Designs for life

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If you just look at the demographics and the buying power and the population, it could happen.

"We're so well known everywhere in the world, and these emerging economies - whether it be China, India, Russia or the Middle East - more than compensate for the kind of softness which we are seeing in Europe and the US right now," he adds, suggesting that the firm is looking for an average of 10% growth globally over the next 10 years, and beyond.

"Long-term, I think that kind of growth is a very realistic expectation."

In the Middle East, CK will concentrate on launching more free-standing stores, a mechanism that serves as both a commercial and brand awareness platform.

CK no longer suffers from the logistical problems that once hampered international firms and made it difficult for them to get products to market; its distribution method is now as sophisticated as that in Europe or even the US, and there should be no delay in speeding the latest lines to existing stores in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar and Oman.

Just now, the company's underwear, jeans and fragrance are its big hitters in the Middle East.

Yet while Murry concedes that CK advertising images in the Middle East are tailored to the region's sensitivities - "they are a little more restrained than what we might show in other parts of the world" - he is unsure that the company will ever create a fashion line designed primarily with the Middle East in mind.

"We're a global brand, we stand for one specific image, and fortunately there is a pretty large consumer base that responds to what CK does on a global basis," he argues.

One of the things we talk about is that it's important to have a global identity, but with regional specialisation.

However, that regional specialisation is really just a nuance - it's not a big difference, and we don't offer anything throughout the world that's not consistent with the CK image.

"We could change that and we might have a short-term increase in volume, but that's not who we are - we want to have consistency with the image because that means longevity," he continues.

"We refer to ourselves as being fashionable but not necessarily trendy, as the duration of a trend is very short by its very nature."

The longevity of the brand will be brought into sharp focus in September, when CK celebrates its 40th anniversary.

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