Trendy said to plan IPO, eyes $5b valuation

Chinese fashion house Trendy International Group Co, owner of the Miss Sixty jeans brand in Asia, is planning a domestic initial public offering as soon as the end of next year, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The Guangzhou-based company plans to seek a valuation of about $5 billion, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Trendy International has picked a Chinese investment bank to work on the proposed share sale, the people said.

Trendy International will join other Chinese clothing retailers such as Modern Avenue Group Co, owner of the Canudilo brand, and Shanghai La Chapelle Fashion Co in funding their expansion by selling shares. A total of 25 apparel companies held IPOs in China and Hong Kong during the past three years that raised a combined $2.2 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Shares of Modern Avenue have risen 118 percent in Shenzhen trading since its $109 million IPO in February 2012, outpacing the 107 percent rise in the Shenzhen Composite Index.

L Capital Asia, an investment firm backed by French luxury group LVMH, bought a minority stake in Trendy International for nearly $200 million in 2011, according to a press statement. The private equity firm bought about a 10 percent stake, valuing Trendy International at $2 billion at the time, one of the people said.

The long IPO pipeline in China could delay Trendy International's listing process, the people said. Several calls to the company's office weren't answered. Trendy International Chief Executive Officer Jacky Xu didn't respond to a private message seeking comment sent to his account on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Trendy International, founded in 1999, owns domestic women's brands Ochirly and Five Plus as well as male casual wear line Trendiano. It later acquired the Asian operations of Miss Sixty, famous for its skin-tight retro jeans, as well as the Energie and Killah denim brands, according to its website.

The Chinese fashion group now operates more than 3,000 shops, according to its website. Trendy International set up a joint venture last year with UK clothing chain SuperGroup Plc to expand the "Superdry" brand into the world's second-largest economy.