The Pariente brothers were brought to Russia ten years ago by Khaled Jamil, the owner of JamilCo, whom the brothers met in France. His company became the first official distributor of NAF NAF goods in Russia.
Today, NAF NAF clothes in Russia are sold in 50 shops, 12 of which are in Moscow and three in St. Petersburg.
Russia has its own peculiarities, Pariente said. Cold weather in Russia begins earlier than in France, therefore it is necessary to prepare the fall/winter collection earlier. Another interesting difference: in Russia the 42-44 sizes are more popular, whereas in France the 46-48 sizes are in greater demand.
Though the NAF NAF clothes are meant mostly for young people, in France the firm also has shops for elder women. However, the brothers are not yet planning to open such shops in Russia.
NAF NAF was founded in 1973, and it was named for Patrick's older brother Gerard's nickname, who "always liked to eat." Gerard deals with everything that concerns fabrics and production, Patrick - with marketing and finances.
In 1978 in Paris, the brothers showed their first NAF NAF collection.
As has been estimated by the Symbol-Marketing agency, the Russian mass segment clothes market annually grows by 30%-40%, while in Europe the growth in sales stands at only 5%.
Alexei Volkov, marketing director of the Nomenar company (distributor of the Zolla and S. Oliver goods), has estimated the NAF NAF trade turnover in Russia at $50 million a year (one shop - $1 million).
