Montagut’s transformation into a second-tier and third-tier market

Will not be the next Pierre Cardin?

This is a typical image of a Wenzhou boss in the 90s of the last century. He has been in middle age, overweight, with a black or brown handbag, and is highly motivated to contact Motorola with his mobile phone. And so on, the important sign is that he wore a glittering, bright-colored, Montagut T-shirt with a small flower on his left chest.

"We are when it is a formal dress." A Wenzhou boss recalled.

This typical image is so deeply rooted in people's minds that even today, although Wenzhou people have long since abandoned Montagut, they are eager to win LV, Gucci and Prada. However, people's position on Montagut's consumers still stays in the middle of the year. Wenzhou boss".

Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice, said in a letter to her younger sister, Kassandra, that the bright red color of this beautiful flower is very popular in the Bath area of ​​Britain. This small red flower is France is equally popular.

So in France, a brand called Montagut chose this flower as its own brand logo.

This flower, which entered the Chinese market 30 years ago, made eye-catching in the era when people had just bid farewell to the dull and monotonous colors of black and blue gray.

Today, the French Montagut Group is not as popular as the Chinese market at the beginning of the year. However, in China's second-tier and third-tier markets, this small red flower still has a place, and its annual sales even exceed the French mainland, which is Montagut's largest market.

Montagut seems to have entered the same "misunderstanding" as most of its early competitors. Its brand image does not appear to have been systematically planned and promoted. For many years, its original consumer has been serving as its "spokesperson." Over time, such “spokespeople” have slowly become the “barriers” to this brand image. It cannot compete with "new invaders" who are always looking for, correcting, and promoting their own image.

The past glory and today's low-key, people can not help but ask, whether this flower will be like it together with it to develop the Chinese market, Pierre Cardin, was eventually sold?

Pierre Gros, chairman of Montagut Group, said: "I don't want to comment on Mr. Pierre Cardin's sale of the brand. Mr. Pierre Cardin has been very successful. I respect him. He is a senior and made a lot of money in China. But I'm still young and Montagut doesn't sell its own brand."

Having said that, the 55-year-old Pierre Gros hurriedly left to meet the various Montagut dealers.

in memory of our passing age"

The success of Montagut in the Chinese market is similar to that of Pierre Cardin. At the beginning of China’s reform and opening up, besides black, blue and gray, the Chinese people’s clothing colors have few bright colors, not only lack of material, but also brands and fashion.

In the era of scarce brand and fashion, Montagut and Pierre Cardin took the lead in entering the Chinese market and became “crackers”, which made the Chinese apparel industry look fresh.

Pierre Gros recalled that in 1979, his father, Leo Gros, who was head of Montagut Group at the time, sent himself to the Hong Kong office.

With the help of friends, Pierre Gros and his wife and several senior engineers visited the Chinese mainland in depth. He found that the overwhelming majority of clothing sold in China is produced locally, and there are no foreign brands. "This means opportunity." Pierre Gros was very excited.

But there was no one who admired him. “Everyone told us to wait because China is still very poor, but I don’t think so. It’s because the clothes that are sold in the market are almost all local products, which make it come from France. The product is more attractive."

In 1984, Pierre Cardin held a large-scale fashion show in China, which caused a sensation and further strengthened Pierre Gros's determination. He believed that Montagut's entry into China would not be too early.

Since 1984, with Hong Kong as a bridgehead, Montagut has entered into four major cities in China, including Guangzhou and Shanghai. Montagut’s advertisements are increasingly appearing in these first-tier cities. Pierre Gros laughs and says: “At that time, advertising in big domestic cities was very cheap and not as expensive as it is now.”

The bright silk technology used by Montagut also makes the eyes of Chinese consumers eye-opener. The use of bright silk Montagut garments is soft and comfortable, with a bright luster, and is not easy to wrinkle. For those Mainland consumers who have relatives in Hong Kong, it is often possible to bring back a Montagut outfit for relatives and show off in front of the crowd.

1985-1995 was Montagut's fastest growing period in the Chinese market. Pierre Gros told the CBN reporter: “Even so, our sales are still very successful. Sales have achieved double-digit growth every year and we have maintained this for more than 20 years.”

Fall into encirclement

However, as time went on, Montagut began to face real challenges. This is what the "first mover" did not expect.

Especially before and after China's accession to the WTO, Montagut's presence in the Chinese mainland market has undergone tremendous changes. In the Chinese men's market, Montagut's gradual decline in the first-line market is not surprising.

Hang Lung Plaza, which is home to the top international brands in Nanjing West Road, Shanghai, dominates the LV, Gucci and Armani. On the pedestrian street of Nanjing East Road across the street, local menswear brands such as Youngor and Septwolves are also under pressure.