Interface News Reporter | Chen Qirui
Interface News Editor | Lou Wanqin
Brands from Northern Europe are embarking on a new round of expansion in China.
Norwegian lifestyle brand Holzweiler's new store recently opened in Taikoo Li, Sanlitun, Beijing, which is its first store in the North China market. Earlier, Holzweiler had opened its first store in China in Taikoo Li, Chengdu. Also in Chengdu, TOTEME from Sweden also has its first store in southwest China and its third store in China.
But it is not only these mid-to-high-end designer brands that are active, but also the mid-range brand ARKET under the Swedish H&M Group has also accelerated the expansion of the Chinese market. After opening its first store in China in Beijing in 2021, it will not land its second store in Guangzhou until 2022. But in 2023, it has already moved into two new cities, Shanghai and Hangzhou, which are still small but faster than before.
These brands were born in the Nordic countries, and the design method is simple and clean, which is a continuation of the "frigid" style. After 2015, with the recovery of the entire luxury industry from the cold winter, consumers are keen to buy products with ostentatious significance. The influence of the simple Nordic style began to wane at that time.
But now consumers are returning to simplicity.
The primary reason is the change in trends. Maximalism brings a strong visual impact and satisfies the psychology of display. But after a few years of popularity, many brands that adhere to the style have gradually begun to homogenize, and consumers have begun to get tired of overly complicated visuals and the complex cultural information behind them.
At the same time, the arrival of the pandemic has changed dressing habits. Prolonged periods of home and social distancing make it difficult to display maximalist clothing. Minimalist clothing is often accompanied by a wider and more comfortable silhouette, which is undoubtedly more suitable for people's lives after reducing social activities.
But the more important reason is that the consumption mindset has changed. In the past, consumers believed that clothes with a brilliant appearance and complex craftsmanship were an outlet for expressing social status and personal opinions. But today, the need to demonstrate social status remains, and the need to actively express one's views has changed.
People need to pursue less of frequent changes and more focus on pragmatism and stability. The wind direction of the entire fashion industry has also changed in this direction. Instead of relying on the styles of different designers to drive sales growth, brands want to use stable design to output a classic image and reduce the negative impact of personnel fluctuations and changes in consumer preferences.
So the "old money style" became popular. This style is somewhat similar to the Nordic frigid wind. Their common features are characterized by a plain shape, an inconspicuous or absent brand logo, and a predominantly black and white, gray and brown tones. More high-end Nordic brands will also emphasize the uniqueness of the fabrics and craftsmanship used.
However, although Nordic style brands also benefit from the old money, consumers are also clear-cut. The most obvious is the price, even if it is a high-end Nordic designer brand, its price is also significantly different from "old money" brands such as Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli.
Another impact of this gap is that consumers still find it difficult to believe in the value preservation significance of Nordic brands in brand power and product power. People still think that its popularity has a trendy attribute. Therefore, for these brands, it is often only rapid expansion and rapid popularity that can make subsequent real estate developers and consumers form confidence.
In addition, Nordic brands often have similarities between styles. Although they each emphasize a more delicate minimalist style than their competitors, and emphasize silhouettes, fabrics and textures, the distinction is not obvious to many people from outside the fashion industry. This also leads to the problem that it is difficult to strongly convey a visual identity in social media, which does not necessarily attract new consumers quickly.
In today's increasingly competitive situation, Nordic style brands may have to take a more refined route. This is how many Nordic brands have developed in the Chinese market in recent years, consolidating consumer loyalty by nurturing communities. After all, high-end clothing is not a necessity, and its appeal to consumers actually comes from design, craftsmanship and emotional resonance.