“Over the past 20 years, JACK & JONES in the Chinese Mainland has paralleled the rapid development of the men’s fashion industry. China is our ‘most worthy market for continuous exploration’ globally,” remarked Jesper Kristensen, the head of the JACK & JONES brand, in an exclusive interview with Luxeplace.com.
Jesper Kristensen
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Jesper Kristensen has worked for JACK & JONES and its parent company, Bestseller, for over 20 years. Since the brand entered the Chinese Mainland in 2000, he has frequently traveled between Denmark and China. Over the past two decades, he has witnessed the development and transformation of the Chinese men’s fashion market and gained a deep understanding of Chinese men’s fashion consumers.
During Shanghai Fashion Week, JACK & JONES hosted the “Empower the Life” fashion show and collaborated with Woolrich, one of the oldest outdoor brands in the U.S. and worldwide, to launch a joint collection. This partnership reinterpreted the Arctic Parka, an iconic fashion piece born over 50 years ago in extreme cold working environments, reviving a classic while paying homage to Woolrich’s 194-year history.
The new “Summit Parka Collection” showcased at the show highlighted the collision between American utilitarian aesthetics and Nordic urban fashion.
“In response to the growing demand for outdoor products in the Chinese market, we believe that JACK & JONES will see more development and innovation in the outdoor lifestyle sector,” Kristensen emphasized.
It is worth noting that this is Woolrich’s first collaboration in the Chinese market, as the brand had only been available in select premium boutiques before. This partnership sends a clear message: JACK & JONES has taken another bold step in elevating its brand positioning, showing a commitment to bringing premium global brands to Chinese consumers through collaborations.
Kristensen explained the origins of this collaboration in his interview with Luxe.CO. After discussions with the Woolrich team in Milan and reviewing the brand’s archives, he became deeply interested in how to revitalize the classic pieces of this century-old outdoor brand. The collaboration’s design concept centers on “reviving classics,” blending utilitarian aesthetics with the American vintage trend, drawing inspiration from natural landscapes like tundras, glaciers, fjords, and permafrost to reimagine the possibilities of vintage outdoor style.
Woolrich is best known for its signature designs, such as the Buffalo Check Shirt, introduced in 1830, and the Arctic Parka, launched in 1972.
This globally renowned outdoor brand, which started nearly two centuries ago in a Pennsylvania woolen mill, has continually expanded its product range and geographic reach. From aiding outdoor enthusiasts in harsh environments to supporting engineers working in the Arctic, Woolrich’s pursuit of freedom and adventure is infused into its products, establishing it as an industry benchmark in the outdoor category.
Kristensen told Luxeplace.com, “Injecting the joy of free dressing and the thoughtful design of utilitarian aesthetics into products aligns with JACK & JONES’ design philosophy. The ‘Born to Burn’ fashion show represents our ongoing exploration of contemporary men’s style and a concentrated presentation of our reimagined parka lineup.”
The newly launched urban smart parka (Smart Parka) and functional parka (Light Tech Parka) enhance the brand’s appeal to young consumers across various lifestyle scenarios, particularly in light outdoor activities.
“Compared to women, men value classic and practical products more.”
“Currently, Chinese consumers are more focused on design innovation while also valuing craftsmanship and quality. Compared to women, men prioritize classic, durable, and practical products. We are proud to meet these consumer demands without compromising on design,” Kristensen said.
The keywords Kristensen mentioned reflect the rise of the outdoor trend in the Chinese market. According to Luxe.CO’s fashion industry research and consulting firm Luxe.CO Intelligence’s 2024 Spring/Summer “Sports and Outdoor Brand Power Rankings,” we see more luxury and international sports brands aligning with the outdoor trend.
In recent years, JACK & JONES, which started as a men’s fashion brand, has deepened its cooperation with leading global fabric technology companies. These include functional fabric leaders like Dermizax, Pertex, and Cordura, and functional filling materials such as Primaloft, Thermolite, and 3M Thinsulate. These cutting-edge fabric technologies not only emphasize design but also infuse classic practicality into the products, enhancing user experience and brand value.
Taking the parka products from this collaboration as an example, the average price is around RMB 2,000, which stands in contrast to Woolrich’s similar products, averaging USD 1,000, showcasing a clear price-performance advantage.
“Pricing is based on our unwavering commitment to craftsmanship and fabric technology,” Kristensen explained. “We have confidence in our brand, and we also have a responsibility to ensure that consumers have confidence in us.”
“Remaining steadfast in a changing market, bringing the best collaborative series to Chinese consumers”
This year, several major global fast fashion giants have frequently set record performance highs, seemingly signaling the resurgence of fast fashion.
However, can short-term sales growth prove that a brand can withstand cyclical challenges? The influx of numerous international brands, the rise of domestic brands, and competition-driven price wars continue to test the brand loyalty of Chinese consumers.
Maintaining and regaining the confidence of long-standing customers, while expanding brand awareness among a broader younger audience, remains one of the challenges for overseas men’s fashion brands like JACK & JONES in the Chinese market.
“Whether it’s our partners or competitors, everyone now needs to focus on their current tasks and work on internal improvement,” Kristensen noted.
Regarding future investment plans in the Chinese market, Kristensen introduced two major projects for JACK & JONES this year.
Kristensen revealed that in 2025, the brand will invite the founder of a pioneering Japanese outdoor brand to serve as the creative director for its fashion outdoor product line, with a new collection set to launch in September 2025.
Kristensen emphasized, “This collaboration is not just a simple partnership, but an invitation for him to be the creative director of this series. Through this annual collaboration series, we want consumers to truly experience fashionable outdoor design concepts and utilitarian aesthetics with functional considerations.”
Additionally, while exploring the fashion outdoor category, Kristensen emphasized that “denim remains JACK & JONES’ stronghold and pillar category.”
He introduced how the brand’s denim series has built a rich archive of cuts and fabrics over the past 20 years, including the 901 to 909 styles, which are tailored for the Asian male physique. Through premium fabrics and diverse washes, the brand has developed a high-end denim line—the DenimMaster series—as well as products launched first in the Chinese market, such as the lasting fit 2.0 jeans, co-launched with Lycra this summer.
By the end of this year, JACK & JONES will also collaborate with CONE Denim, one of the world’s oldest denim fabric manufacturers, to bring authentic American vintage denim fabrics and classic products to Chinese consumers.
“We have been evolving, and we hope everyone can see our changes.”
Founded in 1990, JACK & JONES entered the Chinese market in 2000 as one of the earliest European fashion brands to explore the Chinese market. The brand is now operating around 1,400 directly managed stores across the region. JACK & JONES became a household name, symbolizing the fashion culture pursued by young people in the Chinese Mainland during an era.
Many iconic fashion and lifestyle brands have emerged from the Nordics, such as Ikea (home furnishings) and Bang & Olufsen (audio-visual), which initially introduced Chinese consumers to Nordic design.
Today, it’s difficult to define Nordic style solely as “minimalist.” Nordic design is more like a container, holding a diversity of aesthetics.
As Kristensen said, “We are a brand born in the Nordics, but we are not limited to the Nordics. Over the past 30 years of brand development, we have continuously sought more changes in response to market shifts. In my mind, we are willing to infuse CLEAN, MODERN, FUNCTIONAL, HUMANISTIC, RELAXED, and COSY elements into our brand’s core.”
Today, JACK & JONES, based on its insights into urban lifestyles, is creating contemporary wardrobes for its target audience of urban males aged 20 to 35 in the Chinese Mainland. The brand offers diverse dressing possibilities for all scenarios, including business commuting with the SMART series, trendier street elements with the ORIGINALS series, high-end denim culture with the DENIM MASTER series, and outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts with the BLACK LABEL series.
Beyond these product lines, JACK & JONES continues to explore more creative possibilities through “boundary-breaking collaborations”:
- Since its collaboration with the NBA in 2020, JACK & JONES has become the NBA’s most important partner in the casual apparel category in the Chinese Mainland. Next year, JACK & JONES will also join the 2025 NBA China Games market activities as an official market partner, bringing more collaborative products.
- In the cultural and arts sector, the brand has frequently collaborated with renowned art IPs like Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, and Basquiat. This year, the brand will also partner with the Dalí Foundation to launch its first collaborative project in the Chinese Mainland.
- Connecting with Chinese creative talent, JACK & JONES has previously teamed up with designer Angel CHEN and trend brand CLOTtee to create products focusing on local fashion language.
Kristensen stated that to more comprehensively and clearly present the product matrix the brand brings to the Chinese market, “We continue to invest in enhancing the consumer retail experience. This year, JACK & JONES’ next-generation offline shopping spaces have opened in cities such as Shenzhen, Beijing, and Nanjing. At the same time, JACK & JONES NEXT, a trend sports-themed store designed to attract young trendsetters, has opened in Shanghai. By the end of the year, it will also open in Changsha IFS, welcoming Chinese consumers with a brand-new brand image and retail experience.”
JACK & JONES Shanghai Trend Sports Space
JACK & JONES Shenzhen New Shopping Space
From updating product design language to deepening the core denim category, exploring outdoor categories, and upgrading retail experiences, JACK & JONES’ investment and transformation in the Chinese market are ongoing.
“JACK & JONES has undergone significant changes in recent years, and these changes will continue in the future,” Kristensen confidently concluded in his interview with Luxeplace.com.
| Image Credit: JACK & JONES
| Editor: Elisa |
