SINGAPORE AND SEOUL—L Catterton Asia has announced a new partnership with IICOMBINED, the owner and operator of Gentle Monster, the global eyewear brand. L Catterton Asia leads a consortium including Groupe Arnault, the family holding company of Bernard Arnault, who is chairman and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, in the Gentle Monster investment.

Gentle Monster, founded in 2011 by Jay Oh and Hankook Kim, is known for its avant-garde designs and creative retail concepts. “Gentle Monster is a global leader in the sunglass category, with a presence in more than 19 countries and 11 stand-alone stores [around the world/ in Seoul, Busan, New York, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hong Kong],” L Catterton stated.

“In a time where Gentle Monster is progressing into a global fashion eyewear brand, we are honored to partner with L Catterton Asia and Groupe Arnault,” said Hankook Kim, co-founder and CEO of Gentle Monster. “Gentle Monster has a very unique approach in terms of product and space design. We define it as ‘weird beauty,’ a concept that is infused and brought to life in everything we do. We lead the industry and consumer trend through this vision.”

Kim continued, “We already have a presence in Greater China and America and plan to further expand our footprint into Europe and the Middle East. Our goal is to reach even more international consumers, offer them our distinctive products and flagship experiences and continue to inspire them by conveying our unique approach to building the future of retail.”

Ravi Thakran, chairman and managing partner of L Catterton Asia added, “We are delighted to partner with the founders of Gentle Monster, a fashion sunglass category leader in Korea. With its strong brand identity and creative designs, Gentle Monster is an emerging company that is redefining the sunglasses-design space with the potential to become a truly iconic brand.”