Inditex Group, the parent company of fast fashion brand Zara, plans to close all its Chinese stores of Bershka, Pull&Bear and Stradivirus at the end of this month, leaving only the official website, Tmall flagship store and other e-commerce channels.
Recently, Japanese underwear and textile giant Wacoal Holdings Corp announced that it will close three of its high-end sub-brands in the 2021 spring and summer series: WACOAL DIA and STUDIO FIVE and Trefle.
WACOAL DIA was born in 2004, hoping to create a brand through the resonance between opposing values such as “classical and modern, beauty and function, underwear and outerwear, Western and Eastern culture” With a cross-cultural concept, the brand mostly uses lace, embroidery and other fabrics. STUDIO FIVE focuses on bright colors and bold designs, with a sexy style. The lace luxury underwear brand Trefle was founded in 1977 and is the first high-end brand of Wacoal Group. The brand selects fabrics from all over the world and is handmade by craftsmen.
This adjustment to its high-end product lines is in line with the omni-channel strategy formulated by Wacoal Group. The group plans to reduce the overall number of brands by 30% as of the 2021 autumn and winter series compared with the 2019 autumn and winter series.
In addition, Wacoal Group launched related brand strategies in December 2020 – adjusting brand positioning and distribution channels, and concentrating investment resources. The first batch of brands to undergo image reshaping include: Wing and Dubleve.
Wing is an affordable brand launched by Wacoal in 1975. It is mainly sold through underwear specialty stores, supermarkets and other channels. With the increase in remote working and the diversified development of consumer lifestyles, the demand for the comfort of bras has become higher. This is also the reason why Wacoal has rebranded.
With the brand concept of “Life, Wing that talks to the body”, the brand will launch more styles and low-price products. In the future, in addition to the original sales channels, the Wing brand will further expand sales channels such as online, department stores, directly-operated stores, and drug stores.
Dubleve was launched in 1993, focusing on semi-customized services. Consumers can choose the most suitable one from 3,000 sizes, and the brand has won many awards. Repeat customers.
Currently, the brand has been renamed WACOAL SIZE ORDER, hoping to create a diverse and inclusive brand, aiming to attract more consumers through customized services. In addition to taking over Dubleve’s original customized product services, WACOAL SIZE ORDER will also sell some of the brand’s original products. In the future, the brand will also introduce digital technology to simplify the order and production process, while providing services in more stores. In addition, the brand also plans to promote online sales growth based on store measurements.
Wacoal Group’s omni-channel strategy can be traced back to 2018, when Wacoal Group invested 2.5 billion yen (approximately RMB 160 million) ), used to integrate customer data and inventory data, and launched a series of digital customer experiences.
In 2019, Wacoal’s digital strategy was gradually implemented, and an app was launched for customers that records size models, past consumption records and other data, and provides human-computer interaction services. In stores, it launched a 3D body measurement app. , artificial intelligence recommendation and other digital services.
Wacoal, founded in 1949, is Japan’s largest underwear group, with 58 subsidiaries and 7 shareholding companies, engaged in underwear, shoes, outerwear, sportswear, other fiber products and The group also engages in the production and sales of related products. In addition, the group is also involved in catering, culture, services, interior decoration and other businesses. In addition, Wacoal Group also has two investment companies: Hejiangliu Investment and Wacoal Venture. </p
