American Apparel Enters China with "Counter Flow"

American Apparel, a company that produces casual clothing, is currently planning to “counter-flow”: to open a branch in China, the world's largest clothing exporter, to sell “Los Angeles Manufacturing”. It is not too much to say that it is “upwards”: In the United States, one-third of the clothes on the market come from China, and only 6% of Americans dress locally.

Recently, American Apparel has played a new trick: The company will open stores in China this spring, selling T-shirts, shorts and hooded tops made in Los Angeles.

American Apparel, a company that produces casual wear, says that it is “overflow”: nothing in the United States means that one-third of the clothes on the market come from China and only 6% of Americans wear it. Produced locally.

Who is American Apparel?

American Apparel (abbreviated as AA) is an American brand. It opened its first store in 2003. So far, it has more than 110 stores in the United States and 35 major cities in the world, with sales of US$250 million.

In the United States, which imports 96% of clothing, it does the opposite:

First of all, unlike many brands looking for a processing plant in developing countries, it insists on vertical integration in the United States. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the AA plant has 3,500 workers and is the largest single garment factory in the United States today, producing more than 210,000 T-shirts per day.

Second, American Apparel is definitely not a "sweatshop" that is reminiscent of a garment factory. Workers' remuneration reaches 13-15 dollars per hour; free medical examinations and insurance are provided; and non-English-speaking staff are provided with English language teaching courses.

In fact, AA's products are very simple, T-shirts, undershirts, underwear, etc., and are all basic models, it looks no different from Gap, but in recent years has actually become one of the world's most popular brands, and why?

Advertising is another way. Unlike Gap, which hires big-name stars to shoot ads, AA's models are amateurs. Most of them come from AA's own company or some consumers. The shooting location is selected in AA's office area. The shooting technique is based on the 70-80s Playboy. The style that gives a person a sexy feeling is not far away, just like your neighbor or colleagues, friends or classmates.

The promotion has targeted and when it comes to opening a store in a city, AA does not choose mass media, but selects niche free magazines to advertise, or advertises on the more influential Bloger website.

Store sales are powerful. Although the basic style of the product is sold, the color is rich, and the clerk has its own style. The boss will interview every store salesperson. No style person will not be hired.