By Giulia Segreti
MILAN (Reuters) - Italian luxury group Tod's on Saturday launched a menswear capsule collection for Yoox (MI:YNAP) Net-a-Porter in a bid to increase its reach to online customers.
The brand is pushing to regain appeal among fashionistas despite expecting like-for-like retail sales to be flat overall in 2017.
The "Tod's X Mr Porter" collection is aimed at YNAP's in-season online store dedicated to men, with 27 items for the summer, designed by Tod's menswear Creative Director Andrea Incontri.
It includes new, colored models of the group's iconic 'Gommino' loafers, suede bomber jackets and printed swimming shorts, all in the tones of blue, red and white.
Despite already selling shoes, clothes, and accessories through YNAP's websites, the collection is the Italian brand's first exclusive collaboration with the successful online luxury group.
It's the first dedicated 'see-now-buy-now' collection for the group, presented on Saturday in Milan and on sale this coming week, a statement said.
"Since launching Tod's ready-to-wear business in 2015, we have wanted to work on an exclusive collection ... giving our global customer base something special which they cannot find anywhere else," Mr Porter Buying Director Fiona Firth said in a statement.
Luxury groups have been coming under pressure from increasingly young clients to present more collections during the year, including highly-attractive limited and exclusive capsule lines.
Chairman Diego Della Valle said in April that the company would see positive results in the next couple of years from different strategies aiming at both "traditional and new clients", increasing products offered and investing in technology more alongside traditional retail shops.
After posting a 4.4 percent drop in first-quarter revenue, Chief Financial Officer Emilio Macellari said last month it would be challenging to meet market expectations for earnings this year..
The group will showcase its menswear Spring Summer 2018 collection on Sunday, in one of many events for Milan's Men's fashion week.