Fast-fashion retailer Shein blazed a trail for Chinese companies in the US and European markets. Now, another China-based apparel brand wants to replicate its success.
Urban Revivo
With more stores than Inditex SA’s Zara and Hennes & Mauritz AB’s H&M in China, and catching up to them in Southeast Asia, Guangzhou-based Urban Revivo is set to open first US flagship store in New York City’s Soho Friday. It’s one of 25 stores outside of China founder Leo Li has planned for this year, including two more in London, and several in Japan and the Middle East.
If all goes well, new store openings outside China could accelerate next year, with overseas outlets reaching 100 by then, he said.
Meanwhile, Li is also sketching out a supply chain outside China that will eventually make at least half of the apparel sold in overseas markets. Production will start in Turkey this year for Europe, and the company is also exploring local manufacturing partners for the US market.
“We ventured out to Southeast Asia in 2016 but real globalization for fashion only starts when we break into US and Europe,” Li said in an interview with Bloomberg News, “Now our going global is for real.”
It’s an outsized ambition for a Chinese brand with annual sales of roughly $1 billion, just a fraction of what Zara, H&M and Shein can earn, but Shein’s global success shows Chinese apparel makers can secure a foothold in Western fashion capitals.
Urban Revivo not only plans to add storefronts, but also factories near or in the overseas market it will sell. That underscores the urgency to build a parallel supply chain as part of Chinese companies’ global expansion plans in the face of punitive trade policies unleashed by US President Donald Trump.
Trump’s tariff blitz and decision to close the so-called “de minimis” import levy exemption loophole has already forced China-linked companies to re-map their supply chains.
Shein is said to have been asking some of its top suppliers to add production lines in Vietnam, Bloomberg reported earlier in February. Meanwhile, Temu, operated by Chinese tech giant PDD Holdings Inc., is also giving up substantial control of its Chinese supply chain to encourage merchants to ship goods to US warehouses.
Unlike Shein, whose success in cracking the Western market rests in part on selling online, China’s brick-and-mortar clothing retailers have so far largely failed to crack developed markets. Brands ranging from sportswear maker Li Ning Co. to down-jacket maker Bosideng International Holdings Ltd. have shut flagship stores in prime locations in major US and European cities after failing to win over local consumers.
Still, a stagnant demand at home has prompted Chinese apparel makers big and small to seek growth in oversea markets. Li said he realized years ago global expansion is a must as Urban Revivo saw limited room to grow in a fragmented China womenswear space, where no single brand commands a market share more than 2%.
Urban Revivo estimates that US and Europe could eventually account for at least 30% of total sales, if the company manages to penetrate further. Currently, it earns the majority of its revenue in China, as well as a small fraction from the dozens of stores already operating in Southeast Asia.
It’s easy for Chinese companies to dominate in the category of trendy clothing, according to Li, where low price trumps brand loyalty.
To beat global giants like Zara and H&M in western markets, Li said it will stick to the playbook that worked well in China: leveraging its mature supply chain and e-commerce expertise to respond to fickle consumer tastes in days, rather than the weeks and even months that it usually takes for international rivals.
By contrast, global fashion brands have struggled to survive the competition, price wars and weak consumer sentiment in China, with Zara and Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing Co. recently shutting under-performing stores. They also face risks from growing nationalism. H&M sales tumbled in 2021 after Chinese consumers called for a boycott as the brand said it won’t use cotton from Xinjiang.
“For Chinese firms, everyone tries their best to create something new,” said Li. “You can say they are forced to because of the fierce competition, but they are indeed more energetic and quick.”
While Urban Revivo’s clothes will sell at roughly four to five times higher than Shein’s ultracheap fashion, Li said moving production closer to overseas market will save logistics and tariffs cost and keep the brand competitive with similarly positioned rivals such as Zara. Local suppliers will churn out trendy items, while factories in China still make less time-sensitive ones.
“You might feel China’s a huge market, but if you have ambition, if you plan to go public, the market is not big enough,” Li said. “We believe there will be more globalized Chinese apparel brands in the next decade.”
Wednesday this week will see Icelandic outerwear brand 66°North launching its SS25 collection ‘Blurred Seasons’. And it comes with its first Chris Burkard design collab and the new Helgafell running line, based on the UK-originated activity of fell running. There’s also a supporting campaign.
66°North
For SS25, 66°North said it “exports its blurred season dressing beyond Iceland to the global community of adventurers, travellers, and everyday commuters experiencing a wide variety of climates and lifestyles”. The “protective layers provide the foundation to the entire collection”, with the brand’s signature shell jackets at the forefront, such as its most technical Hornstrandir Gore-Tex Pro and “everyday go-to” Polartec Snæfell, while also offering lighter shell layers for high summer.
As mentioned, this season, 66°North introduces its first design collaboration with long-term brand ambassador, photographer, and Iceland-based explorer, Chris Burkard. The collection includes various multi-use jackets and shorts “inspired by [his] love of movement”.
And the company said that “tapping into the overarching theme of blurred seasons, the collection provides layers you can count on in the mountains, from the unexpected storm to a cold snap in the valley”.
Also newly developed for SS25 is the brand’s new Helgafell running line, designed in partnership with UK-based Rory Griffin, the trail runner and founder of Orienteer Magazine and Studio.
Helgafell is a collection “rooted in Iceland’s rugged and harsh terrain, designed with functionality at the forefront of each piece to manage weather comfortably and safely during trail runs”.
But the company said that while it’s “synonymous with Icelandic locals, it also taps into the UK and European sport of fell running”.
Born in the North of England and in Scotland, this sport — which is also known as hill running — “takes athletes and enthusiasts out into diverse terrain where they must focus on their navigational skills and preparation for the journey, with functionality first”.
So the range features “shorts with stuffable pockets and packable jackets with storage for race fuel and additional phone storage”.
The company also updated its core Straumur swim line for the season with new fabric and colour options, and its heritage ‘Kría’ capsule is also back for SS25. The collection, named after the arctic tern, dates back to the 1990s when the collection was first introduced in Iceland. This season, the inspiration comes from camping and love of the outdoors, bringing together both technical elements and lifestyle.
Local council-owned Charter Walk Shopping Centre in Burnley is welcoming a bigger, more prominent JD Sports flagship store.
Centre asset manager Addington has secured a 10-year lease for the relocated unit, moving from its current 3,973 sq ft store to an increased ground floor 5,817 sq ft with a new address taking in The Mall and adjoining Fleet Walk.
The new unit, situated opposite River Island and Superdrug, “provides an enhanced shopping experience for customers in one of the most popular stores within the scheme”, Addington said.
Works to amalgamate six vacant units for the new store are already under way, with the opening targeted for summer.
Matthew Allen Principal of Addington said: “We are delighted that JD Sports, who has been a key part of Burnley’s retail landscape for over 20 years has recommitted to the shopping centre. Occupancy across Charter Walk remains very high. By consolidating smaller units into larger, modern retail spaces, the Centre is securing the long-term presence of national retailers, enhancing the overall sustainability of Charter Walk as a thriving destination for the local community.”
JD Sports’ recommitment to the shopping centre follows on from a series of other high-profile retailers upsizing in Charter Walk, “demonstrating strong confidence in the shopping centre’s future”. They include Shoe Zone signing a five-year lease on a bigger 3,025 sq ft unit and Specsavers, signing a 10-year lease on 4,999 sq ft space, both doubling the size of their stores.
The 375,185 sq ft centre is home to other national retailers including River Island, Superdry and Boots.
Castore continues to extend its association with cricket. Already kit partner for the England and NewZealand men’s and women’s national teams, the premium sportswear brand has agreed another multi-year partnership at county level with Lancashire CCC.
It joins fellow county sides Yorkshire, Surrey, Worcestershire, Middlesex and Kent.
Under the terms of the new deal, Castore will become the official kit supplier and exclusive retail partner with the kit featuring the Lancashire red rose being worn by the Club from April. The new design will be ready in time for the Lancashire Men’s and Women’s (Lancashire Thunder) first domestic fixtures of the season.
Fans will be able to buy the new kit, which will be worn by England internationals including Jos Buttler, Sophie Ecclestone, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood and Phil Salt as well as all-time cricketing great Jimmy Anderson, via the Lancashire Webshop.
The timely association coincides with Lancashire purchasing a 70% stake in its Hundred team, Manchester Originals, who will also wear a Castore-designed kit.
Lancashire CCC’s home ground, Emirates Old Trafford, will host sides including India and South Africa against England this summer, as well as the County Championship and Vitality Blast fixtures.
Castore founding partner Tom Beahon said: “Lancashire [is] a club that is close to our hearts – especially my brother and co-founder Phil, being his former club. It is also close to our business in Manchester and we both have strong ambitions to continue to promote cricketing excellence at the elite level and through grassroots participation, particularly with Lancashire’s development at Farington due to open in 2026, with the new community cricket oval set to inspire the next generation of cricketers in the county.
“It’s a pleasure to work with Lancashire and develop our relationship with another key part of the cricketing community. We think it’s a brilliant time to be bolstering our presence in cricket, as summer approaches and the UK plays host to some incredible international fixtures before the Ashes Tour later this year.”
Founded in the Wirral in 2016 by brothers and former athletes Tom and Phil Beahon, Castore has grown to become a global brand, working with a range of the world’s most popular sports, including football, rugby and Formula One.
Entertainment8 years ago