British high street fashion label River Island is making its return to Singapore after closing all its branches in the city state in 2012.

This time, River Island will trade its products through e-tailer Zalora. It will feature its Autumn-Winter collection including apparel, shoes, bags and accessories.

River Island says it has strong faith in Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market, hence, the decision to partner with Zalora.

“E-tailers like Zalora are making it easier to reach out to a region of over 500 million fashion shoppers without costly investment in retail space,” said River Island marketing director Josie Roscop.

“We want to deliver the latest trends through the River Island experience, and we need a reliable process to facilitate this swiftly. We strongly believe in Zalora’s capability to be that avenue for us, and that’s why we’re back,” adds Roscop.

Zalora’s regional MD Harry Marki expects e-commerce to grow more, in tandem with the spectacular penetration rate of Internet connectivity and smartphones.

“At the same time, as international brands make their way into Asia, savvy shoppers are going online to satisfy their need for more current and diverse product offerings,” he said.