by ABS-CBN News

MANILA – The creator of Lady Gaga’s shoes, which found instant fans in other celebrities like Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian among others, is looking to expand its footprint in a fast-growing, trendy Asian market, according to Rem D Koolhaas, founder and creative director of global footwear brand United Nude.

Koolhaas, who described his brainchild as an “affordable design company” and whose products are “exclusive by design, and not by price,” is on his second visit to the Philippines, following UN’s flagship opening at Resorts World Manila in Dec. 2018.

There are also talks of opening more stores in the horizon, but Koolhaas was quick to add that there was no need to rush into the fresh market.

“One of the reasons I think that we are popular in Southeast Asia is because there have been a lot of economic growth over the past decade. And therefore, there’s a lot of interest and newness, and there’s not so much retrospect in a new market like that,” said Koolhaas in an exclusive chat with ANC’s “The Boss.”

Unlike its European counterpart, which Koolhas has described as “conservative” and “casual” citing the influence of established heritage brands, Asia, he said, has a higher interest in fashion, taking note of the women who tend to dress up “a little bit more.”

The California-based Dutch native also revealed plans to venture beyond fashion and into hospitality like United Nude Hotel or into property with Filipino real estate billionaire Robbie Antonio of Revolution Precrafted, the Philippines’ first Unicorn startup. 

“We’re always interested to find a collaborator, but we also get a lot of requests for collaboration,” said Koolhaas. 

Among United Nude’s current collaborations include Lady Gaga’s choreographer Richard “Richy” Jackson, and African-American Shaun Ross, the world’s first albino male model.

Established in 2003 with Galahad Clark, a seventh-generation scion of the Clark shoe brand, United Nude’s shoes are sold in over 50 countries with concept stores in places, such as Vienna, Tokyo, and Beijing, among others. Its roster of other high-profile creative collaborations include Iris van Herpen, Linda Farrow, and the late Zaha Hadid. – Jan Yumul, Eah Antonio, Christel Lagdameo, and Cathy Yang, ABS-CBN News

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