Interface News Reporter | Chen Qirui
Interface News Editor | Lou Jingqin
英国鞋履品牌Clarks想要把营销声量做得更大，最新举措是为支线Clarks Originals造节日。
According to Clarks Originals' official Weibo account, April 26, 2024 is designated as the first "Wallabee Day" to celebrate the birth of the iconic Wallabee. As the big day approaches, Clarks Originals is launching a Wallabee collaboration in collaboration with trendy brands Vandy The Pink and X-LARGE, as well as a limited shoebox.
Many people refer to Clarks Originals on social media as a trendy branch of Clarks, but it was officially established back in the 1950s. The Wallabee was the first shoe that led to the founding of Clarks Originals, and its comfort and practicality continue to influence the entire footwear market today, and are imitated by many brands.
But Clarks Originals are also closely associated with trends, with the Wallabee being one of the most popular shoes of hip-hop artists in the 1980s and 1990s. So while hip-hop music led a new wave of street fashion after 2015, Clarks Originals also grew in popularity, collaborating with well-known fashion brands such as Stüssy.
In China, it's not easy for consumers to tell the difference between Clarks and Clarks Originals.
It wasn't until 2023 that Clarks Originals opened its first store in China at Taikoo Li Sanlitun in Beijing, and this is only its third store in the Asian market. Although the street trend has increased the number of mentions of Clarks Originals in the past, it is difficult to compensate for the long-term lack of official sales channels in the Chinese market.
Clarks Originals' most iconic Wallabee silhouette has flooded the market, and even Clarks sells the same style. For consumers who are not familiar with the brand's history or trends, Clarks Originals and Clarks may not be much different in terms of the most direct perception.
Most of Clarks Originals' collaborations with trendy brands are based on Wallabee, but in order to channel more traffic and influence back to itself, it must establish its own "creative rights" to the market. That's why Clarks Originals is launching the "Wallabee Day" celebration.
For the extraordinary Lingyue and Li Ning behind the holdings, Clarks and Clarks Originals are of great significance.
The way Li Ning changed its image with the help of street trends made it a case study for many Chinese apparel brands when they were transforming. Li Ning subsequently became more active in the fashion industry, including the acquisition of Bossini and Clarks through its controlling company, Viva Lingyue, and the launch of the high-end feeder line LI-NING 1990.
But Li Ning's fashion ambitions soon suffered a setback. Due to the long-term and deep binding of the concept of national fashion, Li Ning has not caught up with the outdoor sports trend that has blown up in recent years, and the street trend has no longer been favored by the market. According to the 2023 financial report, Li Ning's operating profit decreased by 27.17% year-on-year, and its revenue increased by nearly 7%.
One of the logics behind Li Ning Holdings' extraordinary Lingyue's acquisition of Bossini and Clarks was to diversify risks and find new growth points. It's not easy to get the long-lost Bossini back on track. In recent years, Clarks has experienced difficulties such as aging image, declining performance and significant layoffs, but its historical reputation and trend value are still higher than that of Bossini.
As a brand that made its fortune with dress shoes, Clarks embodies Li-Ning's desire to run a fashion brand. The idea behind running a fashion brand is different from running a sports brand that is involved in the fashion field. If Clarks can succeed, Li Ning may be able to find a growth point that differentiates itself from others from the fierce competition in the sports industry.
And for fashion brands, the most important thing is to make consumers feel that it is still trendy and trendy. This is also the reason why Clarks Originals was quickly introduced to the Chinese market after the acquisition of Clarks by Viva Lingyue. It needs to monetize the branch's influence in the trend space.
According to Viva Lingyue's financial report, the acquisition of Clarks brought it an additional HK$5.39 billion in revenue in 2022. In 2023, Clarks' revenue increased by 79.1% year-on-year to HK$9.646 billion, and its share of Viva Lingyue's total revenue increased from 78.1% to 86%, while Bossini's revenue was only HK$610 million.