Those who are familiar with Shanghai fashion retail talk about ICICLE, and they always have a bit of respect. They will tell you that this is one of the best-selling clothing brands in Shanghai Jiuguang Department Store for many years. With many years of experience in the Chinese apparel industry, Wu Hongkun, general manager of Shanghai Shangxin Brand Management Co., Ltd., told BoF: “In the overall situation of the decline of the women's wear industry, its home is unique. The sales of the Jiuguang department store should exceed 30 million in 2017. (The brand revealed that the store's annual sales were RMB 55 million.)
ICICLE Customer Service Center|Source: The other party provides
“Locating the luxury ICICLE is aimed at Chinese urban female consumers, and local competitors in the market include Marsfield, Jiangnan Cloth and Exceptions, while international competitive brands include Sandro.†Focus on Chinese apparel and retail market Veronica Wang, a partner at OC&CStrategyConsultants, told BoF: "Commercially, ICICLE is relatively small compared to competitors. There are more than 800 stores across the country, and there are more than 1,500 Jiangnan cloths, and ICICLE currently only has More than 200."
However, in the fashion circle, ICICLE has a high reputation. Yang Yifei, an Asian editor at Vogue International, told BoF: "In my opinion, ICICLE is a very forward-looking, focused, quality-oriented and low-key Chinese brand. Long ago, although its price was not cheap, it was still cut and fabric. Jiatong has received a lot of white-collar favors. The brand has already built many core products such as thin and double-faced coats, and the brand has always adhered to the concept of environmental protection. Even in China, there is not much market influence."
ICICLE's previous development strategy is very low-key. It uses almost no media propaganda, but has accumulated a good reputation and customer base in the market through products with both design and quality, and opened nearly 240 stores in major shopping malls across the country. Until this year, the brand changed its strategy and was willing to establish a dialogue with the media to clarify its own ideas.
Zhuang Luyi, the person in charge of the high-end buyer's store of Bailian Group, who is familiar with the retail industry, believes that ICICLE is a “local brand that has been transformed into a big lady in the so-called department store. It is quiet and stable. They have their own rhythms and are rarely influenced by external factors."
In China, it is rare to see a clothing company like ICICLE that is so tolerant. Many other Garment enterprises in the industry have entered the other fields through capital operation and abandoned the industry. Some companies have filed for listing and made major international acquisitions to quickly enter the overseas consumer market. According to data provided by Euromonitor, the market value of the Chinese women's wear market in 2017 reached RMB 900 billion. The growth rate in the next few years is around 5%.
Nowadays, in the view of Tao Xiaoma, president of ICICLE, the brand needs to establish contact with consumers in a more proactive manner and make voices. The current growth of the traditional commuter apparel market has been challenged a bit. While maintaining the brand spirit of “comfort, environmental protection and commutingâ€, it is also necessary to emphasize the fashion attributes and attract the attention of the younger generation.
“ICICLE's sales target in 2018 is 2 billion, with a growth rate of around 25%.†She told BoF: “The growth is mainly due to two parts: ICICLE's expansion of the Paris line market share, and other women's products in addition to the Paris line. The steady growth of the line business."
The Paris line is a product line of the brand positioning high-end fashion for the elite, founded in 2014. The brand created a studio at 77 Raymond Poincare Street in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, and invited BénédicteLaloux, who has worked in high fashion houses such as Céline, Chloé and Lanvin, as the chief designer, bringing first-hand fashion trends to Chinese consumers.
According to Tao Xiaoma, there are currently 20 design teams in Paris and more than 100 in China. Many of them have a background in studying abroad, and the team will collide with interesting ideas and ideas because of different cultural backgrounds.
In 2019, ICICLE will open the first space of ICICLE overseas on the George Street of Paris, a treasure house for luxury brands. “To this end, in 2018 we will open a PrivateStore (private store) on the first floor of the ICICLE Paris office, and try to reach out to local customers, collect feedback, and test the brand's market positioning, pricing, market communication strategy, etc. The space that was opened in 2019 was adequately prepared," she said. â€
Healthy distribution of profits is the real sustainable development
Of course, in addition to the continuous introduction of various product lines, such as the basic line, young lines, men's and children's wear, to meet the needs of the market segment. ICICLE also carries out the layout of the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, and starts strategic cooperation with suppliers from raw materials. A few years ago, MaxMara's two-sided foundry factory was acquired.
Whether it is cotton, linen or worsted wool, ICICLE uses only the best suppliers. Sometimes the brand will also complete the fabric development with the supplier. The designer will only choose from the products provided by the suppliers designated by the business department to ensure the quality and uniqueness of the products.
Behind the creation of new values ​​is the R&D and innovation of new and old integration. For example, the brand has developed and created a large number of styles around the production of historically original fabrics. “The original color fabric has no dyeing process, and the fabric post-treatment minimizes the pollution of the dyeing and finishing process.†Tao Xiaoma told BoF: “This season ICICLE primary color sweater, cashmere sweater, primary color coat and other products They all achieved very good market performance."
Of course, fish and bear's paw can't have both. In Tao Xiaoma's view, balancing sustainable development and profit maximization is a false proposition. “The term 'profit maximization' does not apply to ICICLE. We focus on 'profit rationalization'. ICICLE hopes to distribute the profits of the entire apparel business chain to our suppliers, partners, employees and Rewarding consumers. Only when we distribute our profits healthily can we achieve true sustainable development."
Adherence to sustainable development will inevitably lead to relatively high costs, especially under the premise of insisting that product pricing rates are reasonable and prices are competitive. In Tao Xiaoma's view, the profit can only be achieved through more lean management of business, reduction of commodity discounts, precise control of inventory and accelerated turnover, limited and cautious advertising, and reasonable store decoration.
Faced with high costs, Tao Xiaoma emphasized the problem of solving the problem with the "moderate" thinking. “When the visual effects and perception of the finished product are very close, whether to use more environmentally friendly means to directly determine the cost of the product. If you can not let all ICICLE team members adhere to the company's philosophy, everyone will soon "The principle will be lost," she said. "In order to overcome difficulties and obstacles, our principle is to better balance and not to be absolute, just as the Chinese people often refer to the idea of ​​'moderate'. ICICLE is very clear that the direction of the brand is What is also very firm, but it cannot be extreme when moving forward on this road. It should always advance with compromise. Under the premise of adhering to the bottom line, we should balance the price, performance and quality as much as possible."
Since the cultural roots of the brand stem from the ancient Chinese philosophical thought of "Heaven and Man", while satisfying the comfort of consumers and the profitability of the operators, treating nature is the basic obligation of fulfilling an earth person. However, Tao Xiaoma believes that in the future, environmental protection will not be the core of ICICLE brand differentiation. “Maybe because other brands have not done this in place, it seems that ICICLE has a special nature in this regard. But as far as ICICLE itself is concerned, environmental protection is only an obligation,†she said.
Focus on high-end and offline experience in the future
Tao Xiaoma is more inclined to set ICICLE as a provider of “natural and comfortable commuter fashionâ€. Twenty years ago, she saw a huge gap in the market in the field.
“After liberation in China, the concept of workplace dressing is absent. People usually wear the same clothes as they go to work, especially Chinese culture itself tends to dress comfort and randomness. About a decade Before, in China, the concept of dress code in the workplace was gradually formed, but at this time, the Internet also had a huge impact. Therefore, for the Chinese, the most important thing is how to solve the professionalism, comfort and personality compatibility of the workplace. Expression problem," she said.
Wu Hongkun added: "Commuting women's clothing is a concept put forward in the market after 2000, influenced by the concept of several Japanese fashion magazines at that time. My understanding is that the main work can be worn, but unlike uniforms, you can wear them everyday. Very suitable for the Chinese way of life. In fact, many women put this concept after 2000, but ICICLE did the best."
In Tao Xiaoma's view, embodying professionalism is the long-term appeal of the workplace dressing consumers. However, with the changes of the times, the boundary between commuter wear and the sportswear and home casual wear that once stood on the opposite side is gradually becoming blurred. So the brand is also working around the changes in the needs of commuter workers. On the other hand, dresses suitable for elite social occasions, such as cocktail dresses and other small dresses, will be a segment of the brand's current focus. The field of advanced uniforms is the category that the future hopes to develop.
Tao Xiaoma did not use luxury words to describe the brand during the interview. She is more inclined to use high-end people to describe the customers who serve the brand. “High-end people are the promoters of social progress. This is very different from the luxury brand-led 'wife who wants to live in high society.' They have their own professional knowledge and skills, have a demand for quality of life, and have a strong sense of social responsibility. ."
For this group of consumers, Tao Xiaoma believes that at this stage, it is still necessary to strengthen the interaction through the perception of the physical store, but is optimistic about the potential of the e-commerce business. This year, in addition to further opening stores, it will be upgraded in the flagship store with a store area of ​​more than 500 square meters. In addition to selling all the products, it will also join the bookstore, gallery, coffee and other sections according to the actual situation, and fully display the brand's advocacy. The concept of “urban life in harmony with natureâ€.
ICICLE did a lot of things in the 20th year of the brand's founding. Launched the space in Shanghai, invited BoF500 members to sneak out a book, held a series of activities during the Shanghai Fashion Week, and even launched four cooperation series.
Although active, ICICLE is not in a hurry. In Tao Xiaoma's view, the 20-year-old is a stage in which the brand can introduce itself to the public for the first time. There is still a lot of room for development in the future, and there is no plan to implement a multi-brand strategy or acquire other brands. She teased and said: "20 years old is actually just a starting point for an adult." The road ahead is still very long, and there are more beautiful scenery waiting for the young man in front.
For ICICLE at the beginning of life, Yang Yifei thinks that it can go to a more detailed understanding of the habits of peers. “As far as I know, its customer loyalty is very high. But such brands are also facing new challenges. With the emergence of aesthetic and consumer rejuvenation, the trend of commuter service has been affected, and brands should study the future more deeply. Consumer orientation, such as shared office, freelance, and other new situations, how to change people's lifestyles, and then change the face of commuter clothes. Respond to the impact of street trends, but also keep the original mind unchanged. How I will be more young with ICICLE in the future Consumer groups interact and feel forward."
Wang agrees with this and adds: "In addition, ICICLE's online performance is relatively inactive. In the e-commerce sector, it only entered Tmall. And its competitors have already spread out in major e-commerce channels. On social media, it also does not make good use of Weibo to interact with consumers. Compared to the 226,000 fans of Jiangnan Cloth, ICICLE has less than 15,000 fans. There is a lot of room for growth."
Editor in charge: Gao Wei
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