Perry Ellis International is bringing Original Penguin to the Middle East.
The Miami-based company has entered into a licensing deal with Al Matjar Al Watany Trading to design and distribute Original Penguin by Munsingwear casual sportswear in Saudi Arabia.
The casual sportswear line will be distributed in Al Matjar Al Watany’s retail stores as well as other mall and street retail locations in the country. A social media campaign will be launched in Saudi Arabia to increase brand awareness and educate the public about the line.
George Feldenkreis, chairman and chief executive officer of Perry Ellis International, said he was looking forward to working with the Matjar Al Watany team “to offer Original Penguin’s lifestyle product while continuing the expansion of our global reach.”
Eng. Salah Mohammed Al Shaikh, president and owner of Matjar Al Watany, said he is “very pleased to formalize an agreement with Perry Ellis to launch the Original Penguin brand within the Saudi Arabian market. Given our experience of the fashion sportswear business, we are encouraged to add a full lifestyle brand to our portfolio.”
Matjar Al Watany was founded in 1953 by Mohammad Yousaf Sulaiman Al Sheikh as a general trading company. In 1980, the business diversified to focus on the sports industry. Salah M. Sulaiman acquired the company in 1990 and established a sports retail chain under the name Matjar Al Watany, which operates 40 stores in major urban cities and in the countryside as well. There is also a wholesale division that caters to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as Egypt, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Original Penguin was founded in 1955 and was purchased by Perry Ellis in 1996. It has become known for its distinct stylized penguin logo.