Kate Middleton Fashion Favorite Bets on China
British designer and Middleton sister favorite Alice Temperley sees no signs of a slowdown in Chinese demand for her products.
"China hasn’t even started. China is booming, booming booming, the whole market is just beginning," Temperley told CNBC at the debut of her Spring/Summer 2013 collectionin London.
Emerging markets were a particular area of strength for her brand, she said. "Turkmenistan—we have a shop there. We also do very well in the Middle East—they love the gowns."
- Read More: Retail’s Hottest Emerging Markets, 2012
Temperley's new collection featured dresses with sheer and silk panels that looked inspired by the fashions of the 1950s. The designer told CNBC that she favors classic styles rather than chasing trends.
But the price of the silk that she uses for her designs has been a concern.
- Watch More: Temperley: People Are Changing How They Shop
"Silk went up around 30 percent so that’s something you have to deal with and work around. Lot of the mills we were using around Europe went out of business because the recessionhit them hard," Temperley said.
Alice Temperley partners with department store John Lewis for her middle-market brand, and her "Somerset by Alice Temperley" brand for the high street store became John Lewis' fastest selling line in the store's history.
Jo Hooper, Head of Buying for John Lewis said that, "Alice and I are thrilled by customers' enthusiasm for Somerset by Alice Temperley brand. These levels of sales for a brand launch are totally unprecedented at John Lewis."
As for whether or not an IPOis in her company's future, Temperley didn't say no.
"If it (going public) makes sense—possibly."
-By CNBC's Kelly Evans
@Kelly_Evans
