Luxury is her game

By KEE HUA CHEE


Homegrown fashionista Angie Kok owns the franchise of four of France’s leading labels: Givenchy, Lanvin, Lancel and Kookai.


Homegrown fashionista Angie Kok owns the franchise of four of France’s leading labels: Givenchy, Lanvin, Lancel and Kookai.

LOW-KEY, unassuming but eminently stylish as befits her business, Angie Kok is ironically better known in Paris than in Kuala Lumpur.

In the City of Lights where she goes up to six times a year, she is feted by fashion conglomerates like LVMH, Richemont and the media.


Angie Kok: ‘You have to seize opportunities when they appear, as sometimes they appear only once!’
“I attend all the shows, launches and events when in Paris. In KL, I prefer to stay out of the limelight,” explains the bubbly and feisty Angie Kok.

Kok is a familiar figure on the Paris fashion circuit and knows many power brokers and fashionistas. “I speak French but not very well but everyone in the industry speaks English. Yes, I have valuable contacts in Paris since all my four brands – Lanvin, Givenchy, Lancel and Kookai – are French.”

Growing up in Malacca, Kok dreamed of owning boutiques and wearing beautiful dresses. “I was already very business-minded at 15 and decided to run a fashion shop so that I got to wear nice clothes while making money!”

At 21, she graduated as a quantity surveyor as her carpenter father decided fashion was too fickle a career. But as fate would have it, she met Dave Kok in the early 1970s while doing a land survey for him. They married soon after, and have two grown-up daughters and a 15-year-old son.

“Veronica is a Psychology graduate and is now helping me run my business while Joyce will graduate in Finance & Commerce next year. Shaun is still schooling.”

Lady Luck smiled on her as her husband helped her realise her dream. “We visited all the luxury boutiques in Paris, London, Milan and New York. I began to acquire a taste for nice things, not just clothes but accessories, jewels, works of art and a certain lifestyle. I was determined to open my boutique as I was so inspired and wanted to introduce all the nice things to KL.”

Paris mesmerised her the most, hence the name of her first boutique La Bon (The Beautiful) which remains the name of her holding company.

“My first La Bon boutique was at City Square. Twenty years ago, City Square was KL’s foremost mall, with a huge Christian Dior boutique. All my boutiques today are in Starhill. La Bon was a multi-brand boutique then and I carried labels like Etinnelle, Faust, Surabaya and Tara Jarmon.”

Some dresses sold for RM2,000 upwards, a vast sum two decades ago and a respectable amount now.

“People paid. I was at the right place at the right time as RM1,000 dresses were no longer considered shocking since Malaysians were getting richer. Now, there are so many labels but back then there were few and far between.”

Ten years ago, she was approached by the mighty, all-encompassing LVMH Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group to carry Givenchy. Her Givenchy Gentlemen boutique opened at Starhill in Bukit Bintang, catering to businessmen looking for business suits, tuxedos, briefcases and shoes. Givenchy was the start of her French franchises.

Kok decided to push a younger line and gunned for Kookai. “I love Kookai and had been wearing Kookai long before I got the franchise. Their casual, party and office apparel are fun and easy to wear while their good pricing allows anyone to own many pieces.”

Kok got the rights four years ago and set up Kookai stores in Suria KLCC and Mid Valley Megamall. Kookai is so hot it even got Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel to design! Lagerfeld actually appeared in advertisements for Kookai. In the adverts, Lagerfeld pronounced, “All these girls in Kookai, it’s not good. I don’t say that for myself but for the other couturiers.” The 1993 ad caused a sensation and went on to become a case study for marketing gurus for its tongue-in-cheek effectiveness, wit and parody.

In 2006, Kok was granted the franchise for Lanvin Men while the women’s line, RTW, was introduced last February.

“Personally, I feel men are better buyers. The men who buy Givenchy and Lanvin spend a lot compared to women. They have the purchasing power but maintain a low profile as men’s suits change very little.”

Her latest baby is Lancel, the handbag brand. “When I went to Paris’ Champs Élysées, I saw so many Lancel signboards I lost count. I was very impressed and discovered why it’s such a hit season after season. First, this French label is designed and made entirely in France which is a big deal as the French Government is very particular about their coveted ‘Made in France’ label.

“Lancel sells from RM900 to RM3,000 on average, with the most expensive around RM5,000. The best-selling ‘Elsa’ monogram is priced at RM2,280. And all made in France!”

As luck would have it, selling Lancel has become easier. Marc Lelandais, Lancel’s president, has signed superstar actress Isabelle Adjani as ambassador. Not only did he sweet-talk her into promoting the “le French légèreté” (lightness of weight) of Lancel, he declared it was an artistic partnership with a soul supplement as Adjani would also design a Lancel bag.

You don’t get this far in life without holding to a philosophy. For Kok, it is about seeing the positive.

“You have to seize opportunities when they appear, as sometimes they appear only once! You have to take risks but do so only when you are personally convinced about the products you will be selling. Many French and Italian brands have contacted me to carry their line but I turned them down as I didn’t feel convinced or could not give my 100% commitment.

“I come up with my own capital with minimal borrowings which is quite risky but then failure has never crossed my mind. Once I take on a new label, I automatically do my maths and think of what to do with profits. I am a positive person.”

Kok keeps a low profile and stays above the social nit-picking. “It’s not necessary to be famous to succeed. I am very result-oriented. I have nothing to prove as my brands speak for themselves,” she says.