Singapore fashion retailer FJ Benjamin (FJBN.SI) plans to bring its in-house brand Raoul to shoppers in fashion capitals like New York and Paris, and expects the line to start contributing to its profits in 12-18 months, its chief executive said.

The company operates franchise stores of international brands like Guess and Givenchy, but also has its own label Raoul, which sells men’s and women’s fashion wear and accessories.

Currently, Raoul contributes slightly less than 10% to the firm’s total sales and has stores mainly in Southeast Asia, but has been unable to break even due in part to the investment costs involved for its expansion.

 

“A year and a half ago, we said it’s time we took this brand overseas. Just to be a brand in Southeast Asia doesn’t lend any merit to the brand,” FJ Benjamin CEO Nash Benjamin told Reuters in an interview last week.

 

“We felt Raoul is a brand you can take global, depending on how you approach it,” he added.

 

The company is close to signing a deal with a major U.S. department store to carry its Raoul collection, Benjamin said. Raoul is currently carried by department stores Harrod’s and Matches in London.

The label’s clothes and accessories have been featured in top fashion magazines like Vogue, which has helped to raise its international profile.

As a part of its plans to expand into big fashion markets in the west, FJ Benjamin has opened a Raoul showroom in New York and the brand also shows in Paris fashion week twice a year.