Article
With the retro look once again becoming hip, obscure China-originated sneakers have become popular across the Atlantic. Some people think it's a cultural thing. Others view it as a branding success. But manufacturers in China, the birthplace of the sneakers, say they've been left behind by the market sensation.
For over a decade, Feiyue, the Chinese-vintage canvas sneakers modeled after 1950's military footwear had almost been forgotten by the public. But Feiyue made a gradual come-back in recent years. Their popularity reached a zenith when Hollywood A-lister Orlando Bloom was spotted wearing a pair. But it was not china that brought the classic design to the world. it was, rather, efforts made by a group of Frenchmen, who describe themselves as fascinated by urban culture and harboring an ambition to "conquer the walkways of Western cities." They say on a Web site that "a complete revision" to the original Feiyue model was made to give the shoes a combination of aesthetics and durability.
Dr. Lu Xiao, Branding Expert, Fudan University
The
French people have found a good point to plug into the fashion industry. The
demand for footwear varies seasonally. Shoes may also carry different themes.
Such a property has great attraction to young people and promises great business
opportunities.
As a by-product of the frenzy for French Feiyue, the original sneaker model has also received a boost in popularity. A small store in downtown Shanghai, for instance, has seen a sales boom over the past one and a half years.
Hu Fengdi, Sales Manager
We've been receiving a lot of
foreign visitors everyday since a couple of years ago. Those customers often
take home several pairs of Feiyue as gifts for their friends. Some local young
people also came shopping after hearing Feiyue sneakers are getting popular in
the west.
The French varieties of Feiyue sneakers go for an average of 50 euros a pair. That could fetch a dozen pairs in China, where the original sneaker model has barely changed but for color and texture over the past 50 years. But customer enthusiasm isn't affected. The store now sells an average 100 pairs of shoes everyday. Before the retro frenzy, it could sell only several dozen. Feiyue's major rival Warrior is also enjoying the boom. Its products resemble Feiyue sneakers in many ways. That is the legacy of China's planned economy, an era of unanimous design for a single type of consumer goods.
Gui Chenggang, Executive Dir, Shanghai Warrior Shoes Co
We didn't plan for the comeback of retro-style sneakers. It just took place
naturally. For a long period before that, our products had almost been forgotten
by young customers and had degraded to the vintage of migrant workers. I think
the phenomenon is worth studying.
Despite greater sales volume, the Chinese shoemakers are still struggling against wafer-thin margins, as their products remain largely hand-made. Even a plain model requires 50 to 60 procedures to complete, which caps efficiency.