Since entering Cambodia in 1995, fashion label New Collection has made its mark on fashion trends in the kingdom. A subsidiary of Singapore’s Ming Wouy Group, the company operates several clothing stores along Sihanouk Boulevard including U.R.S., Pedro, The Luggage Gallery and The Sports Shop. Jayce Lim, New Collection’s operations manager in Cambodia, sat down with 7Days during the first birthday celebration for its upscale shoe and handbag store U.R.S, to discuss the company’s new shoe and handbag range.
What’s new at New Collection?
We’re actually re-branding ourselves, and coming out with ranges aimed at the under-17 market. We’re also moving into high fashion as well, where we have more stylish, up-market designs. So you will see more animal prints, you will see higher heels, like four-to-five-inch kinds of heels. You will also see a lot of one-of-a-kind items, which socialites can wear to events.
How large is your new range of shoes and bags here at U.R.S.?
These handbags and shoes are all produced in limited quantities, so once they are sold out we do not reproduce or repeat orders for them. I would say for a pair of shoes in one colour, it would come in a quantity of only ten or fifteen at the most, so once they’re gone, they’re gone.
If I wanted to buy a handbag or a pair of high heels tonight, how much would it set me back?
We have very affordable prices, the clutch bags or evening bags are priced from ten plus dollars all the way up to the bigger tote bags which are about $100 odd. The most expensive would only be slightly more than $100.
What’s the reception been like for U.R.S over the last year?
It’s actually been really accepted by the ladies, because it’s not just casual, it’s also stylish and classy and is very suitable for daily wear as well as evening wear. We do not cater just to the working class or to high fashion, we cater to the everyday needs of Cambodians
Does New Collection have any plans to open more stores and outlets in Cambodia?
Definitely, we have actually worked up a proposal, but in the meantime we’re still studying the market and doing surveys to establish how best we can fit another store into the Cambodian market. One thing we discovered early on is that all the fashion brands and stores are concentrated along Sihanouk Boulevard; it’s really growing into a big shopping district. We just need more time to do our market surveys, and then we will sell our expansion plan more aggressively.
