True Religion Expanding Into China With New Retail Partner

True Religion is expanding into China with partner Aurorae Group, owner of Evisu Group. Plans are underway to open a mix of 65 freestanding stores and shop-in-shops by 2026, growing to a total of 108 by 2028. The Chinese market is expected to represent 10 percent of True Religion’s global brand volume by 2026.

“Expansion into the Chinese market has been on our roadmap for the past several years, so we are very excited about our partnership with the fantastic team at Aurorae Group,” said Michael Buckley, CEO, True Religion. “The right partner is key to success in China, and Aurorae’s proven local market expertise will enable us to successfully grow True Religion’s presence throughout mainland China as well as in Hong Kong and Macau.”

This strategic move comes as part of True Religion’s global growth strategy and a milestone to increase the brand’s global footprint.

In addition to physical retail, this partnership also expands True Religion’s e-commerce presence in the region. Tmall.com, JD.com, Douyin.com, and Dewu.com, among others, will soon sell True Religion merchandise. True Religion’s own direct-to-consumer e-commerce business will continue to focus on key markets, specifically growing North America.

“We are enthusiastic about this partnership,” said David Pun, chairman and CEO, EVISU Group. “We are looking forward to introducing True Religion to a new wave of Chinese consumers and leveraging our comprehensive relationships and extensive retail networks in Asia to bring the brand to unprecedented new heights.”

As the exclusive distributor in China for True Religion, Aurorae Group will have the rights to sell the full range of True Religion’s assortment, including core denim, heritage products and collaboration collections. True Religion’s classic signatures—its stitch, horseshoe logo, and man with guitar, will be available throughout the collection. Under license, it will also develop products across men’s, women’s, kids apparel and accessories designed for the Chinese market, and collaborate with locally important partners and talents.