No Longer Covert OEM

In an obscure little building on Yonghe Road in Zhabei District, Shanghai, Hu Yan and her staff are busy in France.

Yes, this is a small building not far from the big Xu Pavilion.

"We do not hide the fact that there are factories in China.

On the contrary, we are very proud of this. "

In the afternoon of August 15th, the barman store opened in Shanghai Golden State Center.

At the opening of the guests' meeting, Alain Hivelin, President of barman, admitted to reporters. "Now, a few products of Balmain Paris and most of the products of Pierre Balmain are manufactured and manufactured in China.

But these designs all come from the famous designer Christophe Decarnin and his design studio in France.

From China

"Made in China", a label that once styled big fashion labels, is now being recognized by more and more luxury brands.

Many products sold by Armani in Europe and America will mark "Made in China".

Meanwhile, the US brand COACH (Coach), which is currently very hot in China and North America, has also honestly labeled the "Made in China" for its own bags produced in China.

"Made in China" should not be synonymous with cheap goods, nor does it mean rough handwork and aliasing design.

As a matter of fact, although many Chinese factories can't satisfy me, it is possible to produce products for fashion brands if they have the ability and will eventually be selected.

Alain Hivelin thinks.

The brand of barman in Europe in the 30s and 40s of last century has created a glorious history. Its brand designer Pierre Balmain is also known as "the king of Japanese clothing".

At the moment, Alain Hivelin does not think that "openly acknowledges the fact that it set up factories in China" will damage the image of this top brand.

The small black skirt and shrugged coat are the landmark designs that have been conquered by countless international stars.

"Look at this black shrug coat. We have produced dozens of samples before it is displayed.

After half a year's communication and setting with the French design studio, it was displayed in front of people.

In a barman store in the Golden State of Shanghai, Hu Yan pointed to a black coat wearing a model.

Hu Yan was once a member of the national gymnastics team. After retirement, he started his own clothing processing and manufacturing business.

Two or three years ago, she got acquainted with Alain Hivelin, President of barman, and began a plan for CO production of Pierre Balmain fashion.

"Two years ago, we began preparations with barman.

According to the design drawings of French designers, we have proofing, plate making, and production. But after three or four seasons of running in, our production can meet the requirements of the French side and be displayed publicly.

The barman fashion produced by the Chinese workshop is actually the barman fashion we produced in the fourth quarter. "

According to Ms. Hu Yan's calculation, every barman fashion produced in China has to be produced by more than ten processes and dozens of working hours before it can be released through the inspection and permission of the French side.

Zegna has been involved in the Chinese market 20 years ago, and Dior was well known to the Chinese as early as ten years ago.

Compared with other fashionable brands, barman's entry into China seems a bit late.

"It may be a little late, but I don't think barman is late."

Over the past few decades, I have witnessed how China's fashion manufacturing industry has learned from babies and has grown to the present scale.

The production technology of a few fashion factories has developed to the leading international level.

Alain Hivelin said, "I came to China several decades ago, but in the past 10 years, I have come to China for sixty or seventy times, averaging two months.

I am not only familiar with Shanghai, but also visited many places such as Xiamen, Nanjing, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

The time and energy spent is not only for understanding the Chinese market, but also for choosing a suitable cooperative factory in China.

In the end, we chose the Chinese factory of Hu Yan and its factory as partners.

The Chinese say that sharpening is not a mistake in cutting firewood. I think it is worth the time to choose partners.

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Chinese foundry was once a secret that fashion designers didn't want to admit.

But the low labor force, low production cost and efficient production speed of these foundry or processing factories in Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong become the temptations of European and American fashion brands.

At the very beginning, they moved the main production links to China, but they labelled the labels made in their own products.

According to reports, Sheng Hong clothing company located in Hangzhou hi tech park is not only loved by Armani, but also has produced Armani Jeans, Armani Exchange and Armani Collezioni series clothing of the brand, and has signed with Hugo Boss.

"We can produce according to the requirements of these brands, even if the cufflinks are located, they must not deviate from a few millimeters."

Sheng Mei, founder of Sheng Hong, said in an interview with the media, "but my wish is to establish a fashion brand."

At the same time, other brands began to try the "made in China" road. They tried to authorize some of their products to be made in Chinese factories and labeled "made in China".

Most of these fashions and accessories made in China are sold to Europe, America and non China.

In 1996, when Lew Frankfort got on the CEO position of COACH (Coach), it began to work to reduce the production cost of the brand.

On the one hand, they shut down factories in the United States, while on the one hand they are looking for processing partners in China.

Quality, style and fashion - despite being labeled "made in China", many consumers still accept this brand.

Barman and China's factories have been working together in a big way, but they have welcomed the proud French brand.

"This is my first time to hear a French fashion brand openly admit that it makes products in China, even if it is only part of the product."

Andrew, a fashion brand agent in Hongkong, said in an interview: "compared with the hidden brand of the fact that China is producing this product, I think that barman is more respectable." Kwok

At present, the brand has only opened a store in Hongkong, but there are many celebrities and celebrities.

Some people also expressed concern about the bold behavior of barman.

"Made in China" used to be associated with cheap goods. Many luxury brands worry that using the label of "Made in China" will not satisfy consumers' psychological expectations.

"According to our experience, it is difficult for Chinese consumers to accept luxury goods made in China."

Xia Meng, CEO Giorgio Delpiano, a joint venture between Zegna and a garment manufacturer in Wenzhou, China, once said, "the acceptance of Zegna made in China is even lower than that in the European and American markets.

Although the price is more reasonable, Chinese consumers are more willing to pay for Zegna clothing made in Italy. "

Cooperation brings new brands, but who pays for new lines?

A new line of cooperation with Chinese manufacturers?

"Being a successful designer is different from being a successful market brand.

The latter should not only grasp the fashion pulse in fashion design, but also fluctuate in the commercial market.

Alain Hivelin, who is still in his sixties, still calls himself a young man. He made an important decision when he was close to the year of the flower. He set up another brand for barman and a new line that is easier to be accepted by young people.

As one of the favorites of fashion enthusiasts, Balmain Paris represents modern, sexy and strong rock and roll.

The new Pierre Balmain brand is a lighter and more practical product. It can be used for daily wear and is suitable for offices and various social occasions.

"The price of Pierre Balmain fashion will be 1/3 to 1/5 lower than that of the Balmain Paris high class women's clothing. It will be the first in the Chinese market and then enter Asia and other parts of Europe.

In a sense, this is the first barman product launched for Chinese consumers. Its design still comes from the Christophe Decarnin studio of barman, but the production and production of most of its products are completed in China.

In fact, 7 years ago, Zegna also made a similar attempt.

In 1991, Zegna opened its first store in [43.79 3.08%], Wangfujing, Beijing.

10 years later, they tried to find partners in China. After exploring thousands of factories, they finally reached a cooperation agreement with Xia Meng Clothing Co., Ltd., and entered into the stock market by 50%. The pformation was carried out on the basis of the original Xia Meng factory, and a joint venture, Xia Meng Yi Jie, was set up.

In order to launch the mid-range products in the Chinese market, Zegna and Xia Meng completed the investment cooperation, and launched the mid priced fashion brand "Xia Meng".

But Zegna's first collaboration with Chinese factories to launch localized brands did not achieve huge social effects as expected.

In response, Andrew Kwok, an agent, said, "it is still a matter of time for Chinese consumers to accept luxury goods labeled" Made in China ". Let alone accept a joint venture fashion brand with half Chinese origin. A luxury Research Institute report pointed out that although more than 60% of consumers in China do not think that Chinese made fashion goods are cheap symbols, more than half of Chinese customers are reluctant to buy the luxury products because of the" Made in China "label.

On the contrary, Alain Hivelin does not think so.

The president, who only completely changed the product and style of barman 5 years ago, said, "before I repositioned barman to become a senior garment, it made the past brilliance with advanced manual customization, but it also occupied less and less in the fashion market.

When the era of advanced customization has been declining, we can not stick to this tradition which has created the proud history of barman.

In the financial crisis, how many consumers could really afford a price of 800 thousand euros? It's precisely because of the change of positioning that the brand has been revitalized.

The brand new Pierre Balmain launched in the Chinese market will be another move by barman catering to the pulsation of the market.

But is it possible for Chinese consumers to pay for such products? Now it seems too early for anyone to answer. We can only wait and see in the market.