US Business Trip Report
US
2024.05.26
FC PLANNING is well-known for its planning proposals for both domestic and overseas markets. And although we’ve made the rounds with domestic clients, sometimes it’s hard to get a direct response.
The trends regarding sustainability and eco are much more advanced in the US, so information on those topics is much more available and there is also an evident reaction between domestic and international trends. So exactly one year ago, we decided to start an overseas venture there.
The Coronavirus Pandemic that began in 2020 dramatically changed people's daily lives around the world, but I think it was also a major turning point for this industry. It wasn't so much the small designer brands that were hit hard, but rather the mid-priced brands, that were already facing fierce price competition, which took increasingly tough blows.
This monument of buttons and needles marks New York City’s Garment District. The buttons used to be black but they were repainted yellow in 2023.
Four years have passed since then, and although the economy is said to be on an upward trend, the market has changed dramatically. In Soho and at shopping malls in Santa Monica, it seems that European mid-level maison brands feature more prominently than US domestic brands.
These trends are certainly affecting US suppliers, and until now, we have been able to make decisions based on proposals that vary the type of raw cotton and tissue processing. But now that people are spending more time at home due to remote work, honestly, all kinds of brands are making homewear using cut and sew fabrics, and the market is flooded with them. Between a $25 Chinese-made sweatshirt and a $250 Japanese-made sweatshirt, it's not just quality that will make people pick up the Japanese one.
Our continued development, from our own unique perspective, really comes into its own at times like these. We are finally seeing a foothold overseas and 2024 looks to be a promising year.
For Japan, Italy is undoubtedly a manufacturing powerhouse. As you can see in the photo, the whiteness is as great as ever, which is said to be very difficult to achieve with wool. Also vivid, are the other colors.
When you see work like this, it makes you wonder what kind of technology was used?
It makes you curious.
But a crisis is an opportunity.
