Why are Chinese fashion brands in Ginza?

April 21, 14:16

A fashion brand store from China has opened in a department store in Ginza.

Why is an unfamiliar Chinese brand in Ginza?

As I proceeded with the interview, I could see the issues facing the Japanese apparel industry and textile industry.

(Satomi Mogi, Reporter, Ministry of Economic Affairs)

Chinese “simple fashion”

Fashion brand "DAN NONG" was founded in 2013 in Guangzhou, southern China.

It features a simple design, rarely uses patterns, and is basically a single color such as white, black, or gray.

In China, it is supported mainly by young engineers of IT companies gathering in Shenzhen, and currently has more than 100 stores in China such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Last year, we opened our first overseas store in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, where many brand shops are gathered.

And in February, we advanced to the men's clothing floor on the 5th floor of Matsuya Ginza, which can be said to be a prime location in Ginza.

Kenichi Matsuya, Sales Manager, 4th Sales Manager

"I had the image that I like brands and flashy things in China, but the image of Chinese brands has changed a lot because there are simple things like this. I strongly thought that our customers would appreciate it. "

Why open a store in Japan?

Why did Dannon choose Japan as the place to open his first overseas store?

The reason is that, in addition to the owner's feeling that he likes Japanese culture, it is important for Japanese people who are particular about quality to be evaluated in order to reach the world.

50% of the materials such as fabrics of this brand are made in Japan.

Currently, we are dealing with about 30 Japanese companies such as textile manufacturers.

Japanese fabrics such as those made by a company in Nagoya that use Japanese paper for weft (left photo) and those made by a company in Shizuoka prefecture that have a wavy design (right photo). The unique materials created by the manufacturer are used.

Mr. Kiyo, Head of IT Department, Dannon

“Our brand's main customers are cultural figures and artists. They are sympathetic to the pursuit of a simple yet high-quality life, so for our brand. The most important thing is to choose high quality fabrics. In that respect, Japan has not only handmade fabrics made in traditional workshops with a history of 100 years, but also new materials developed by technology. , I think Japan is an important production area for making high quality fabrics. "

A stepping stone for textile manufacturers to expand into China?

Japan's textile industry has been in a difficult era these days, with shipments halving compared to 20 years ago.

The reason is not only that sales of domestic apparel, which is an important customer, are declining, but also that many companies have started to set up garment factories overseas such as Asia where costs are low.

With the relocation of production bases overseas, raw materials were also procured locally, and demand for domestically produced fabrics fell.

Under these circumstances, some textile manufacturers see the entry of Chinese brands such as Dannon as a great opportunity.

Marui Orimono Co., Ltd., a textile manufacturer in Ishikawa Prefecture, which specializes in the manufacture of polyester fabrics, began dealing with Dannon three years ago.

Until now, most of our products have been wholesaled to Japanese manufacturers, but we have felt a sense of crisis in the Japanese textile market.

Marui Orimono launched its own brand five years ago, which it sells in-house.

It looks like cotton, but the material is polyester.

It is said to be a discerning fabric that combines the technologies cultivated so far, with its characteristics of being comfortable to wear, such as being less likely to wrinkle and drying easily.

This fabric caught the eye of Dannon and was used as a material for shirts and the like.

Transactions are increasing year by year, more than five times the initial number.

Marui Orimono Co., Ltd. Vice President Yonezo Miyamoto

"Looking at the Chinese market, I feel that the fashion of young people in urban areas is rapidly increasing. The scale of business with China is one digit different from that of Japan. It's a big market, so I think I had a good encounter. I want to expand to China by starting from here. "

A Chinese apparel brand that has expanded into the center of Japanese fashion brands, and a Japanese textile manufacturer that expects to expand.

It may be a new breeze for the domestic fashion industry, which faces difficult situations.

Satomi Mogi, a

reporter for the Ministry of Economic Affairs

, joined NHK after working as an editor for a free paper.

After working at Saitama Bureau and Morioka Bureau, from 2017, Ministry of Economic Affairs