An emerging trend in the country's market is 'fast fashion', a relic of 20th century Europe, which is being aggressively followed by foreign brands in China's clothing sector.
Many retail enterprises like H&M, Topshop and Zara are using this marketing strategy to popularize their products in China. The methodology followed is simple: a new style or stitch is planned, executed and launched in the market in 15 days' time, thus bridging the gap between design and sale as quickly as possible. After this, clothes that don't sell in the following three weeks are taken off the shelf to be replaced by new stock. Lastly, garments sold as 'fast fashion' are very cheap and hence affordable.
However, 'fast fashion' does not appeal to all consumer classes. This is because buyers who are influenced most by 'fast fashion' comprise only 10 percent of the total populace, even though their annual income is 20,000 to 200,000 yuan.
This is followed by the majority 85 percent of Chinese public consisting of peasants and workers who can't afford branded wear. The remaining five percent are affluent and therefore unmindful of price tags.
This apart, there are other hurdles that come in the way of successful implementation of the trend. The country's imperfect legal system fails to check piracy and copyright cases. As a result, a new pattern or style is copied within a week, with near-perfect replica of quality. This forces original brands to reduce prices, thereby affecting their business.
Many retail enterprises like H&M, Topshop and Zara are using this marketing strategy to popularize their products in China. The methodology followed is simple: a new style or stitch is planned, executed and launched in the market in 15 days' time, thus bridging the gap between design and sale as quickly as possible. After this, clothes that don't sell in the following three weeks are taken off the shelf to be replaced by new stock. Lastly, garments sold as 'fast fashion' are very cheap and hence affordable.
However, 'fast fashion' does not appeal to all consumer classes. This is because buyers who are influenced most by 'fast fashion' comprise only 10 percent of the total populace, even though their annual income is 20,000 to 200,000 yuan.
This is followed by the majority 85 percent of Chinese public consisting of peasants and workers who can't afford branded wear. The remaining five percent are affluent and therefore unmindful of price tags.
This apart, there are other hurdles that come in the way of successful implementation of the trend. The country's imperfect legal system fails to check piracy and copyright cases. As a result, a new pattern or style is copied within a week, with near-perfect replica of quality. This forces original brands to reduce prices, thereby affecting their business.
