The Kipling monkey bag was "outdated" and finally reformed after several years.

Its ugly but practical Belgian bag brand Kipling has been in its 30s. It was popular in the 1990s, and the iconic wrinkle nylon fabric and monkey logo are found everywhere on campus and at airports. In recent years, in the fierce market competition, the sense of existence is getting weaker, but Kipling is not sitting still, in order to regain the love of young people, plans to reshape the brand image.

Recently, Kipling's global president VeraBreuer said in an interview with British fashion media FashionUnited that the brand image will be refreshed for millennials. “We are planning a new image that will bring the brand closer to the original concept. Before Kipling did lack communication with millennials, they did not understand the brand. The next step would be to strengthen the brand in the younger group while maintaining the brand characteristics. Cognition."

Image source: kipling

Kipling is proud of its brand culture. The brand's name is taken from the real name of the English writer RudyardKipling, and the Monkey Logo is the protagonist of the writer's work TheJungleBook. The special nylon fabric is light, soft, waterproof and easy to fold, and practicality has become a big selling point for Kipling.

The direction of innovation can be seen at the 2018 autumn and winter series conference held last week. The show was in Antwerp, the birthplace of Kipling, and the scene was arranged as the book of the Jungle. The actors in the monkey costumes and the deep green leaves make people feel the inspiration of the brand.

But Breuer himself realized that Kipling had always lacked an effective globalization strategy, which led to the brand's response in the market is not as good as before. “Kipling is a bit too feminine and too girly now,” she said.

Regarding the future direction, Breuer feels that the biggest challenge is how to unify the brand's image in the global market. “It is necessary to narrow the gap between products in different markets and retain some regional characteristics.” For example, in the Asian market, Kipling's small handbags are very popular, while European and American consumers prefer big bags. The second challenge is how to attract millennials. Kipling intends to try digital strategies. “Young people almost all exist on the Internet. Wechat, Facebook and Instagram are their digital worlds. We will develop different digital projects based on geographical differences to help brands and consumers talk.”

The planning of digital projects is inseparable from the topic guidance on social media, and Kipling intends to work with opinion leaders. Through them to get closer to consumers, this is actually a popular means of promotion for fashion brands.

In fact, Kipling's situation is not very dangerous, because according to the data of its parent company, US Fortune, a package can be sold almost every two seconds. Breuer said that the choice is changing now because people are beginning to pursue the retro style of the 1990s. "Everyone has fallen in love with the big logo again, and Kipling has the potential to re-fire."

Together with product innovation, there will be a store image update and an e-commerce channel. In addition, Kipling will work with retailers with young consumer groups. For example, Kipling once sold products in the store of the American fashion retailer UrbanOutfitters. After receiving good feedback, he invested more products.

Editor in charge: Gao Wei