The value of the exception to find the depression, it is the majority of clothing brand enterprises abandoned

In the current impetuous radical apparel industry, "exceptional" to find the value of the depression, it is the majority of clothing brand enterprises abandoned: In the mass market small demand, in the fast fashion era to do high-end brands.

Exceptional costumes Move Upstream

May 15, the opening ceremony of the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival, Chinese director Jia dressed in the "exception" for its tailored black suit appearance, has aroused many domestic entertainment and fashion media attention. In recent years, this high-end apparel brand from China, always in the unexpected way, and the unexpected "spokesperson" frequently appear in the people's eyes. Now, it seems that even the discussion of the "exception" is quite fashionable.

What is this brand that has always been low-key, what kind of attraction, can gather a lot of heavyweight loyal "fan"?

The last two years is undoubtedly the long cold wave period in the domestic apparel industry, closing, discounts, inventory continued to show, many garment enterprises suffered cash flow, profit decline, the increasingly prominent dealer contradictions, and even once noisy internet public clothing brand has begun to encounter difficulties. But not all brands have begun to tighten their belts to prepare for bitter days, such as the "exception" to the domestic original designer brand (EXCEPTION).

This is influential in the industry, but until the last two years to be known as the domestic high-end clothing brand, since the beginning is very different: it locates small women, and since its inception almost no advertising publicity, there is no brand image spokesperson.

But it is such a low-key "heresy", when the public understood, has become a lot of literary and art celebrities frequently talk about the brand, gathered a large number of highly loyal fixed customers.

How does an exception win? Mao Jihong, chairman of the brand co-founder and Guangzhou "exceptional" Garments Co., Ltd., said: "' exceptional ' success is different, it is a partial philosophy of the brand, not fashion, trends, the women's function as a measure of clothing, and not just the feelings of the vision, but the feelings of the heart." ”

In addition to the brand concept deliberately with the radical impetuous popular symbols to distinguish between, in the specific operation of the enterprise, has done a designer has also done marketing Mao Jihong chose a "reverse tradition and the mainstream and move" slow hot growth route, he said business operators should think how to return to the "Enterprise original point", and said "exceptional" The theme this year is to build the core barrier of this niche brand by "going back to the origin"-"go back to the thing that makes clothes and makes brands the hardest to be taken away by others." ”

Digging the "moat" of niche brands

A long wooden house with long walkways and wooden walls on both sides. When the reporter walked into the "exceptional" store this huge space, see is alternative to the trees and mud pictures, the shop in the wood, linen and bare light bulbs, such as the most simple materials, make people feel like walking into a clothing store.

Mao Jihong said that the district is separated from the traditional store style decoration, but also "exceptional" to convey the concept of the customer an important way. He said that the so-called internet thinking, in essence and the real users of the offline enterprise, the core competitiveness are from the user's "pain point."

In his view, in recent years Aihongbianye clothing market in fact there has been a potential high margin of depression, that is high-end women's clothing market. According to his analysis, the market is sensitive to the customer's mind, in life is accustomed to using various symbols to disguise their own, and this group is willing to the feelings of their own heart, attached to the emotional appeal of the elements of the high price products pay-"I in society, I and things, the environment, as well as the surrounding people of this relationship, is a new value." ”

Chang, an international renowned architect, has said the exception: "In the absence of an exception, Chinese women dress for others and, with the exception, Chinese women dress for themselves." ”

In terms of product positioning, Mao Jihong said that "exception" from the birth is decided to create something different: Most clothing brands spend 80%~90% time and energy on simple and direct visual effects, and "exceptions" pay more attention to the need to slow down and carefully feel the tactile experience, the 60% The time and energy spent on product tactile.

To support this idea, is the "exception" since the beginning of the focus on the anti-speed decay and anti-fast food design.

1996, the creation of "exceptional" clothing, Mao Jihong through a wide range of market research found that the Chinese clothing market, despite the vast number of brands, but the original design of the domestic brand is not much, mostly "import", and the original design brand positioning low, high-end brand very few. Mao Jihong that this is a potential small blue ocean.

After finding the product and market positioning, the "exception" began to try to carve their own brand "moat" in the clothing materials: that is, they have been the exclusive development of cloth. Since 2005, Mao Jihong has created five laboratories in the "exceptional": needle-woven studios, woolen studios, accessories studios, dyeing and finishing laboratories, quality laboratories. These five laboratories are Mao Jihong imitate Bell Labs to establish, in Mao Jihong view, this kind of sinking heart to, in the cloth slow work out malt's exquisite, manifests own brand the value proposition.

Through these five laboratories, "exceptional" has been carried out, including cloth, design, brand and other front-end research and development. Mao Jihong, for example, they developed a cloth called needle hair, with a needle will be inserted into the fabric of cotton wool, showing a kind of landscape strokes feeling. In addition, currently only in Guangzhou side of the sale of "exceptional" menswear, but also their laboratory research and development products.

2012, Mao Jihong also created a "Ymoynot" brand. For the reason for the creation of the brand, Mao said: "The contemporary young designers want a better platform to express, the platform so that they take a little detour, especially for the Orient's young designers better around the oriental context to do design." ”

In recent years, the Chinese market has also emerged a lot of designer brands, as China's oldest existing designer brand founder, Mao Jihong that the most important fashion designer is to cultivate their core competitiveness, pay attention to traditional culture, with their own unique language to express their understanding of the clothing. If the designer will simply and rudely digest the concept of foreign countries, do not pay attention to materials and processes these need to spend energy and time precipitation of the key elements, it can only be formalistic things, "like a paper paste of the shell, a poke on the broken." ”

Sell clothes in a bookstore

Now all industries are in the era of relying on simple and quick advertising bombing for marketing. Many clothing brands in order to sell and busy looking for spokesmen, planning naming activities, "exception" but almost never advertising, and no high-profile PR publicity, even with some celebrity customer resources, "exceptions" are rarely taken out for publicity. Mao Jihong said that Li Na was wearing the "exception" when she took the French Cup in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but they did not use the matter as a targeted marketing plan.

In addition, such as the LV, love Hermès and other international luxury brands, their own logo are very obvious and eye-catching, but as a local brand, "exceptional" clothing products can hardly find a brand identification.

Mao Jihong said: "The exception is not advertising, our path is through the store and some ' other people can not imagine the activities ' deep into the audience's heart." ”

But this does not mean that the "exception" is not marketing, but in marketing channels sword walk slant.

For example, "exceptional" clothing "two-sided exception" shop, in the domestic first clothing and books combined with the retail model. According to Mao Jihong, the "two-sided exception" represents both an exception to the costume and an exception to the reading, which is the double multiplier effect of the exception X exception.

In fact, Mao Jihong has been working on cultural marketing after confirming the "exceptional" style.

"Exception" 12 Birthday Day, "Beijing Sogo Ecological Shop" opened, in Mao Jihong view, this shop is "two-sided exception" of the upgraded version. Unlike the "exception" of ordinary stores, "two-sided exception" in the clothing based on the addition of books. The "state" of the eco-shop, in addition to clothing and books, store decoration all adopt environmental protection and recycling materials, but also spread some household items, embodies an "exceptional" lifestyle, the construction of a contemporary life and aesthetics related to living space.

In the 2011, the minority Literature and Art "Fang" opened in the Taikoo Hui, Guangzhou, the highest end of the shopping malls, and Hermes, LV, Dior and other luxury adjacent habitat. As an "exceptional" channel model to explore the product, the 600-square-metre bookstore, set bookstore, "Aesthetic life", coffee, exhibition space and apparel fashion and other mixed operation as a whole. Carefully selected the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan 40,000 kinds of books and nearly all kinds of English publications, including design, art, architecture books in the country are rare to see.

The party originated from Mao Jihong's trip to Taiwan. In 2005, he first entered the Taiwan's Prudential Goods Bookstore, which overturned Mao Jihong's impression of the bookstore: The book is carefully selected, the reading environment is elegant and comfortable. "The original bookstore can also be done differently. After careful thinking, Mao Jihong decided to run his own bookstore.

Store Subtraction and price addition

As a focus on cultural marketing low-key clothing brand, "exception" in the channel is how to operate? It can be seen that the "exception" has always attached importance to the control of the Channel terminal.

"Exceptional" in the channel to take the franchise mode, in addition to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to join the three applicants can directly to the "exception" of the company application, in other regions are to the local cooperation agents, which is responsible for approving and coordinating the opening of the shop matters.

At the same time, the "exception" set a series of dynamic indicators, according to the different development of 60 stores assessment, such as a single store monthly sales, annual sales, single shop per square metre of the benefits generated, in the shop to achieve a certain index will continue to develop new higher indicators. Through this series of assessment and tracking management, the headquarters of its stores have a strong control.

In addition, in the shop location, store design, staff management training, "Exceptions" are also set their own standards.

For example, the "exception" of the first bookstore and clothing store combination of "two-sided shop" to choose to stay in Kunming, Yunnan, and the first clothing home shop is chosen to settle in the metropolis of Beijing Guomao store, where the "exception" to the introduction of Hong Kong home brand "G.O.D." Mao Jihong said: "The exception" is still in the direction of meticulous management efforts to continuously improve the terminal control.

The "exception" of the internal structure is also around the lifting of the terminal control Force, it set up from the start-up period to buy hands, set up shop business model, to enhance the ability to operate the terminal. Purchasing hand employees from the production, sales or marketing departments, responsible for the collection of upstream and downstream industry chain information for product and market analysis, external directly to the franchisee and terminal shop, internal departments of the work operations, are concentrated in the hand with the purchase of coordination, such as buying hands have the decision to determine the number of production power, can be on the clothing style suggestions, So the formation of mutual coordination, information sharing flat enterprise organizational structure.

As early as the end of 2004 to reduce the number of open shop during the company's internal contraction of the market, the focus from the pursuit of the number of outlets and the size of the effect on the move away. At the same time, "exceptions" set up the three departments necessary to strengthen terminal control: Brand communications, training and VIP customer management.

In the 2008, Mao Jihong The price of clothing by one-fold as it shrank the number of shops in full. As a result, the 100 stores became today's 60, the price range from 500~800 yuan to 1000~1500 yuan, the overall higher end of the route.

"If we do not ascend at that time, we will be swept away like rubbish," he said. "Mao Jihong said.

For future channel planning, Mao Jihong said: "Hope that the channel itself can give consumers some different experience, like a dream of the same experience," and the party is based on such considerations, the future will be promoted in the country.

Mao Jihong interpreted the side as "a cultural platform". There are winding reading corridor, aroma of the characteristics of coffee, creative design products, there are "exceptional" costumes, it to break the traditional and creative characteristics of the Liangwendao, Yunpeng, Wu and many other cultural celebrities to this exchange and share. Mao said that this year, the side may be in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing and other cities to open two or three new.

(Journal of Business Review/Zhaohui)

Comment on: The cultural style esthetics that does not follow

Chinese consumers are experiencing a shift from symbolic consumption to taste consumption to cultural consumption, especially in fashion, which is represented by apparel, which is highly correlated with the process of globalization of Chinese lifestyles. In the past, many women in society in a subordinate position, therefore, the motivation for fashion consumption is more to obtain social identity and security, following the fashion of the symbolic consumption of the mainstream. However, as women become more and more important in society, when more and more well-educated, rich life experience and international vision of female consumer groups appear, in the female group appeared the dividing line of fashion consumption, began to appear a group of people who pay attention to the inner aesthetic, personality, experience and style of consumption, The original designer brand has become the important choice for this part of the consumer group, therefore, the "exception", just hit this part of the female consumer groups consumption wave.

The exception captures the roots of culture in design. In China, the significance of brand to consumers is the search and expression of cultural roots, once this source is captured and changed into the idea of design, it can hit the consumer's heart, this is the "exception" defined by the essence of the brand, "exception" is a philosophy of the brand, not fashion, trends, women's function as a measure of clothing, It's not just the sense of vision, it's the feeling inside. As a result, it combines the consumer's external aesthetic with the inner-world experience, which is not the same as a High-profile international route.

In China, consumer culture has entered the era of personalization and ethnicity that is no longer a demographic and sociological partition, with the advent of the Internet society, the transparency of information, everyone in the rapidly changing information world to find constant self-worth and significance, especially in the urban high-end female groups, "exceptional", Very precise grasp of the inner world is full of literature and art, but also in the social arena to pursue the sense of self and control of the female group, this group is not the flow of high-end quality of the crowd, they need a unique aesthetic, cultural and personalized style and different experience. For this part of the group, their own control is the fashion, they want to be the satisfaction of the inner world.

However, in order to capture such a consumer group, it is not easy, this requires enterprises have enough patience, to achieve this language and style, to establish a rigorous support system, while thinking about how fashion materials and human culture to establish links. "Exceptions" are well prepared in this respect, on the one hand, the exception is not high-profile, if not the first lady's news, today's "exception" is still a popular brand in a small circle; on the other hand, as the founders said, the "exception" has created five laboratories since 2005: needle-woven studios, Wool weaving Studio, accessories studio, dyeing and finishing laboratories, quality laboratory. This practice illustrates the most important part of the designer brand, materials, technology research and development itself is not only external form, but and design language and style positioning is consistent, design what style of clothing, materials and style to support such language, this is science.

For these consumer "exceptional" consumers, low-key, but let it become a minority in the world to win the followers of a marketing approach. Usually the Consumer designer brand Group, are for the quality of life is full of picky groups, they are very concerned about the details, easy to design details to impress, but also easily lost due to details. For a designer brand with a unique aesthetic, not only to prevent the brand too personal or even "excessive design" trend, but also need to avoid in the fashion field of the embarrassment of the public fashion.

"Exceptional" marketing and brand communication, neither take the popular route, nor take the big routes, this and its design philosophy is the same, the designer brand to use is the design language and context to resonate with consumers. Most of the time, aesthetic concepts are very difficult to communicate with, "exceptions" the ultimate choice is the experience of aesthetic scene and cultural marketing to promote the spread of word-of-mouth, such as the "two-sided exception" shop, "the state" of the establishment of the eco-shop, which in itself is a commodity world and the inner World together aesthetic space, In this space, consumers are very clear about what they need.

China's fashion is embracing the global wave, and the original designer brand is the future of China's fashion to win the world recognition of the beginning, today, "exceptional" brands such as consumer groups appear to be small groups, but it is these small groups, in the definition of new life aesthetics and quality of consumption, while leading the popular fashion. The "exceptional" achievements are no exception.

Reviews/Shoming