Mapping China: Fashion - Local Partners

Working with a local partner is inevitable if you want to be successful in China. Without regional people who know the routes in the complicating world of shopping mall owners and distributors, you can hardly gain success, says Tang Shuang, a famous Chinese fashion writer.

Tang Shuang: ‘Cooperation with local partner is crucial'

Entrepreneurs who want to enter the Chinese fashion market, would do well to find a local partner to cooperate. Otherwise, the chances of success are at least less, is the opinion of Tang Shuang, a famous Chinese fashion writer.

"In many parts of China fashion is purely connected to the 'shopping mall culture', and the people behind these malls are very powerful”, says Tang Shuang, who is writing for the Chinese edition of the New York Times and for leading magazines as T Magazine and Numéro. ,,It is very important to establish good relationships with these people, and that is something that local partners can do much better because of their experience."

They know how to deal with such important conversations. "Even when it comes to contact distributors, I would strongly advice this. It's a very different world in comparison with the West, where it is easier to arrange all this. However, I must also mention it remains important to scan your partner well in advance, and to keep a good eye on everything. Because yes, there are still many Chinese who cheat."

Who enters the world of fashion in China should therefore be prepared for an intense mission. ,,In my opinion, your business should first run well in your own country before you think of moving to China. I've heard there are companies which see China as a market where they can sell their products if they fail within their own borders. This won’t work."

For the simple reason that Chinese people inform themselves well nowadays. "And if they cannot find information about a particular brand, or find out that it does not have a very good reputation in the country of origin, they really will not buy it. Do not underestimate this, Chinese are well aware, know what they want and know exactly how to get good information. "

Chinese consumers also have become more critical. Partly out of necessity. " Since President Xi Jinping has launched his anti-corruption campaign, the market for expensive gifts has crashed. That definitely has an impact on the luxury market. A friend of mine who works for Louis Vuitton told me the heydays are gone where customers enter his shop and say ‘give me twenty full bags’. "

Those times will not come back. Tang Shuang thinks it is a good development. ,,Chinese now look much better at what they want to wear, they are more selective in what they buy. That is, of course, a positive change."

Another aspect to keep in mind, is the fact that more and more Chinese are going abroad. "There are so many Chinese who travel, but also lots of Chinese study in the West. They get a clear idea of what their foreign peers wear. They can easily get inspired by this. This also applies to Chinese who have many Western friends, even on social media platforms like Instagram. This all has influence."

Important to realize, although there are still differences between the West and the East. "In general, women's wear here is still more 'girlie'. Really feminine garments can be found in China. However, following the trends is what people here also do, it Is not really that different. "

What does make a difference: the regions where Chinese live. "China is one country, but there are so many contrasts between the regions. Just consider the difference between the first and second tier cities, and also the third and fourth tier cities. Look well at your product and think about in which region you want to operate. To mention an example: if you want to bring ‘outdoor fashion’ on the market, stick to the biggest cities, as in smaller towns people are not familiar with this type of fashion so they will probably not be interested. "

In smaller towns you also cannot avoid using shopping malls to sell your brand. "They are often the only sales channel, and that means that the shopping culture is shaped by those malls in those cities."

Who wants to set up a marketing campaign for those areas, should also think well about his strategy. "People there are less familiar with the big international stars. If you want to put the focus on your brand with a Chinese well known person, then let it be a local celebrity. And then I refer again to what I said before: cooperation with a reliable local partner is extremely important if you want to succeed in China. "

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