Zippo to light up men’s apparel market in China

As many foreign brands continue to show optimism about the Chinese market, Zippo officially entered Chinese clothing market by launching its apparel line during the 21st China International Clothing Fair Tuesday in Beijing.

It is often said that lighters show the taste of a man. Zippo Manufacturing Company, with brand recognition and reputation for its lighters, chooses male apparels as a stepping-stone to China's clothing market.

Ena Garay presents a Zippo lighter with Chinese Zodiac patterns for the year of the snake during the interview on Wednesday.(Provided to PD Online)
For the defining and positioning of Zippo apparel, Ena Garay, the international business development director of the company said. “The brand targets towards males from age of 24 to 35 with monthly income of 6,000 yuan ($965) and above. Men who are looking for fashionable and functional brands to go with them on their lives and every day adventures.”

Zippo plans to set up five to eight flagship stores in cities like Beijing and Shanghai by the end of the year. In a long-term plan, 50 stores will be built in lower-tier markets by the end of 2015.

“Zippo will continue to grow with the Chinese market and grow with our own consumers that have supported us for many years,” Ena Garay added. “China is the most important and biggest market outside the U.S. “

"Zippo, Chinese people know about us!” Ena Garay said excitedly when talking about her 6-week tour in China. “People show great enthusiasm about our products,” Ena Garay said. “We have excellent brand recognition, robot distribution and massive consumer base. We believe that we will have a very good future in China. “

Zippo Appareal (Provided to PD Online)
So far, Zippo Manufacturing Company has produced more than 500 million lighters, which are sold to more than 160 countries and regions. Each lighter has a lifetime warranty commitment. Zippo has gained favor of Chinese consumers since the first Zippo product came to China in 1995. Its sales in China soared 52 percent in 2011, which is about 10 percent of the global sales in the year.

Zippo has launched lighters with Chinese Zodiac patterns for the year of the dragon and the snake respectively. However, Zippo apparel, with designs mainly coming from United Sates, South Korea and China, does not have the plan of launching clothes with Chinese elements.

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