Crest Link – 10th Anniversary of passion and prudence for the golf apparel leader in Asia

June 23, 2016 – It seems like it was only yesterday when Raymond K. S. Yee, CEO of a large clothing manufacturer in Malaysia, had the idea of ​​creating a golf clothing brand. And it’s difficult to believe that it was more than a decade ago when the Crest Link brand was officially launched at Palm Garden Golf Club, on December 8^th 2005, in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia and sister city of Kuala Lumpur.

While the road has been entertaining and fun, Raymond has managed the growth through a prudent and carefully planned expansion. “The past ten years have gone by really fast, because we have been working hard on opening new markets, which is really challenging. Before we venture into a country, we make frequent trips there to study and analyse the market,” says the cofounder and CEO of the company.

“Golf is a niche market and we are up against the big boys of the apparel industry. But after 10 years, we are much more comfortable now as we know the business well and we are confident of bringing new products and ideas into the market that will work. We can create anything in terms of design, but we have to know what people want,” adds Raymond Yee.

Crest Link is now present in no less than 19 countries worldwide, expanding from its first forays into the Asia Pacific to achieve Middle East and even Southern Europe. This expansion of the distribution has been accompanied by a continued increase of Ambassadors in the Tour, including the 2005 US Open champion, New Zealander Michael Campbell. This year Crest Link has scored the first victory of the brand on the European Tour triumph thanks to S.S.P. Chawrasia in India Open. In addition, the brand is associated with renowned professional events.

For several seasons, Crest Link has been the official apparel of tournaments such as the Malaysian Open, the Singapore Open, the Australian PGA Championship, the Spanish Open, the Northern Ireland Open, and most recently, the Australia Open.

“Our presence at these events really helps in our branding through the live telecasts and also direct exposure to the consumers golfers,” said Raymond Yee.

Despite the expansion, the staff strength of the company has remained lean with a headcount of less than 10.

“We are very hands-on with the business and we have really dedicated staff. That’s important because with our international presence there may be a late call from our Middle East or Europe distributor and our staff are always ready to answer any queries,” recalls Raymond Yee.

Crest Link polo shirts are highly appreciated. They are made of high quality microfibre imported from Taiwan and made in the company’s plant just outside Kuala Lumpur. Microfibre is a material made of high quality yarn and has a registered trademark of Micro-Dri, offering extremely efficient moisture absorption and evaporation, and a lightweight and comfortable feel.

Marketing Director of Crest Link, Carlton Chua, also co-founder of the brand, highlights the fact that they are both owners and manufacturers at the same time, which gives them a significant advantage over other brands in the region.

“We are able to come up to six or seven different productions for each collection. Some brands are weak in fabrication and that makes us stand out,” adds Carlton Chua.

So, what are the next steps for Crest Link at the beginning of its second decade? Further expansion but with prudence, naturally.

Crest Link has recently established its first joint venture abroad, partnering with its existing distributor in Indonesia, leading to the birth of PT Crest Link Indonesia Jaya.

“We set up this joint venture in Indonesia as we see it as a market with huge potential. We appointed a distributor in Pakistan earlier this year, and we’ve actually got an enquiry about bringing Crest Link to Mexico,” says Carlton Chua. And with the growing business in Europe, Malaysia’s most successful brand in the golf industry seems unstoppable.

Crest Link distributions worldwide:

• Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Philippines, China.
• Oceania: Australia, New Zealand.
• Middle East: Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman.
• Europe: UK, France, Spain, Portugal.
  

Some of the Brand Ambassadors of Crest Link:

• India: Chiragh Kumar, S.S.P. Chawrasia,
• Australia: Craig Hancock, Kim Felton, Michael Moore, Jordan Sherratt, Matthew Steiger, Adam Crawford, Steve Allan.
• New Zealand: Michael Campbell, Gareth Paddison.
• UK: Jason Palmer, James Busby
• Ireland: Damien McGrane, Peter Lawrie, Chris Selfridge, Brian Casey
• France: Cyril Bouniol

More information at www.crestlink.net.

By REDACCIÓN