How Is The Development Of Japanese Fast Fashion Brands In China?

What is fast fashion? Fast fashion originated in Europe in the middle of the last century. At first, it was only a fast imitation of fashion design, but since its evolution, "fast fashion" has become a popular endorsement of fashion trends.

They rely on lower prices to occupy an important position in the market and attack mainstream consumers.

The most representative brands in fast fashion are mainly ZARA, GAP, H&M, UNIQLO and so on. They occupy almost the majority of the fast fashion market.

Where is the fast and how to achieve it?

The fast fashion brand is mainly reflected in the fact that these enterprises usually combine the luxurious and changeable fashion and quality with the common price of the masses, so as to sell "fashion" like McDonald's selling hamburgers.

In the supply chain, they cut down layers of middlemen, and feed consumers' purchase and demand information to the manufacturers at the fastest speed, and update their products at high frequency.

In addition, fast fashion brands usually employ super high salaries.

Designers join, create a first-class image, let consumers produce: "spend the least money, buy the most fashionable product" illusion.

When it comes to the fast fashion industry, Japan, with many fast fashion brands, will have to mention it.

How fast is Japan's fast fashion brand in China?

As a fashion capital, Japan has a pivotal position in the fast fashion industry.

Especially in the Asian region, it has attracted countless fans.

Japan's fast fashion brands, represented by UNIQLO and MUJI, are more famous than GU and DAHE.

UNIQLO

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In September 2002, China's first UNIQLO store opened in Shanghai.

According to Japanese media, fast retailing group said its brand of UNIQLO plans to develop in China at the rate of 100 new stores a year. It is expected that in the next five years, the number of stores in China will exceed that in Japan.

In the first half of 2015, the number of stores in UNIQLO in China was close to 470, about the sum of H&M and GAP stores in China.

Of the ten newly opened 95 stores in the first half of 2015, 31 of UNIQLO accounted for 79 cities in China.

In addition, in the 2015 pairs of 11, UNIQLO won the clothing category champion with 600 million of sales, and became a well deserved "list tyrant".

Online and offline are all blooming, and UNIQLO is in Japan's fast fashion brand.

MUJI

In July 2005, its Shanghai store was officially opened.

In 2015, business income rose 90% in 3-5 months.

At present, Muji has 28 stores in the country and more than 100 in Japan.

In July 24, 2015, the Muji parent company's good quality plan decided that after August 2015, the price of clothing and other products of about 260 categories sold in China will be reduced by 20% on average.

It is expected to attract more middle-class consumers in the future.

GU

In the autumn of 2013, GU entered China, which was nearly 12 years later than UNIQLO.

In fast fashion, the price of UNIQLO has been counted as "close to the people", but the price of GU is about 20%~30% lower than that of the former.

Over the past two years, GU's progress in the Chinese market has been somewhat "slow".

As of 2015, GU only opened two stores in China, in addition to the first flagship store in Huaihailu Road, another Shanghai Hongqiao shopping mall still in Changning District.

Insiders say that although GU and UNIQLO belong to a group, it is very difficult for them to become famous after entering the market late.

IMAGE

In 2012, the Japanese IMAGE group formally entered China and announced the exclusive cooperation plan with both sides.

It is reported that IMAGE believes that the traditional way to enter China through offline stores has been out of date, so the "curve" has entered China.

However, according to the market situation in recent two years, IMAGE

Still not optimistic, slow progress.

BAROQUE

BAROQUE, which has entered the Chinese market almost at the same time as IMAGE, has had different results. Since its entry in the past two years, it has opened stores in Chaoyang, Xidan, Beijing and Sanlitun Village, and has opened 22 stores in China.

Baroque Baroque has said that after the acquisition, it plans to add 100 stores a year in China.

With the growth of business in China, Baroque Baroque hopes to use BELLE international and CDH investment financial support to expand in other Asian markets and even the European and American markets, and become a major clothing and shoe retailer in Asia.

Japan's fast fashion brands in China -- mixed feelings

Generally speaking, the development of Japanese fast fashion brands in China is good and bad.

The development speed of UNIQLO, Muji and BAROQUE is faster than that of its local market. The reason for this situation is not difficult to understand. Its local market has been saturated and the development speed has reached a stable period. The Chinese market is still a strange environment for them.

In the early expansion period, it will grow at a high speed.

On the other hand, the development of GU and IMAGE is not optimistic.

For GU, although the price range was misplaced with UNIQLO, the Chinese market was too late to enter China, and finally missed the opportunity for development.

For IMAGE, it is a strategic failure. It underestimates the complexity of China's clothing electricity supplier market, coupled with the increasing number of competitors, so it is difficult to achieve large-scale expansion.

As China's retail market becomes more and more fragmented, differentiated competition has become the only way for many brands.

From mail order to physical stores, from physical stores to offline layouts, the strategy of Japanese fast fashion brands has been changing in China.

In the context of the global fast fashion development trend, can the Japanese fast fashion brand go faster and faster? Perhaps only the fast fashion brand that is good at changing and innovating can stand firmly on the fast fashion market in China.