NEW YORK, Jul 22, 2002 / --- The renaissance at Michel Klein continues to gather force.

The designer has signed a deal with the powerful Japanese fashion group Itokin to launch his hit MK Michel Klein collection internationally.

Since its debut in Japan over a decade ago, MK Michel Klein has been a major success in the Japanese market, but never before retailed outside of that market.

"It has one of the best sell-throughs of any designer label in Japan, so it's very exciting to introduce the collection in Europe and the United States," Klein told FWD.

Plans now are to unveil the collection to the trade in September at the Fame salon at the Paris Porte de Versailles trade show center.

The designer is also considering staging a runway show in Paris this October to present MK Michel Klein to the press.

"The collection will include far more prints and embroideries, with lots of far-flung influences, from where one dances the tango to where one sees the samba, with floral skirts and colorful dresses," explained Michel over lunch in The Hotel Costes in Paris.

The move marks a major step for Klein, whose signature look is his famed mono-color Mao jacket.

Klein's career as a designer has been a little checkered, from his early days as an independent label and a mid-90s stint as a couturier with Guy Laroche, through to his recent revival, initiated with the opening of a stylish flagship boutique at 332 rue Saint Honore in Paris, opposite everybody's favorite Paris shopping destination, Colette.

Underlying Klein's resurgence, his Mao jacket recently sold 700 units in Bon Marche, the key Left Bank department store.

However, a successful introduction of MK Michel Klein would truly re-launch him internationally.

The collection is certainly priced competitively: cotton shorts will start at $25, embroidered jackets or silk pants at $60.

One indication of how much Klein believes in this collection is the costly, and ultimately successful, lawsuit he waged in Paris to prevent Michael Kors from naming his second line MK as well.

MK Michel Klein will hit department store shelves in the U.S. in early January 2003, offering a new, younger audience the chance to get to know one of Paris's drollest designers.