CEO Series: Golden Goose APAC CEO, Mauro Maggioni On Tapping Into Malaysia’s Luxury Retail Market

Golden Goose’s first boutique in Kuala Lumpur presents a golden opportunity to mark the Italian luxury brand’s entry into the Malaysian market.
Golden Goose

Golden Goose Boutique in The Exchange TRX.

You’ve probably spotted their star-emblazoned sneakers on the likes of Taylor Swift, Ben Affleck and Jude Law. As one of the fastest-growing luxury fashion brands in the world, Golden Goose is a true disruptor in the luxury fashion industry and keeps growing from strength to strength. The company recorded a net revenue of €307 million in the first half of 2024, with an increase of 12 percent on a comparable basis to the previous year. 

Founded 24 years ago in Venice, Golden Goose has come a long way since its humble beginnings. In 2023 alone, the brand opened 21 new stores globally and recently unveiled their first boutique in Malaysia at The Exchange TRX. For Golden Goose’s Asia Pacific CEO, Mauro Maggioni, the new opening presents a big opportunity for the brand. Here, Maggioni explains his plans for the region. 

 

Mauro Maggioni

Mauro Maggioni, APAC CEO of Golden Goose.

What is your overall mood about the luxury industry? 

As a brand we are very optimistic , the overall luxury market is obviously going through some transformation, or I should say, it must go through a transformation. Consumers today are changing their habits and practices, they are going from wanting an accumulation of products to wanting to build memories. 

Do you feel this opportunity in Asia pacific as well?

Asia Pacific overall represents less than 15 percent of the global business of Golden Goose, while the market itself is much bigger. So, for our brand it’s a huge opportunity in this region especially because consumers here understand the chic element of Golden Goose as well as the less pretentious and more personal offerings that we have. 

Why do you think now is the right time to introduce a boutique in Kuala Lumpur?

We started in Southeast Asia about two years ago in Singapore and then we opened in Bangkok this year and now in Kuala Lumpur. I think it’s still a very organic and reasonable pace of openings. For a new brand entering into a relatively established market and with the opportunity to partner with a new shopping mall like The Exchange TRX, we had a common goal to kick off with the best. 

Golden Goose

Golden Goose Boutique in The Exchange TRX.

What type of consumer does Golden Goose cater to? 

This is always an interesting question because there really is no one type of customer. However, there is a set of values that anyone can embrace and become our target consumer. We don’t look at age or gender, but there are values such as positivity, respect, kindness, love, authenticity, self-expression and creativity that we look at, each in a unique way and not in a loud way. So, whoever is going after these values is our potential consumer. 

There are plenty of art and culture influences in the boutique. Why does Golden Goose decide to go for this brand direction? 

The brand is born as an expression of art. It was created by our founders over 24 years ago as a way of taking old clothes and making a patchwork of art. The brand comes from a traditional fashion designer approach where you buy the textiles and you craft. 

Golden Goose

At Golden Goose, we really mean it when we tell our fans to express themselves and be creative. It’s not only in the visual arts, but also in the traditional definition of art such as the self-expression of what people do in their jobs such as sports or music.  We partner a lot with people that value the Golden Goose values to express themselves. 

What are your goals for growing the brand in the Asia Pacific region? 

Opening stores is the ultimate goal for us, but we don’t want to rush or go for a particular number of stores, that is not the approach that I want. What I want is to create a connection with local communities and to enter into people’s minds and then to gradually expand the distribution. There is a big opportunity here and not only in terms of the number of stores, but in terms of being a brand that consumers love, not just for sneakers or accessories, but as an overall brand. 

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