patterns providing a unique backdrop for the range’s styling and prints.
As menswear at large looks to the Far East as an important point of inspiration, CAHILLPLUS enjoys a natural connection to the city, taking center stage this season. Recent trends in high-end fashion and streetwear have included Chinese embroideries and typography, and this theme is explored in several of this season’s prints, from placement prints to yardage prints. Oriental tiling, embroideries, quilting and coin motifs are used throughout the range. A symbolic tiger, encapsulating Tim Cahill’s own power and athletic ability, anchors the print story.
This season’s palette considers the setting of matches that take place within the Shanghai Hongkou Stadium, from the color of the “tarmac” covered walls and the “nomads” that are the players on the field, to the vast sky that looks to “outer space” and the “crimson” that signifies the nationalism of the crowd. Architectural elements of the stadium itself are deconstructed, looking at the building’s geometry and multifaceted textural layering. This is translated into a collection that considers a cross-fabricated monochromatic range, which completes outfits that traverse textures to create a multi-layered look.
CAHILLPLUS has very high expectations for its growth in China. The brand has very successfully entered the Australian and North American markets, through some of the best youth-fashion retailers in the world such as Topman, Glue Store, Myer Department Stores, and Culture Kings & Boys Co, to name a few. CAHILLPLUS certainly expects growth that will lead it to becoming one of China’s premier sport-fashion brands, offering its unique handwriting alongside Tim’s unique athletic ability. It presents a fresh and powerful mix, sure to ignite the imagination of China’s fashion-hungry public.
About JD.com
JD.com, Inc. is China’s leading online direct sales company and the country’s largest Internet company by revenue. The Company strives to offer consumers the best online shopping experience. Through its content-rich and user-friendly website jd.com and mobile applications, JD.com offers a wide selection of authentic products at competitive prices and delivers products in a speedy and reliable manner. The Company believes it has the largest fulfillment infrastructure of any e-commerce company in China. As of March 31, 2016, JD.com operated 7 fulfillment centers and 209 warehouses, and in total 5,987 delivery stations and pickup stations in 2,493 counties and districts across China, staffed by its own employees. JD.com is a member of the NASDAQ100.
Contacts:
CAHILLPLUS
Prav Desilva
prav@pravdesilva.com
JD.com
Media
Josh Gartner
VP, International Corporate Affairs
+86 (10) 8911-6155 (China)
+1 (914) 439-5315 (US)
Press@JD.com
Investor Relations
Ruiyu Li
Director of Investor Relations
+86 (10) 8912-6805
IR@JD.com
JD.com
