From Japan, A&F is Sailing on into Singapore

In luxurious bliss, Abercrombie & Fitch secures a location among Singapore's finest. | Photography by Bruce Weber for Abercrombie & Fitch

The news is out! Abercrombie & Fitch is setting up shop in Singapore! The company is continuing its plans to expand into the Asian market with the opening of A&F Singapore in late-2011. A third location for the brand in Asia, A&F Singapore is to be located in Knightsbridge on Orchard Road. The company is extremely selective when it comes to acquiring locations for Abercrombie & Fitch flagship stores, and this is no exception - it screams luxury! Orchard Road alone is one of the world's most renowned and expensive places to shop and it is the address of pure opulence. Knightsbridge, one great building complex, is named after the elegant neighborhood in London by the same name and is the self-proclaimed "modern day [curator] of the very covetable, the extraordinary and the most desirable." The complex includes the decalent Park Hotel Orchard, Singapore's "most fashionable hotel," and stores in the building have storefronts and direct street access off Orchard Road.

Opening in Knightsbridge, the Company could not have made a more stunning selection after some serious luxury shopping! The Abercrombie & Fitch flagship will have about 21,000 square feet of retail space within its swanky address.

Luxury is key in Asia. And it is paramount for Abercrombie & Fitch to continue to showcase itself in the luxury content as it expands internationally - and, in this case, into the Far East market. It's opening in Tokyo's premier Ginza shopping district was quite a statement, and now its opening in Singapore's Knightsbridge will further its luxury cause. In Asia, Abercrombie & Fitch is promoted as an upscale brand. A&F is casual luxury, and it is this that sets it apart from its American competitors. The A&F brand has cultivated an image that is unmatched in the industry. This newfound image has gained it respectibility: “For Orchard Road to continue to be the premier shopping destination for locals and tourists, we need more interesting and iconic retail concepts and brands such as A&F to set foot in Singapore," notes  Allen Law of the Park Hotel Orchard, "The opening of the A&F flagship at Knightsbridge in Orchard Road will increase the vibrancy and quality of shopping experience in Singapore.”

It's a shame that the trademark Casual Luxury is no longer in use, however. What's not a shame? Rubbing shoulders with Prada and Ferragamo...