RAOUL is going places.

One of Singapore's fashion successes, Raoul has expanded overseas since it launched in 2002 and now has 40 stores in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Dubai and Bahrain.

The secret to going international is an understanding of what makes people different and what makes them the same.

"It's interesting because even within Southeast Asia, there are differences in the way people dress and what they want and the prices they are willing to pay," says Mr Douglas Benjamin, who is also the chief executive officer of luxury and lifestyle company FJ Benjamin Singapore. "But the Middle East market seems to be similar to the Singapore market, very tourist-based, even though the majority of shoppers are local."

Above all, an international brand such as Raoul has to be consistent. "If you walk into a store in Dubai, it has to look the same as the store in Singapore and the merchandise has to be the same, although you do have to make some adjustments for the local context," he says. "The brand has to say the same thing everywhere in the world."

The wide variety of styles across the globe was not a significant impediment when Raoul expanded overseas.

But women are more difficult to cater to because "different ladies in different parts of the world dress differently", says Mr Benjamin.

However, he adds: "Two things that unify all women in the world are shoes and handbags."

It may not be a particular look, but it will be a trend. "Clutches are big so everybody is making them," he says. "We had a great one in the shops last year that sold very well, as it was just the right size, day or evening."

The men are easier. There is something universal about a good white or blue shirt, which men everywhere wear to the office.

Raoul's trick is to occupy the ground between the everyday shirt and the high-end fashion shirt. Now that it has cemented a place in the office environment, Raoul has branched out into more flamboyant party shirts, and the current Spring/Summer collection is characterised by big, bold colours.

Raoul has continued diversifying over the years. After the move from shirts to fashion, accessories were next, with leather goods, bags, shoes and costume jewellery.

Last year was their first really integrated men's and ladies' show, and this is their second year on the catwalk.

"This year for Fall 2008, we've got a really strong silhouette for ladies, very confident, with jackets and suits which we've never done before," he says. "We've introduced a lot of rich colours into the collection, and generally we're looking at a very confident woman walking down that runway, feminine, yet not frilly.

"The inspiration for the men is from those gentleman actors of the 30s and 40s, who were real gentlemen but were also a little roguish. So we've got a lot of layering pieces, we've put the men in suits and jackets and overcoats to accessorise the shirts, which are the mainstay of what we do."

Raoul has allied itself firmly with the fashion world rather than simply do retail trade, and it follows the round of seasonal collections. It has also taken a new direction with a recently launched online store so that people who know the brand can buy Raoul from anywhere in the world.

Its latest and largest store in Singapore is at Raffles City, complementing its outlets at The Paragon, Suntec City, Millenia Walk, Hitachi Tower and Changi Airport.