llseMetchek, founder of the California Fashion Association
The plans and territory of the apparel industry in 2014 are very clear. For the retail industry, there will be more private brands, which will gradually prosper and pursue more profits. This supply chain conference talked about the risks faced by the supply chain. To avoid these risks, we need more business wisdom.
In the United States, there are actually many channels from producers to consumers. We have defined various stores. These are what we call retail terminals, distribution terminals, and distribution channels. The markets in different parts of the United States also have some regional differences, so one consumption method cannot fit all markets. So, how to sell our products to end customers? How do you get goods from the manufacturer to the retailer and then to the end customer? The United States has one of the most effective channels, and that is direct sales. Direct selling allows manufacturers and customers to communicate directly without any channels in between.
To enter the U.S. market, you must establish a U.S. company. There are many issues that need to be taken into consideration when establishing a company. For example, there are many local brands in the United States, so if you want to enter the US market, you must consider trademark and copyright issues; in addition, the company’s quotation is the final landing price, tax-paid price, so you must pay attention to the time difference in different regions of the United States, because different Regional customs service centers have different opening hours.
Another point worth paying attention to in the United States is the regulation of labels on clothing. The manufacturer, manufacturer’s place of origin, clothing fabric and cotton fiber content must be clearly marked on the hangtag. Because only products that meet these standards can be shipped in the United States.
There are other regulations that must be followed, such as how to wash and care for clothing; and in accordance with the requirements of CBSIC, the Customer Safety Improvement Act, through third-party testing to prove whether products contain lead and phthalate. Salts, because the clothing of 12-year-old children or younger children cannot contain toxic substances; there must also be certain limits on chemical substances, etc.
In addition, regarding the financing problems faced by the industry, many people do not know much about financing channels and financing mechanisms, and think that financing can only be obtained through letters of credit. In fact, in the United States, there are many funds from banks and their affiliated institutions. Support, such as private banks. The company can cooperate with private banks and sign a series of agreements, or it can conduct some factoring business, or obtain bank certification from a third party and sign some agreements with it… These are all very good measures and methods to resist risks.
From a global perspective, it is not enough for a product to have good design. It also requires sufficient size, labeling requirements, shipping costs, customs requirements, and protection of intellectual property rights. A series of clothing exports requirements, and this also constitutes an important guarantee for garment exports.
Now let’s talk about the current situation facing the clothing industry. We see some new fashions disclosed by famous fashion magazines, but we find that fashion changes very quickly. The American apparel industry introduces some new trends every 10 weeks. If you just stare at fashion magazines, you may be out of date. We need to consider the democracy of consumption. What is the democracy of consumption? It’s an uncertain factor. Sometimes it is impossible to tell what fashion is because fashion is not an element that can last for a long time.
Private brands have gradually attracted everyone’s attention. For example, many private brands such as Effini have attracted everyone’s attention. Now, more and more companies are purchasing their own private labels. Brands in the US market will change quickly in 2014, and brands that were very popular in the past may have relatively low customer awareness and customer loyalty in the future. For designers, if they copy other people’s designs, they will not be able to enter some better brands. For retailers, they introduce large brands to retail terminals through their own purchases, so brand design is even more important.
If you want to land in the United States as a successful brand, you must understand the differences between your own products and those of your competitors, such as product logos and packaging, and whether there is anything special that distinguishes them from other products. For example, in Hong Kong and the United States , Canada or France, the fashionable colors in magazines are the same, but T-shirts of the same color and style may have different prices in different places because of their different packaging. These are places that the American market attaches great importance to.
