Why Italian Fashion Bands are so Popular in China

Luxurious brands made sure that European fashion represents elegance in the eyes of Chinese consumers. So that more and more Chinese are buying clothes from European brands. Considering the high-end image of most brands and the price of the goods they sell, the Chinese consider it will give them face to wear European brands’ clothes.

Italian fashion brands have strong financial results in China

Italy has long been recognized for its knowledge in the fashion field.  And numerous Italian brands selling fashion are being prosperous in China for many years. The most emblematic of them all, Prada registered an 900 million euros sales turnover in 2018. The luxurious brand Salvatore Ferragamo also saw an increase of 20% in its last year’s sales.

 

Excellent communication strategy from Italian fashion brands in China

Most of these Italian fashion brands achieved their success thanks to an online marketing strategy designed for China. Indeed the Internet Word of Mouth works really well in China so a brand can directly control its image and e-reputation. Being present on Chinese social networks platforms is essential because it can really make the difference between the success and the failure of a brand in China. The Italian brands, therefore, created their own community of fans and interacted with them on the main social networks such as Weibo and WeChat.

Prada weibo 200000

Prada’s Weibo microblog recently reached more than 200,000 followers. Following the 85th Annual Academy Awards Prada enjoyed a post-Oscar buzz and was on the top discussions on Weibo. So that popular Italian brands like to use social networks platforms in China to communicate and to advertise to Chinese customers. Prada for example used a series of videos to advertise its new collection and posted it on Youku, the equivalent of YouTube in China. Bottega Veneta followed the idea and chose to do its New Year’s campaign on Douban, an online platform to discuss cultural events in China.

Being present on Chinese social networks also allows Italian brands to use Key Opinion Leaders to influence other communities of fans. Their role is really important because Chinese shoppers are much more influenced by opinion leaders than Westerners.

Italian fashion brands take good retail choice for the Chinese market

The way a brand sells its product in China is also really important. It could whether be in physical shops or online shops. Physical shops are the option most chosen by established luxurious brands. Online shops are a good choice to avoid unnecessary costs when launching a brand on the Chinese market. That is what understood Yoox really well. The Italian brand chose to launch its own online store to test how the Chinese market would react to its luxury goods.

yoox impr ecran

This was a huge success since Yoox became a hit in the flourishing Chinese middle class. Their website is matching the tastes of Chinese online shoppers: a lot of precise information on the product, nice photos and videos, and a short paying process. In July, Yoox even launched a new payment solution via WeChat to broaden its market to social networks.

 

Chinese companies are buying Italian fashion brands

Italian fashion brands are such a huge success in China that they are considered an excellent return on investment by Chinese buyers. Indeed the luxury fashion brand Cerruti was bought by the Hong-Kong-based company Li & Fung Group for $70 million in 2010.

Cerruti

Miss Sixty, another famous Italian fashion brand was bought by the Guangzhou-based group Trendy International. Italian fashion brands were already known for the quality of their products in China, at least for the luxurious brands. They also managed to build themselves a good brand image and e-reputation on Chinese social platforms. Thanks to a communication strategy adapted to China and a smart retail choice, they increased their sales a lot while other European brands are struggling to stay on the Chinese market.

Our agency is specialized in fashion brands in China

Our team of experts has years of experience with fashion brands and trends in China. We are passionate about the market, China, marketing, and fashion in China. Here are the services we can provide to your brand:

  • You think about creating your own fashion brand in China
  • You have a fashion brand or company and want to export it to China
  • You want to know more about the Chinese fashion market
  • You want to develop a partnership with a Chinese fashion brand
  • You want to increase your reputation, awareness, visibility in China
  • You want to develop creative campagns on Social media or e-commerce platforms

Contact us!

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2 comments

  • NanCheese

    Hello! Do you have some fashion or luxury reports about French and Italian popular brands in China? Cause I think that French luxury brands are also very liked by Chinese young consumers

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