RAOUL, FASHION LABEL

This Spanish-sounding brand is actually a home-grown label and Singapore retail group FJ Benjamin's first in-house fashion brand.

Founded in 2002, Raoul began as a menswear shirt brand with only ties and cuff-links as accompanying accessory lines. Today, it offers a good mix of office and casual shirts. Belts, boxers, shoes, bags and a women's range have
also been added.

Named after the second child of chief executive Douglas Benjamin, the label is targeted at men from their 20s to their 50s. It is doing so well that there are now stores in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Dubai and Bahrain.

Benjamin, 43, answers our questions.

How has Raoul contributed to the Singapore fashion scene?
Raoul tries to fill a gap in the scene for high-quality, wearable fashion at affordable prices. We hope that when people talk about Raoul, what comes to mind is a quality brand and an exceptional shopping experience.

What struggles did you face along the way?
When we first started, we couldn't get the fabric mills we wanted to work with us as the quantities we were buying were for only one shop. The same goes for the factories to make the garments. Now with so many stores, this is not a problem.

Another issue was getting good locations. Landlords knew us but not Raoul. Fortunately, a few of them had faith in us and gave us good locations and now they are very happy with the business we generate in their malls.

What is the Singapore look?
I don't think there is one look that defines Singapore. There are so many different cultures in Singapore. It's internationalism that defines the fashion scene here.

Which aspect of the Singapore style would you change?
The attitude that cheaper is better. But it has improved. People want quality and are prepared to pay for it. I can see this from the sales of our Indulgence and two-ply shirts, which are our best-sellers even though the prices are slightly higher than our normal label.

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