When the cold wind is biting, the down jacket market in China is in full swing.
On one hand, the high-end down jacket market in China welcomes more international players, opening their first stores in China or in the Greater China region. On the other hand, overseas brands that have been cultivating the Chinese market for many years, as well as local down jacket brands, continue to increase their investments, expanding their store networks, upgrading and expanding, and opening exceptional new concept stores…
As the down jacket market expands and consumer awareness increases, stores are no longer just retail channels for brands, but play a richer role today. How can down jacket brands use store decoration, decoration, and experience settings to showcase product features, strengthen the functionality and fashion of down, and convey the high-end image of the brand?
This article from Luxeplace.com will take an in-depth look at the upgrading path of the down industry through six representative stores of old and new down jacket brands in the domestic and foreign markets that have recently opened in the China market.
37 New Stores in a Year, Including 16 “First Stores”
Luxeplace.com‘s fashion business database “Tong.Luxe.CO” recorded 216 high-end down jacket series related dynamics of 48 brands in 2023, including 10 domestic and foreign down jacket brands that opened and reopened a total of 37 stores, with 29 new openings and 8 re-openings, including 16 first stores (including provincial, regional and domestic), all located in commercial bodies, most of which are local luxury or top commercial bodies.
The new and renovated stores are located in 18 cities, with the most dynamic new and renovated stores in Beijing, with 8, followed by Shanghai, with 5, and Hangzhou, with 4.
Immersive, Highlighting Powerful Functional Attributes
Warmth and windproof are the basic functions of down jackets, and the ultimate pursuit of functionality is one of the important selling points of high-end down jackets. Brands also use stores as the front line to display product functionality, giving consumers the most intuitive experience.
In the newly opened Sanlitun flagship store of Canada Goose, a high-end functional clothing and lifestyle brand in Canada, there is such a Cold Room low-temperature experience room (as shown below), which fully simulates the extremely cold environment from rock snow to minus 20 degrees, and consumers can wear Canada Goose’s down jackets to experience the warmth level effect of each coat from TEI 1 (lightweight) to TEI (polar).
Canada Goose is one of the earlier overseas high-end down jacket brands to enter the Chinese market, and the Sanlitun flagship store in Beijing was the brand’s first store in China 5 years ago, and has now been relocated and upgraded to Canada Goose’s largest flagship store in the world (as shown below).
In addition to simulated scenes, the Chinese down jacket brand Bosideng also adds a special technology display area to highlight the professionalism of down jackets.
In November, Bosideng opened its first peak-themed concept store in the country at Beijing Wangfujing Yintai in88. The store simulates scenes such as glaciers, snow mountains, and snow caves, and has a separate “Bosideng Down Technology Center” display area, allowing consumers to understand the technology and innovation points of the Peak series (as shown below).
The Peak series is one of Bosideng’s five classic series and is also a concentrated embodiment of the brand’s technology investment. Since the launch of the first mountaineering suit in 1998, Bosideng has been committed to creating professional down jackets with the most cutting-edge technology. In 2021, the 100% Chinese original Peak 2.0 series was launched, and this year, Bosideng launched the “Peak LITE” series, which can withstand extreme cold of minus 50 degrees and further reduces the weight of the garment by 5%.
Bright Colors, Showing Winter Fashion
As domestic consumers’ awareness of down jackets improves, people’s demand for the fashion sense of down jackets is also increasing. Some overseas down jacket brands use this as an anchor point to enter the vision of domestic consumers.
In August of this year, the Italian luxury down jacket brand DUVETICA first entered China, opening three stores in Shanghai Pudong Kerry City, Hangzhou Wulin Yintai, and Qingdao MixC at the same time, and then opened new stores in Chongqing MixC, Nanjing Deji Plaza, Hangzhou Hubin Yintai in77, Taiyuan Maoye Tiandi Department Store, Zhengzhou David Plaza, etc. in the following months.
The overall design of DUVETICA’s stores is in bright and elegant earth tones, with soft beige, white walls and ceilings, and fresh wooden display shelves, highlighting the bright colors that are different from traditional winter clothing (as shown below).
DUVETICA was founded in 2004 by designers Giampiero Vagliano and Stefano Rovoletto, both of whom have worked at Moncler. In 2018, the brand was acquired by F&F Group, a South Korean fashion group.
Influenced by Italy’s “La Bella Vita” (the good life), DUVETICA emphasizes the fashion sense of winter wear, with vivid, bright, and rich color combinations as its features, interpreting the Italian unique comfort and casual style.
In the autumn and winter season, DUVETICA also held a “Winter Wear Class” event in the new Hangzhou store, inviting fashion bloggers and stylists to teach on-site, using the store as a base to deepen communication and interaction with consumers, and convey the brand’s fashion sense and lifestyle concept through the event.
The French clothing brand JOTT, which focuses on lightweight down jackets, is also known for its colors, and opened its first store in Chongqing MixC in September.
In the store, several walls are neatly arranged with down jackets stored in cylinders by color, creating a lively and fashionable atmosphere, and also showing the lightweight and compact features of JOTT down jackets (as shown below).
JOTT is an abbreviation for JUST OVER THE TOP, founded in 2010 in Marseille, France by Mathieu and Nicolas Gourdikian, focusing on creating lightweight down jackets and jackets, known for its wide range of color choices, outdoor fabrics, and exquisite design.
In February 2021, JOTT announced that L Catterton, the world’s largest consumer private equity fund under the LVMH Group, had acquired a controlling stake in the brand.
Consolidate Brand Positioning, Strengthen Brand Genes
For high-end down jacket brands, stores are one of the best channels to showcase brand positioning and genes.
The Italian luxury brand Moncler’s Shanghai Plaza 66 flagship store has moved to the first floor, spanning three floors with a total sales area of over 400 square meters. This store is Moncler’s first flagship store in the Chinese market, opened in 2009. With this renewal and upgrade, Moncler has expanded its influence in the iconic luxury retail center.
In terms of store decoration, the flagship store further highlights the brand’s luxury and high-end attributes. The store presents a futuristic feel with a variety of elements, white light and shadow cutting the overall black space, a rotating staircase surrounded by a circular LED screen for a technological visual effect, creating an immersive experience. The second and third floors are constructed with dark wood decoration, green plants, and elegant floor tiles, forming a stark contrast with the first floor (as shown below).
The flagship store displays the latest men’s and women’s collections, the Moncler Genius designer collaboration series, and the powerful Moncler Grenoble professional series.
The Canadian down jacket brand Moose Knuckles opened a new boutique in Beijing Sanlitun in August. In the minimalist black and white color scheme, the ice blue moose in the center of the store is very eye-catching.
The moose is one of Canada’s characteristic animals, living in extremely cold environments. It is the source of inspiration for the creation of the Moose Knuckles brand, and “moose” in the brand name is the North American term for “moose”. Moose Knuckles writes on its official website: “The moose is our country’s bravest animal, leading explorers on endless adventures, leaving only footprints in the snow, and we are inspired by this.”
The moose installation in the Moose Knuckles Sanlitun store in Beijing not only echoes the brand’s place of origin and ice and snow attributes, highlighting the wild, cool, and rebellious brand style, but also externally expresses the brand spirit of bravery, fearlessness, and professionalism (as shown below).
丨Image Credit: Official accounts of various brands
丨Reporter：Huang Yuting
丨Editor: Zhu Ruoyu
