The last two years the domestic apparel industry is undoubtedly a long cold period, closed shop, discount, clearance stocks continued to be staged, many garment enterprises face tight cash flow, profits decline, dealers and other problems have become increasingly prominent, even once vociferous public Internet clothing brand also began to experience difficulties. But not all brands have begun to tighten their belts to prepare for tough times ahead, such as domestic original designer brand “exceptional” (EXCEPTION).
May 15, the 67th Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony, Chinese director Jia Zhangke dressed in “exceptional” tailored black suit their debut attracted many domestic entertainment and fashion media attention. In recent years, the domestic high-end apparel from China brand, always surprising ways, and surprising, “spokesperson” frequently appear in the Chinese view. Now, it seems that even discuss the “exceptions” are quite a fashion thing.
Whether this has been a low-key niche brand, what kind of attraction that can gather many heavyweight loyal “fans”?
Exceptions influential in the industry, but until recently only two known domestic high-end clothing brands, from the outset, seem very different: it is positioned a small minority of women, and since its inception almost do not do advertising, no brand spokesperson.
But is such a low-key “heresy”, when it was understood by the public, has become a frequent talk of many arts star brand, gathered from a large number of high fixed customer loyalty.
“Exceptions” How to win the brand co-founder, Guangzhou “exceptional” Garments Co., Ltd., Chairman Mao Jihong our interview, said:? “‘Exceptional’ success is different, it is a partial philosophy of the brand, not a fashion trend to function as a measure of women’s clothes, not just the visual experience, but the inner feelings. ”
In addition to the brand philosophy deliberately impetuous and radical distinction made in popular symbol in the specific business operations, did the designer did the marketing Mao Jihong chose a “reverse traditional and mainstream moving” slow thermal growth route, he said, business owners should think about how to get back, “the origin of the original enterprise,” adding that “exceptional” This year’s theme is to “return to origin”, the establishment of the brand’s core niche barriers – “Back to clothing , so the brand is not easy for someone else to take away most of that stuff. ”
Cut a niche brand “moat”
A long huts, which is a long aisle, both sides of the wall is made of wood. When a reporter walked into the “exceptional” store this huge space, see the alternative pictures of trees and dirt, wood, linen and a bare light bulb store, etc. The most simple of these materials, feels like a walk into a clothing store.
Mao Jihong said that differentiate the traditional storefront decor, is “exceptional” an important way to communicate ideas to customers. He said that the so-called Internet of thinking, in essence, and really do under the user’s line of business as the core competitiveness comes from the grab users’ pain points. ”
In his opinion, in recent years, devastated the clothing market has been in existence as a potential high-margin depression, and that is the high-end women’s clothing market. According to his analysis, customer sensitive mind of this market, accustomed to life with a variety of symbols to disguise himself, and this group is also a willingness to comply with their inner feelings, emotional appeal elements attached to pay high-priced products – “I In society, I told things, the environment, and the relationship of the surrounding people, is a new values. ”
Zhang and internationally renowned architects such evaluation was “exceptional”: “In the absence of ‘exceptional’ Before, Chinese women are wearing clothes for others; With the ‘exception’, the Chinese women are wearing clothes for themselves.”
In the product positioning, Mao Jihong said “exceptional” is determined from birth began to create something different out: most clothing brands from 80% to 90% of the time and effort spent on straightforward visual effects, The “exceptional” more attention needs to slow down and carefully feel the tactile experience, the 60% of the time and effort spent on product tactile.
The support of this concept is the “exception” from the outset, focusing on anti-rust and anti-fast speed design.
1996 creation of “exceptional” clothing when Mao Jihong through extensive market research found that, when the Chinese clothing market despite many brands, but the original design is a domestic brand of small, mostly “exotic”, and low original design brand positioning, very few high-end brands. Mao Jihong that this is a potential niche blue ocean.
Accurately identify the product and market positioning, the “exception” to start trying to cut their own brand of clothing materials on “moat”: that is, they have been exclusively developed fabrics. Since 2005, Mao Jihong in “exceptional” the creation of five laboratories: studio-woven, woolen studio, studio accessories, dyeing and finishing laboratories, quality laboratories. The five laboratories is to emulate Mao Jihong Bell Labs created the Mao Jihong opinion, this sink in the heart, in the fabric of working slowly and deliberately elegant, reflecting the value of their brand proposition.
Through these five laboratories, “exceptional” conduct, including fabrics, designs, brands and other front-end development. Mao Jihong example, they developed a fabric called guard hair, lint with a needle into the fabric, showing a sense of the landscape of the stroke. In addition, currently only sold in Guangzhou Fang “exceptional” men, but also their laboratory’s research products.
In 2012, Mao Jihong has created a “YMOYNOT” brand. The reason for the creation of this brand, Mao said: “Contemporary young designers hope to have a better platform to express, this platform allows them to take a little detour less, especially young designers make better orient oriental language around Habitat to do design. ”
In recent years, the Chinese market is the emergence of a lot of designer brands, as China’s oldest extant designer brand founder, Mao Jihong believe that the most important fashion designers to develop their own core competitiveness, concern traditional culture, with their own unique language to express their understanding and appreciation of clothing. If the designer will simply copying foreign rudely digest the idea, not concerned about materials and processes need to spend time and energy on these key elements of precipitation, it is only formalism, “like papered body, a poke on the break. ”
In bookstores selling clothes
Present in all industries rely on advertising bombardment simple and quick marketing era. Many clothing brands for sales and busy looking spokesperson, planning activities title, “exceptional” but almost never advertised, nor high-profile public relations and publicity, even if a number of celebrity clients have the resources, “exceptions” rarely come up for publicity . Mao Jihong said Li holding the Eiffel Tower in Paris during the French Open trophy before the picture was wearing “exceptional,” but they did not take this thing to do targeted marketing plan.
In addition, like LV, Hermes and other international luxury brands, own Logo are very clear and eye-catching, but as a Chinese local brands, “exceptional” apparel products at almost no one will be able to identify the brand identity.
Mao Jihong went on to say: “‘exception’ does not advertise, our path is through the shop and some of the ‘others can not imagine the events’ in-depth audience’s heart.”
But that does not mean “exceptional” no marketing, but in terms of marketing channels sword easy road.
Such as “exceptional” clothing “double exceptional” shop in the country’s first combination of clothing and books retail model. According to Mao Jihong idea, “double-sided exceptional” exception on behalf of both clothing and also read exception is “exceptional × exceptional” double synergistic effect.
In fact, Mao Jihong confirming the “exceptional” style, has been on top of marketing efforts in the culture.
“Exceptional” 12 birthday that day, “Beijing SOGO eco-shop” opened in Mao Jihong opinion, this store is “double exception” upgrade. And “exceptional” different general stores, “double exception” in costume, based on the increase of books. And this is named “state” eco stores, in addition to clothing and books, store decoration materials used in all environmental and recycling, but also spread some household items, reflecting a kind of “exceptional” way of life, to construct a contemporary life aesthetic living space related.
In 2011, a small minority literary “parties” on the Taikoo Hui Guangzhou in the most high-end shopping malls, and Hermes, LV, Dior and other luxury goods neighbors. As “exceptional” channel model to explore the product, this 600 square meters of bookstores, bookstore collection, “aesthetic life”, coffee, exhibition space and apparel fashion and other Mixed into one. Carefully selected the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan 40,000 kinds of books and nearly thousands of English-language publications, including design, art, architecture books in the country are rare.
方所源 first trip to Taiwan in Mao Jihong’s. In 2005, he first walked into the Eslite Bookstore in Taiwan, where the subversion of Mao Jihong bookstore impression: The book is carefully selected, reading environment is elegant and comfortable. “So you can do too unusual bookstore.” After careful thought, Mao Jihong decided to do their own bookstore.
Addition and subtraction store prices
As a low-key emphasis on cultural marketing clothing brand, “exceptional” in the channel and how does it work? See “Exceptions” has always attached importance to the channel terminal control.
Than “exceptions” to take the franchise mode in the channel, in addition to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to join the applicant directly to the “exceptional” companies to apply in other areas of cooperation are to the local agents, who are responsible for approving and coordination of shop matters.
Meanwhile, the “exceptional” set a series of dynamic indicators, benefit assessment, such as single-store monthly sales, annual sales, generated from a single store per square meter, depending on the development of 60 stores, etc., Store up to a certain indicators will continue to develop new and higher targets. Through this series of assessment and tracking management, based on a strong control over its stores.
In addition, the shop location, store design, staff management and training, “exceptional” also has its own set of standards.
Such as “exceptional” first bookstore and clothing store a combination of “double store” on the choice settled in Kunming; while selecting the first clothing store settled in the home and cosmopolitan Beijing Guomao, where “exceptional “The introduction of the Hong Kong home brand” GOD “. Mao Jihong said: “Exceptions” are constantly moving in the direction of fine management efforts to continue to improve the terminal control.
“Exception” also focused on enhancing the internal structure of the terminal control set up, it was set up from the start-up period to buy a hand built buy hand shop business model to enhance the capacity of the terminal operations. Buy Hand employees from the production, sales or marketing department, responsible for bringing together the upstream and downstream industry chain information for product and market analysis, foreign direct face franchisee stores and terminals, internal working operations of various departments, are concentrated in and buy coordination of the hand, as the Ministry has decided to buy a hand how much power production quantities, can provide advice on clothing styles, so the formation of coordination, information sharing flat corporate organizational structure.
As early as the end of 2004 to reduce the number of stores during the period, the company is also a corresponding contraction of the market, the center of gravity away from the pursuit of shop number and scale. Meanwhile, the “exceptional” set up three departments to strengthen the necessary terminal control: brand communication department, training department and VIP customer management.
In 2008, Mao Jihong overall contraction in the number of stores at the same time, doubling the price of the clothes. Thus, the 100 stores that year to become today’s 60, the price range can be adjusted from 500 to 800 yuan to 1,500 yuan to 1,000 fully take the high road.
“If at that time not to upgrade, we will be swept away like garbage.” Mao Jihong said.
Planning for the future channels, Mao Jihong said: “I hope the channel itself can give consumers a different experience, like a dream like experience”, and parties is based on this consideration, the future parties in the country.
Mao Jihong the parties interpreted as “a cultural platform.” Specialty coffees here are meandering read the promenade, there are fragrant, creative design products, there are “exceptional” costumes, which to break with tradition and creative features to attract Liang Tao, Zhou Yun Peng, Wu and many other This exchange of cultural celebrities to share. Mao said that this year, the parties may open two or three new home in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing and other cities.
Review: Do not follow the style of aesthetic culture
Chinese consumers are experiencing changes in consumer spending from the symbol and then to the consumer culture to taste, especially in order to dress as the representative of the fashion consumption, which is highly correlated with the process of globalization the Chinese way of life. In the past, many women in a subordinate position in society, and therefore, more fashion consumer motivation is to gain social recognition and self-security, follow the sign of the big fashion consumption has become mainstream. However, when women’s status and role in society more diverse, as more and more well-educated, has a wealth of life experience and international vision female consumer groups appeared, appeared distinction in women fashion consumer groups, beginning Concerned about the aesthetic appearance group of inner self, personality, experience and style of consumer groups, the original designer has become an important part of consumer groups chose this, so the “exceptional”, just hit the consumer wave of this part of the female consumer groups.
Exceptions in the design captures the roots of culture. In Chinese, the meaning of the brand to bring consumers to find and express the cultural roots of this origin once caught and turned into the design concept, consumers will be able to hit the heart, which is “exceptional” as defined in brand essence, “exceptional” is a partial philosophy of the brand, not a fashion trend, to function as a measure of women’s clothes, not just the visual experience, but the inner feelings. Thus, consumers will experience the inner world and the external aesthetic conducted in-depth integration, which is the big high-profile international route is not the same.
In China, consumer culture has entered no longer separated by demography and sociology and ethnic personalized era, with the advent of the Internet society, transparency of information, everyone is looking for constant self in a rapidly changing world of information value and significance, particularly in the city’s high-end women’s groups, “exceptional”, very precise grasp of the inner world filled with art, and in the social arena and the pursuit of self and sense of control groups of women, this part of the population do not go with the flow of high-quality people, they need unique aesthetic, cultural and personalized style and a different experience. For the purposes of this part of the group that he is controlled fashion, they want the inner world meet.
However, in order to capture this consumer groups, is not easy, it requires companies to have enough patience, you need to realize that language and style, and establish a rigorous support system, and to think about how to fashion the material and human culture expression to establish contact. “Exceptional” In this regard there is adequate preparation on the one hand, the exception is not a high-profile, if not the first lady of the news, today’s “exception” is still a popular brand in small circles; On the other hand, as its founding people said, since 2005, the “Exceptions” on the creation of five laboratories: studio-woven, woolen studio, studio accessories, dyeing and finishing laboratories, quality laboratories. This approach explains the most important part of the designer brands, materials, technology development itself is just the outward form, but the positioning and design language and style is the same, what style of clothing design, material and style how to support such a language, this is science.
For these consumption “exceptional” consumers, low-key, but let it become a small minority of the world in a marketing way to win followers. Consumer groups are usually designer brands, are critical for the quality of life is full of groups, their attention to detail is very easy to design details to impress, and is likely due to the details of the loss. For a country with a unique aesthetic designer brands, not only to prevent even the brand personality too “over-design” tendencies, but also the need to avoid the embarrassment of public fashion inflows in the fashion field.
“Exceptional” marketing and brand communication, neither take the public route, not the route to go big, this is the same strain, and its design, the designer brand is designed to use the language and context to resonate with consumers. In many cases, the concept is difficult to spread the aesthetic expression, “exceptional” final choice is aesthetic experience and cultural scene to contribute to the proliferation of word of mouth marketing, for example, set up a “two-sided exceptional” shop “state” eco-store establishment, etc., which in itself is a commodity in the world and the inner world that combines the aesthetic space, consumers in this space, it is very clear what they need is.
China’s integration into the global wave of fashion now, but the original is a Chinese fashion designer has won world recognition of the future starts today, “exceptional” kind of brand consumer groups seem minority groups, however, it is these minority groups, In defining the new art of living and quality of spending, while leading the public fashion. “Exceptional” achievements, is not an exception.
