The major shopping district in Guangzhou, eye-catching places can always see the Evo large billboards. This orientation is in the men’s tailored clothing for the Evo brand, consumer groups will focus on 25 to 35-year-old white-collar workers. And other prices are high compared to custom apparel, Evo shirt price is 300 yuan, 2,000 yuan a set of suits also.
More importantly, through the chain, the website or 400 toll-free telephone, only 7 working days, customers can get their own tailor-made clothes. This is a traditional custom apparel brands the minimum time required for, a full cut in half.
Even as a young Evo only been established for more than two years, but the Evo Men’s CEO and founder of Guan-Bin there is a big vision: to build within five years to become an Evo with annual sales of more than 360 million yuan worth 2 billion yuan brand.
Evo: custom clothing inexpensive tips
□ Ying Zhoukan reporter Xu Bi-yu
Civilian-oriented strategy of differentiation
Possibility of establishing a workable mode of production and sales of clothing, not only able to retain some advantages of high-end custom models, while able to adapt to the Chinese market?
In 2004, Guan-Bin is still studying in the UK for an initial visit to London’s Savile Row, it has been this deeply struck by the history of street: This street from the early 19th century began to gather the world’s top tailors, the world the high and mighty, wealthy businessmen, the actress had to have a set of Saville’s top tailors handmade suits for the status symbol. In fact, the “custom” the term originated in Savile Row, which means tailoring customized for individual customers.
“Originally, fine clothes could have done so.” Seen in Saville Street, Guan-Bin and everything to join the stylish tailoring generated ideas.
Returned to China to join Procter & Gamble, the expatriate colleagues fashion dress up again leveraging the Guan-Bin into the idea of custom clothing fashion.
To conduct a market survey, Guan-Bin found that the market has been a lot of tailored clothing brands, but mostly for high-end groups, high prices are affecting ordinary consumers to choose the consumption patterns. Possibility of establishing a workable mode of production and sales of clothing, not only able to retain some advantages of high-end custom models, while able to adapt to the Chinese market?
“China’s civilian population far more than the rich, the middle class is fast growing, and you want to create a custom-branded clothing is to seize this group.” Guan-Bin said, to build civilian-oriented customization, from the clothing men’s clothing style is relatively stable start, including shirts, trousers, suits and so on, parity into the market, it will be a vast market. That time, his idea is also very simple, “because I am a civilian, first of all a group of friends to meet their own needs and those around us.”
Thus, in order to Guan-Bin 5-person core team, led by the composition of the other four people were Guan-Bin secondary school students, university students, as well as P & G’s former colleagues. “At present, the company is still in its formative years, a greater need for the implementation, so that each of us are meticulous division of labor and implement every detail of the implementation.”
Guan-Bin in charge of branding and finance, responsible for corporate strategy and development direction. Another four were responsible for: supply chain management, marketing, human resources and IT systems management.
In October 2007, Evo Universal Custom Garments Co., Ltd. (IWORE) incorporated.
Asset-light operating down the cost of production
Production according to actual demand during the same time, only the low-cost operations in order for the cause of the civilian-oriented customization become a reality.
Traditional clothing industry is in accordance with forecast demand for production, that is, designers predict the overall trend in the next season, and then the trend for production. This traditional relations of production in the provision of a large number of garments to the consumer an immediate cash purchase at the same time, also produced a lot of inventory. “I’m casual search on the Internet and found the rest of China’s remaining stock for each year about 12 billion clothing. This volume is very alarming, very frightening.”
Evo is determined to build the zero stocks of clothing cause, the demand forecast into a real, first get the consumer demand, and then to produce according to demand. “We are measured by the consumer’s personality orders together into a small volume orders to the factory orders in accordance with a tour of our production.”
Guan-Bin in accordance with the idea of carrying out production according to actual demand at the same time, only the low-cost operations in order for the cause of the civilian-oriented customization become a reality. To this end, Evo for asset-light business model is to find the advantages of fabric suppliers and manufacturers to cooperate is the Evo to start production of the key.
Guan-Bin found that some high-end apparel brands during a time when mass production will be reserved for back-up material. However, these back-up material in the actual production process is often wasted and finally reduced to sell junk. “However, these are very good quality fabric.” Thus, the first three Guan-Bin and domestic fabric suppliers to achieve the strategic cooperation, to buy their back-up fabric.
Small quantities or even one-piece garment production costs are higher than the cost of mass production much like to reduce the cost of production and supply must address the problem. In this issue, the Evo does not build their own processing plants, but the selection and Dongguan, Zhongshan and some well-known garment factory to turn its own advantages and traditional clothing manufacturing enterprises seasonal production features combine to maximize reducing production costs.
Traditional clothing production, businesses generally have been completed in the spring and summer on the fall and winter production. “To customized apparel companies to adopt the seasonal demand for seasonal production methods, does not require high-volume production down season. Therefore, when the Evo production needs to expand, it is the majority of garment manufacturers is relatively idle time.”
These low-cost operating methods, so that Evo up and running quickly.
IT means to resolve the contradiction between customization and large-scale
These high-efficiency production, from Evo’s IT systems – Evo’s “shop in God system.” In fact, the reaction rate is tailored to the industry’s most critical test.
The traditional high-end custom tailoring, production process, store management, and client systems are not standard, so basically only a tailor shop and chain can not be copied; general custom corporate apparel custom shirt at least a need for three weeks or so, but the consumers Evo customize a shirt within a week you can pick up, process more complex suits can also be delivered within two weeks.
These high-efficiency production, from Evo’s IT systems – Evo’s “shop in God system.” In fact, the reaction rate is tailored to the industry’s most critical test.
As early as the beginning of this organization on the Evo-consuming one-third of manpower to develop entrepreneurial team, the “shop god system”, has several major functions: the daily management, including orders for treatment; knowledge, classified knowledge into the apparel industry Tailoring for the standardization of knowledge; intelligent information systems in order to arrive at the actual data analysis of consumer shopping habits, trends, instead of previous market research to get through the clothing trend.
A shirt, Evo will be broken down into their collars, sleeves, and several other parts of the backswing, and follow the trend of launch in each section of different styles for the use of consumer choice. Consumers can be combined according to their own preferences to achieve a limited degree of customization.
Subsequently, the Evo’s IT system, “shop god system” will each part of the specific dimensions, specifications and materials of detail provided to the supplier. After receiving the orders, suppliers of raw materials in accordance with orders, with the corresponding standardized production and eventually re-based customer information stored in the computer combined into the corresponding product.
This is a revolutionary standardized management system, the first time ERP, physical chain of mall stores and online these three systems together.
“This is a store of future development trend, there will be more and more of the Brand Integration of such a system to integrate physical channels, online channels, and management of production needs.” Guan-Bin said.
“Using the store the biggest advantage of the system of God is that we have saved a lot of customer data. Customers regardless of where one shops customized services received, data are consistent.”
However, Guan-Bin admits, has an advanced IT systems, but not on no worries. Evo is the possession of the current opportunities, and then most likely encounter cottage. Guan-Bin believes it is the time period leading to the Evo development opportunities. “In the next few years, we will increase investment.” Shop god system “is our largest investment part.”
Multi-directional marketing actively explore the market
And clothing designer brand names around the core, creating a trend of clothing, wait for customers door consumption compared to Evo this positive market development strategy, in the garment industry out of the leading step.
At present, the popular shopping district in Guangzhou, China Square, Tianhe City, Grandview Plaza conspicuous places, can see the Evo large billboards. First-class shopping district of the second-rate shops, is Guan-Bin selection store standards. “The industries need to be customized in order to enhance the flow of people through sales. Selected second-rate shops are made from a cost point of view the choice, so consumers can find us, but prices will be relatively low.”
At present, the Evo’s shop rent accounts for 20% of the total cost of operations, advertising accounted for the total operating cost of about 5%. In addition to the retail market, Evo also actively develop corporate Group buy a channel, locate experts for the enterprise uniforms. However, as the civilian-oriented, tailored clothing brands, Evo relatively conservative corporate Group buy customers, lock size of about 50 small and medium enterprises. Such as IT companies, fund companies and securities companies such as subsidiaries or branches. Of these companies is small, but demanding work clothes. At present, the Evo has been with the Industrial Bank, Everbright Securities, a branch of China Mobile and other companies to achieve co-operation
Cooperative enterprise customer base to reach more than 50.
In addition, the Evo actively training the future of consumer groups. “Evo future is to China’s 25-year-old to 35-year-old white-collar services, while the white-collar groups, is now China’s major colleges and universities to grow up.” Guan-Bin will be on a regular basis to major colleges and universities, on the interview clothing, etiquette topics such as lectures.
However, this is not enough. Procter & Gamble’s shampoo experiential marketing (to be trial fitted into the college’s marketing methods) inspired Guan-bin, “We’re more of is to apply the concept of daily chemical products to sell clothes.” In 2009, he started the “launching of fresh raw power of the city, three folding Group buy Evo custom suits.” As long as the 2010 graduates, you can register online, to just folded the price of market price to buy a decent suit.
“We basically do not make money, is to cultivate future loyal customers.”
And clothing designer brand names around the core, creating a trend of clothing, wait for customers door consumption compared to Evo this positive market development strategy, in the garment industry out of the leading step.
Three major worries or gradually water
With the Evo’s development, more challenges will be gradually presented.
Was created in 2008, the first year of Evo achieved turnover of 400 million. But in 2009, this figure increased threefold increase, reaching 12 million yuan.
Evo launch the first phase of Capital 200 million from angel investors. To achieve long-term vision, we must first expand the sales network, “to open 55 stores across the country, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen will be the focus on the development of the city, but in a small city built around one or two flagship stores rich entities network to help online sales, online line with Xia Xiang. “Evo these planning and development of the cash made further demands. However, there have been several institutional investors interested in the business model of the Evo, the two sides are to discuss.
At present, Guan-Bin more willing to Evo competitor positioning of such sales G2000 trendy men’s and women Business Wear clothing brand, rather than tailor-made fashion brand.
However, the Evo more challenges will be gradually presented. With the increase of consumer groups, the use of off-season production capacity of manufacturers, or will usher in a challenge? When the Evo’s “shop god system” is no longer a core competency, the Evo can go to another high?
More worthy of attention is the founder of the shares of the dispute. Many companies is the creator of the shares fell on the distribution issues. This co-founded by a number of the founder of the company, when the company developed to a certain size, the equity allocation should be coordinated, so that shareholders can more consistently you develop their business. Guan-Bin is very optimistic that in the start time has reached a consensus on the stock. “We hope to achieve a win-win situation, I hope have been shared with business partners, business results.”
“I am a tailor.” In a time when self-introduction, Guan-Bin introduce themselves like this. This innovative tailor and his team can be a challenge across one another achieve a smooth long-term goals?