Speaking of Thom Browne, perhaps most people can't give them an accurate adjective—especially in China, the low exposure of the brand to the public has made consumers feel a certain distance, or because of some stars, Some people regard it as a street fashion one-sidedly. But for now, Thom Browne's pace in China is gradually accelerating.
If you have been to Shanghai 芮 Europe Department Store recently, you may find the newly opened Thom Browne's independent store – this is Thom Browne's first flagship store in China. This shop is located on the first floor near the gate. Like the brand's stores in Milan and London, with hard metal finishes and a single black and white hue, it continues his collaboration with ASA Studioalbanese architect Flavio Albanese, and the most recognizable is still straight. A desk placed on the door - don't think it's just a show of tricks, the store manager here will really work here. The rigorous and indifferent "office" is not only the decoration style of the store, but also the insistence of Thom Browne on the brand style.
Unlike other brands, Thom Browne opened in a very low-key situation: no opening, no ribbon cutting, no media... After the first flash shop in Beijing SKP last year, the store opened. Thom Browne's real expansion in China, the brand will have five independent stores to open one after another. This style of acting is really Thom Browne.
The so-called brand style is an enlargement of Thom Browne's own style. In the Midtown Manhattan office, the 52-year-old former actor’s work uniforms are always in the form of a suit jacket that is shorter than the average size, an untied Oxford shirt, and a slate gray tie. , a thin knit cardigan and a tight-fitting high-waisted shorts. “It’s amazing, it’s been 15 years, but I still feel that this match is very fresh,†Thom Browne said in an interview.
Perhaps from a different perspective, there are various interpretations of Thom Browne's brand image – some think it is the same contemporary designer brand as Dries Van Noten, and others think it is the future Ralph Lauren. But perhaps for consumers in Asia, especially in mainland China, the brand's perception comes from the star effect brought by Korean star Quan Zhilong or Wu Yifan.
It is for this reason that Thom Browne is more understood by Chinese customers as a street fashion: knit cardigans with three bars, trousers, and slightly weird accessories, full of their first impressions.
However, in the US and European markets, consumers follow Thom Browne's suit design, and many fashion media, including iD and GQ, evaluate it as a design for the transformation of suits. division.
“In the past fifteen years, I have never seen anyone other than Thom Browne able to make such a huge change in men’s dress.†This is from John Demsey, CEO of Estee Lauder Group, who is faithful to Thom Browne. Fans, from the beginning of the brand, he insisted on wearing Thom Browne's custom suit.
Thom Browne was founded in 2001, and Browne's road to brand development is as unobtrusive as my own, but this does not mean that good design is not seen by the public. The brand menswear line has now entered nearly 250 hand-made boutiques around the world, and the women's line launched in 2011 has nearly 120 retail outlets. In the industry, there have been people who said: “Thom Browne has the potential to become a fashion brand worth 100 million US dollars.†In September, he was also awarded the Art Fashion Award at the 2017 Couture Council Award in New York.
As everyone knows, Thom Browne's show has always been a strange show, whether it is model or scene installation, it does not seem to be an American brand's acting style, which also makes many people mistakenly think that he is the same show as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen Master, but ignore his skills in tailoring suits.
Try on Thom Browne's suit. Most people, especially those with less standard body shape, will think that the size will fit so well, and feel as tall as a corrective suit.
In the period from the end of the last century to the new millennium, men's wardrobes were always filled with all kinds of T-shirts and jeans. At this time, the appearance of Thom Browne with strong American style in the 1950s and 1960s was refreshing and originally relaxed. The fat suit was reduced in size to fit the size, and the full length suit trousers were transformed into a nine-point length, high-waist design and western-fitted lap shorts that reveal the ankles. These seemingly small changes were called "Thom Browne" Twist".
“The concept was told by Thom at the time,†Thom Browne CEO Rodrigo Bazan told reporters. “When I first started working, I did very traditional suits. From British fabrics to high-end crafts, I was old, but Thom. It’s just different, the details of the change are the traditional 'twist', and let his design subtly reflect its own characteristics."
Thom Browne, who is rigorous in aesthetics, is also true in character, but it makes him seem out of tune in the fashion circle that he loves. Compared to the popular designer Alexander Wang and others, Thom Browne has no enthusiasm for social networking, and does not know how to expose himself. Even in life, he also shows a cold and somewhat obsessive-compulsive personality - such as I don't like the handles being folded into triangles in the suit pocket, because I feel so refined.
However, Thom Browne and the entire team believe that this is the insistence on brand positioning. “In fact, we don’t have a social account. We opened the Instagram account six years ago. This is the most important (social media) channel, but with other designs. The difference between the division brands is that we will only expose Thom Browne's brand-related design works, but you will never see the content of the designer's own private life," Rodrigo said.
Fashion circle designers are keen to show off parties on social networks, show their star friends, and have a tendency to shape themselves into IP, but these will never appear on Thom Browne. Interestingly, before Rodrigo joined Thom Browne last year, he worked for Alexander Wang.
Although the low-key style of action has not affected the development of the brand, and currently Thom Browne's volume is much larger than its Row, Proenza Schouler and other brands, even close to Alexander Wang, but a recent newspaper in New York published a title called " Is Thom Browne the most underrated American designer brand? According to the report, although the women's wear market performance in New York is outstanding, Browne has never been nominated for any women's awards, and Browne has never been on the list of doubts when various big brands are interested in creative directors. Inside.
For the downfall of Thom Browne in the US fashion market, Browne himself has been repeatedly asked to avoid talking in a timely manner, showing a careless attitude. Rodrigo also said that at the beginning of the brand, Thom Browne also looked at the eyes. Global, not limited, dependent on the United States: "The US market accounts for only 30% of our company, Europe accounts for 40%, Asia accounts for 30%, and as far as our observations are concerned, the trend of the local market is changing. It is faster than the United States," Rodrigo said.
However, the designer's own care does not cover the reality of the American fashion industry. Unlike the European fashion circle, which focuses on the rules of the game, in New York, “the wine is not afraid of the deep alley†does not seem to be fully fulfilled, except for good works, effective Multi-dimensional marketing can make the brand truly seen.
After 16 years of development, the wings have grown, and Thom Browne has a stronger desire to be seen. "We really want to create a more special image, maybe you will understand it as 'niche', but we also hope that our products can reach a wider audience." Rodrigo said, in fact, "niche" is To a simple and rude summary of a number of contemporary designer brands, they have their own styles that are unconventional. These styles are actually a market segment that can meet the needs of different styles of consumers.
The emergence of market segments is a change brought by Chinese consumers in the wave of consumption upgrades. Although the fashion sense of Chinese consumers has been developed late compared to those in Europe and America, the Chinese market has completed the Western market within ten years. There has been no change in ten years. “Chinese consumers quickly and deeply understand various brands through digital networks and devices. The 'big name' can no longer attract them. Instead, they are independent designer brands. The same situation happened in Japan ten years ago, seven years ago. South Korea." Rodrigo told reporters.
“The last batch of brands that were embraced may be Gucci and Prada, and now it’s our turn.†Rodrigo predicts that the so-called niche designer brand has already revealed its expansion. The same thoughts as Thom Browne include Acne Studios and Opening Ceremony, which grew up at the same time. It is reported that the former is actively forming a Chinese team, and OC also said in an interview with the interface news, and domestic brand Daphne The cooperation is the touchstone they throw into the Chinese market.
Thom Browne began to make a big push into the Chinese market, and this decision was decided jointly with the backside of the management, Sandbridge Capital. Last year, private equity fund Sandbridge Capital bought the majority of Thom Browne shares from Japan's Stipe International. The two companies integrated the company's corporate development plan. "China is the market we want to enter directly, and it will be our long-term direct Investment projects," Rodrigo said.
Sandbridge Capital's position in the fashion world is not to be underestimated. Tommy Hilfiger, former CEO of Gucci, and Tom Ford brand co-founder Domenico De Sole have served as senior consultants for the private equity fund. The company specializes in retail and consumer and has invested in Topshop. Brands such as Farfetch and Karl Lagerfeld.
However, the cake in the Chinese market is the goal of many brands. It is not easy to do well. In addition to the power of capital, a “snake†that really understands this market is needed. Thom Browne chose the fashion consulting company Translatio. Similar to Thom Browne's style, everyone is eager to promote their fashion circle. Translatio, founded in South Korea by Jimin Lee, has maintained a low-key attitude, providing consulting and commercial services including procurement, marketing, and public relations. Deeply ploughing the Chinese mainland market for 14 years, it is the trader of many European and American fashion brands.
“I have known Jimin for seven years. Their Chinese team has successfully helped us speed up the localization process. It took a lot of time and effort to make this landing process, and there will be many mistakes, but now we can find shortcuts through them. Rodrigo believes that both capital and market are the best time to enter China.
Prior to this, in addition to having opened a flash shop in Beijing SKP department store, Thom Browne did not have independent stores in China, and there were few physical independent stores in other parts of the world, for the purpose of controlling brand language and image. Thom Browne is not willing to open too many independent boutiques, and more is to cooperate with the e-commerce platform Farfetch to present each season's products online. For the creative part of the online website, Thom Browne will also take full control of it, such as every photo and style of the Look Book, Browne will personally look at it. This gives consumers little chance to reach Thom Browne in offline stores that are more likely to build emotional connections.
With the help of Translatio's suggestion, Thom Browne, who has been on a small-scale operation route, decided to speed up the opening of the store in the Chinese market. It is reported that the company will open five stores in the next four months, this time Rodrigo came with the marketing team. China is preparing for a series of shop openings.
“After coming to China, we became more aware of the importance of social networking.†Tomaso Galli, vice president and director of marketing and communications at Thom Browne, said that through JD and Tmall’s sponsorship of Fashion Week and the former’s investment in Farfetch, He has seen that China plays a very important role in the fashion ecosystem. In this market, social media means social business. "In such a big environment, Thom Browne is not not embracing social networks, but it is necessary to make careful decisions about the channels and exposures at which time points, including the related stars and KOL cooperation, we are also looking for." Tomaso added. .
For Thom Browne, a brand that is very high-profile and does not actively seek exposure, it seems difficult to think of which Chinese star or KOL can match Thom Browne's tonality. A spokesperson with temperament may destroy a brand and painstakingly build it. Image. In this regard, Tomaso also did not mention the word "endorsement" in his statement, which he called "organic cooperation."
“Maybe we are very proud that many Korean first-line stars are keen to buy our products. Through them, Thom Browne has easily gained exposure and word of mouth. We know that we have never done any activities or celebrities since the beginning. Invitation to cooperate.†Tomaso valued the star’s voluntary initiative to pay attention to and love the brand. “This foundation is very important, and it is also the cooperation we want to pursue, not pure business behavior.â€
The Chinese company that has already reached a cooperation with Thom Browne is Huawei. This year, at Design Miami, the world's largest design show, Thom Browne, as the opening designer, invited 50 female artists to stage a installation and performance art. Huawei provided photographic technical support for the event. All photos are taken by mobile phone.
Thom Browne's men's and women's clothing will be presented in all the stores that will be opened in China. Among them, custom suits are the core business of Thom Browne from beginning to end. After the introduction of women's clothing line in 2011, the growth rate of this product line exceeded the company's expectations, accounting for 30% of the overall performance.
Usually when overseas fashion brands enter the Asian market, they need to adjust the size of the clothes according to the Asian body type, but this does not need to worry about Thom Browne. The brand itself has a small size and the inner pad design inside the lining. Catering to the Asian body, this means that it may be difficult for Europeans and Americans to find the right size. Rodrigo told reporters that starting with the last two series, they will introduce four different cuts to meet different body types," We don't want customers to say 'I like Thom Browne, but I don't wear it properly'."
In a newspaper article in New York, the author compares Thom Browne to the tortoise in the tortoise and the hare, not eager for success, focusing on long-term development, which can be seen from the daily life of the founder - Thom Browne daily Jogging eight kilometers in the morning and eating the same breakfast every day, Sandbridge's investment took him two years to make this decision. The tortoise is an inward-moving animal that may not be good at performance, but it can also be the final winner.
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