Ba&sh enters into development agreement with ID Look in South Korea

Ba&sh is consolidating its expansion in Asia. Having entrusted oversight of the region to Jimmy Lam, the French ready-to-wear label is pursuing renewed ambitions there. In South Korea, it is stepping up with a strategic partnership with ID Look to roll out across department stores in the Land of the Morning Calm. 

With annual growth in the apparel market expected to average around 3 per cent over the coming years, Ba&sh is well placed thanks to its contemporary premium positioning and distinctly French identity.

“We already generate 60 per cent of Ba&sh’s sales outside France, and we want to continue internationalising the brand. We have high hopes for South Korea, as we believe the brand will resonate strongly there,” explained Dan Arrouas, who retook the reins of the brand with Sharon Krief and Barbara Boccara in 2025.

“We want to grow in the right markets and with the right partners. Working with ID Look, it took a year to establish a plan. By 2027, we’ll have around four outlets, then we’ll gradually add more to reach about twenty by 2030.”

Following an initial opening in the Hyundai network, Ba&sh will then roll out to Shinsegae department stores in 2027 and 2028, before entering Lotte. This development plan is accompanied by a more targeted strategy in China, where the brand already has around fifty outlets. 

“China is performing rather well for us,” said Géraldine Dubois, the company’s finance director.

“In China, our digital channel is delivering double-digit growth, which is good news. And in retail, we are repositioning in strategic shopping centres: we were in certain centres, but not in the best locations. In addition, we are reopening sites where we no longer had a presence. This is also the case in Taiwan and Singapore.”

The brand has recently relocated in Shanghai to IFC Mall in Lujiazui and HKRI Taikoo Hui on Nanjing West Road, complemented this September by openings at Harbin Grand Shopping Centre and the Wuxi Shanshan outlet. Ba&sh is also strengthening its footprint in Singapore along the strategic Orchard Road, with a new store opening at ION Orchard alongside the relocation of its long-standing Takashimaya address to a redesigned space, while continuing to consolidate in Taiwan with the opening of a boutique at SKM Nanxi in Taipei.

Given these international developments, is Ba&sh seeking growth drivers to counter a challenging consumer climate in Europe? Not at all. According to Arrouas, Ba&sh is posting growth in most European markets, particularly in France.

“In France, we have posted very solid growth through to the end of August 2026, driven by like-for-like retail, and we are projecting growth of 3 to 10 per cent. France is outperforming the market and remains the engine of Europe. We are outperforming our competitors by an average of seven to eight points,” explained the co-founder.

“This year, Ba&sh is set to achieve the highest turnover in its history. The performance is all the more remarkable given that we have achieved it while closing around fifty stores to focus on our best locations. This rationalisation of the network shows that opening more shops isn’t everything: we are streamlining the network, improving profitability and reinvesting heavily in operations.”

As part of its ‘New Beginnings’ plan, Ba&sh has implemented a premiumisation strategy, notably through tighter management of promotions, with the aim of generating margin gains.

This strategy appears to be starting to bear fruit.
All these resources are enabling the brand to develop its universe and advance its export plans.