What does turning 40 mean? For some it can mean becoming inflexible, old-fashioned, perhaps even stuffy. But for others it is a chance to renew oneself, to embrace middle age while doing so with class, style, and a little panache. That is exactly what Samsung C&T Fashion Group’s menswear brand Galaxy is doing. For its 40th birthday, Galaxy is developing a new brand identity of tailored excellence, helping men find their own elegance and panache.
New beginnings
At 40 years old, Galaxy has a long history of crafting quality business suits for men, but it is now shedding this image like an old suit, choosing instead to focus its efforts on strengthening its casual lineup.
It is by no means alone in making this transition. The truth is that business suits are not as popular with newer generations of professional men worldwide. For example, Italian luxury brand Ermenegildo Zegna is also moving to a casual concept that appeals to a younger set.
With that in mind, and aiming to grow Galaxy into a global brand that can reach 250 billion won in sales by 2028, Samsung C&T Fashion Group is strengthening collaboration with Italian brands Valstar and Tagliatore to offer only top-quality clothing items. It is also partnering with prize-winning design brand KANGHUK to produce some exciting new lines. Going beyond clothing, Galaxy is becoming a lifestyle brand, showcasing stationery and crystal glassware and other useful things that men of class and distinction need.
Finding elegance with Josh Hartnett
As part of its new brand identity and to appeal to the lifestyle and look of men in their 40s, award-winning Hollywood star Josh Hartnett has been selected as model for Galaxy’s new campaign. The tall actor, himself in his mid-forties, is known for his work in Black Hawk Down, Lucky Number Slevin, and most recently Oppenheimer. Now he has modeled the 40th birthday collection of new Galaxy garments that show comfort, class, and elegance.
Lee Won-il, head of the Galaxy team at Samsung C&T Fashion Group, explains the company’s choice of model by saying, “We selected Josh Hartnett to be the model for this campaign because he exudes grace, dignity, and confidence in whatever he is wearing.” The slogan for this 40th birthday campaign is “find your elegance,” something that Hartnett in the promotional video confidently advises men to do when choosing what to wear.
Diversification is key
At 40, Galaxy is branching out into diverse lines to be able to more perfectly serve the needs of different market segments. Lansmere is a high-end line, ready to compete with other global luxury labels and offering a bespoke service to tailor clothing using the highest quality fabrics. In fact, Galaxy’s 40th birthday press conference was held at the Lansmere Flagship Store in Seoul’s Hannam neighborhood. Meanwhile, the Prestige line uses materials developed in-house, the Galaxy line boasts friendly prices, and the GX line is made specifically for people in their 30s.
Samsung C&T Fashion Group revealed that the newly created Atelier di Galaxy stores, which recently opened inside 2 Korean department stores, have already seen sales grow by more than half. There are plans to expand the number of such stores to around a dozen.
Lee Moo-young, executive director of the men’s clothing division at Samsung Fashion Group, said, “We will grow Galaxy into a global mega brand.” Galaxy will be able to do this by helping men find their own elegance based on its new identity, “Tailored Elegance.”
