The CFDA signs partnership with China’s leading online fashion retailer
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has signed its first Chinese partnership with Shangpin.com, China’s leading online fashion retailer and China’s first online retailer to sell in-season contemporary and designer brands at full price.
As part of the agreement, Shangpin will support CFDA designers to develop their business in China in various marketing and PR programs to promote American designers in the Chinese media and to its affluent customer base. (Shangpin has one of the highest online averages for sales in China [RMB 2,500], with strategic partnerships with several leading Chinese banks and more than 3 million VIP customers). China’s 300- million-strong middle class is projected to reach 700 million, or over 50% of the population, in the next 20 years. These are the target consumers for fashion and lifestyle.
“We are excited to introduce Shangpin to our members and look forward to opening new paths for our designers into China. These are exciting times and we are looking forward to supporting the overall growth of American Fashion into China,” says Steven Kolb, CEO of CFDA.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the CFDA to assist the designers in developing new business in China. We look forward to sharing our insights on the Chinese market with the members of CFDA. China is a challenging market to enter, with limited distributors to cover such a large geographical area,” said David Zhao, CEO of Shangpin.com.
“This is why e-commerce in China, much more than in the West, is the most effective distribution and marketing platform for designers who want to reach across China into many regions where traditional brick and mortar stores do not exist. Shangpin currently sells into more than 400 cities across China, or 80% of the country, and we have the ‘pulse’ of the evolving Chinese fashionista consumer,” added Zhao.
“The fashion industry is still emerging in China, and we hope to also bring the CFDA to China as a benchmark and inspiration to China’s Fashion Industry.”
“We are excited to introduce Shangpin to our members and look forward to opening new paths for our designers into China. These are exciting times and we are looking forward to supporting the overall growth of American Fashion into China,” says Steven Kolb, CEO of CFDA.
