Interpretation of “cultural confidence”: How does the culture of a clothing brand become productivity?
Recently, with the theme of “Cultural Confidence Clothing First”, the “Chinese Men’s New Elephant Ecological Summit” initiated by the Chinese men’s clothing brand VICUTU was held in Beijing. Unlike the press conferences of other clothing brands, this press conference of Weikeduo did not emphasize the products, but focused on the culture behind the clothing and the discussion of the blessing of clothing culture. Culture constitutes the basic thinking point of clothing consumption.
Regarding the view put forward by the summit that “clothing is the history worn on the body, and it is also the carrier of culture”, “Commercial Real Estate Observation” agreed. In the current market where material consumption is becoming more and more abundant, the design and technology behind the products Easier to realize through culture. It can be boldly predicted that culture and brand value will become increasingly competitive.
Judging from the “clothing” tone of Weikeduo this time, whether culture will constitute the core competition of future clothing brands, the answer is yes. You may not have noticed, but the national trend has always been a hot topic and a focus of traffic. In recent days, Caoxian County has become popular, and Hanfu is becoming a phenomenon-level consumption. The market has given affirmation and support to the popularity of national trend culture and Hanfu culture. Behind it is the perfect fit between traditional culture and modern consumer consciousness.
From this point of view, traditional men’s clothing can still rely on “culture”
Of course, the increasingly open and inclusive consumer environment is also one of the main reasons for stimulating the market.
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Cultural consumption
The combination of culture and consumption is becoming stronger, the most obvious of which is the catering and clothing industries. The national trend is blowing everywhere and is becoming increasingly prosperous. Behind cultural consumption is the expression of cultural confidence and self-assertion, and brands have become the carrier of consumer trends.
Yang Jinchun, executive vice president of the China Garment Association and director of the China Garment Science and Technology Innovation Research Institute, once said, “More and more Chinese garment companies are forming their own brand characteristics through “independent innovation”, such as newThe application of clothing fabrics, innovative processes and technologies are integrated into the clothing trend, which promotes the confidence of national culture to show new vitality through Chinese clothing brands.” According to Yang Jinchun, China is the world’s largest clothing consumer. It is also the largest clothing producer. With the rise of “cultural confidence” and the popularity of “national trend” style, Chinese clothing has ushered in important development opportunities to enhance brand influence.
In 1994, Cai Changxian started a clothing company. It is reported that the name VICUTU is derived from the English “VICTOR”, which symbolizes the pursuit of victory and success. This is a beautiful meaning full of brand spirit and corporate culture.
For the beauty of the combination of culture and clothing. Cai Changxian said that 65 of the 305 chapters in “The Book of Songs” involve descriptions of clothing, such as “”缁衣之为西, 杝,杝, 于 也”. Another example is “How can I say that I have no clothes, and I wear the same robe as my son.” According to the article, “Kudzu”, “hemp”, “silk”, “fur”, etc. are the main clothing materials in “The Book of Songs”. China has been farming since ancient times. Culture, these all form the foundation of Chinese culture. Judging from the current changes in consumer demand, the display of traditional culture.
Zheng Yannong, general consultant of the Brand Communication Committee of the China Cultural Management Association, believes that brand value determines its brand status. Corporate brands should be viewed from both external and internal aspects. External refers to the product brand, which is mainly reflected in the good looks of the product. , ease of use, durability, etc., while internally refers to corporate culture, which is reflected in factors such as quality, character, and morality. He said, “In the post-epidemic era, various new formats and new business models are constantly iterating and innovating. To seize this opportunity, we must achieve an in-depth integration of brand and cultural confidence.”
Cultural self-confidence means respecting and inheriting traditional culture. VICUTU specializes in making suits, but Cai Changxian also knows that any clothing culture must be based on the special cultural reality of the country. He said that we should also have this kind of confidence in clothing design. VICUTU designers want to integrate Eastern culture and Western fashion aesthetics to innovate suits that are most suitable for Asians.
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Sense of value
The prerequisite for cultural confidence is product confidence.
As we all know, every APEC meeting will reflect the national culture of the host country in the attire of participating leaders. The 2014 APEC Summit was held in Shanghai, China. One day in December 2013, Victor received an invitation from the APEC preparatory group to design leaders’ clothing for the APEC meeting. This made Cai Changxian feel excited and also felt a great responsibility. Soon, Cai Changxian organized a design team of nearly 30 people.
It is reported that the APEC preparatory team selected 60 participating plans from 455 design works submitted by 136 participants after preliminary review and began to produce sample clothes. Two months later, during the second review, 35 sample clothing plans were selected, a team was formed to carry out in-depth design, and Vicodo became the winner.
In an interview with the media, Cai Changxian said that on the day of the APEC summit, he canceled all activities and sat in front of the TV early to slowly watch the debut of his company’s works on international occasions.
I believe that Cai Changxian was gratified and proud at that time. On the one hand, the brand was recognized; on the other hand, his persistence in entrepreneurship was confirmed. He once said that VICUTU has been working hard to promote the “creative transformation of modernity” for 27 years.
Looking now, in the face of ever-increasing market competition, persisting in oneself is the clearest choice to find a way out. Toubao Research Institute has predicted that China’s suit market will reach 391.9 billion in 2023. Studies have shown that the period from 2010 to the present has been a period of rapid development. Under the trend of consumption upgrading, the lifestyle and consumption habits of Chinese consumers have changed. Customized suits represent the recognition of self-worth and status.
The Chinese suit market has also experienced competition from the traditional clothing industry and then the rise of fast fashion brands and later the entry of Internet brands. The Chinese suit market is facing a situation of fighting from many parties. How to break out of the siege, brand value, product design, and service creation etc., to improve customer experience to seize the market.
Clothing may seem simple, but it is actually a technology-intensive job. From design, plate making to production and quality inspection, there are hundreds of procedures to go through. To this end, VICUTU applied for and obtained 45 national patents including clothing styles, fabric research and development, process design, etc.
Cai Changxian started out as a salesman. At that time, he sold suits at the counter in a Beijing shopping mall. Bosideng founder Gao Dekang and Anta founder Ding Shizhong have also had such experiences. Today, Bosideng, Anta, and Vicoto have all become leaders in their respective fields. The brands reflect their own product characteristics and cultural attributes.
At the beginning of his business, Cai Changxian asked designers to improve suit styles based on Chinese body proportions. As Cai Changxian expected, VICUTU quickly made a name for itself in the market. In just five years, VICUTU built its own production line and invited foreign designers to design the overall chain store. There are reports that he has invited consumers to visit his factory and listen to their opinions on styles and pricing. “I need to understand what kind of suits consumers need,” Cai Changxian said.
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Competitiveness
If a brand is a self-label of identity, in the era of social networks, brands constitute the target for finding cultural identity.
An article once reported that Cai Changxian proposed four respects in product culture: respect for raw materials, respect for design, respect for technology, and respect for production.
Respecting culture creates the added value of products. Today, the market size of my country’s men’s clothing industry continues to decline, and the competitive landscape of men’s clothing is affected by the expansion of fast-moving consumer goods brands. Brands built for culture will further increase market concentration, and social attributes have become a key factor in the development of the apparel market and a new source of growth.
Of course, cultural creation requires productivity upgrades. According to reports, VICUTU insists on 100% independent development of patterns, combining global pioneering designs with the characteristics of the Oriental human body to create patterns and aesthetics that are in line with the Asian human body, forming X-shaped slimming pattern technology, golden section armhole technology, etc. Design technology and patented patterns, mastered more than 100 national patents in clothing pattern, fabric research and development, process design, etc., and participated in the formulation of multiple national standards “VICUTU suits, from stitch-by-stitch sewing to button-by-button design, It has to go through more than 500 steps of meticulous craftsmanship before it can be completed,” Cai Changxian said.
In 2018, VBC CEO Alejandro visited VICTOR. VBC is a world-renowned clothing fabric provider with a history of more than 350 years. Top luxury brands such as LV, GUCCI, and PRADA are its long-term partners. During this visit, Alejandro insisted on visiting the factory in Hengshui.
“He told me that I must go to the factory to see if our technology can make VBC fabrics good.” Cai Changxian said. Obviously, Wikodo’s persistence in products and cultural superposition conquered this partner.
Obviously, Cai Changxian’s cultural journey has just begun. It is understood that after this summit, VICUTU will also look for 100 Chinese men’s V-shaped images across the country to create “VICUTU V-shaped image spokespersons”. At the same time, it will also go to domestic first-class universities to carry out dressing lectures with the theme of “New Starting Point, New Image”. Every year, it convenes 100 celebrities from culture, business, sports and other fields to continue to discuss the in-depth topics of Chinese men’s new image with the clothing industry.
On the one hand, we are looking for the convergence of culture and value; on the other hand, Weikeduo is also increasing its contact area with consumers. Just a few days ago, the author discovered in a shopping mall that the RED VICUTU store was being renovated. In addition to its multi-brand strategy, VICUTU is also constantly exploring brand segmentation. For example, VICUTU has a red label and a blue label. , facing different consumer markets respectively.
Cultural bonus, the brand has more identity and connotation, and market segmentation is also a consumption expression of cultural value.
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