Hyungji Innovation and Creative accelerates push into China, Japan with 'Asian fit' edge

Hyungji Innovation and Creative said Tuesday it is accelerating its push into China and Japan, following earlier moves into Italy, leveraging the "Asian fit" expertise it has built domestically to generate overseas revenue.

CEO Choi Hye-won recently traveled to Italy to finalize plans for a European expansion. She also met with counterparts in China and Japan to discuss partnership building, retail strategy and platform listings.

On the China front, the company signed an MOU with the Korea-China Business Entry Support Association in Shanghai on June 18. Just 11 days later, it invited association representatives to Korea for a product review session and a tour of its department store locations.

In the second half of this year, the company plans to open brand accounts on Douyin, China's largest short-form video platform, and will work with influencers to target the mobile commerce market. It is also in talks over a pop-up event under an MOU signed with Shanghai Xihongqiao Enterprise Service, a state-owned entity.

In Japan, the company will enter the home shopping market led by its women's wear brand Carris Note. Local distributor Fashion Net will begin buying products in the second half of this year. Production tailored to Japanese consumers' body types is already underway, with an initial shipment planned for around November. Shop Channel, a Japanese home shopping platform, will serve as the primary sales outlet.

Hyungji Innovation and Creative sees its product planning capabilities and "Asian fit" design expertise as its core competitive strengths. Its shirt brand Yejak has recorded cumulative sales of 8.49 million units from 2013 — when it joined Fashion Group Hyungji — through June of this year, selling at a rate of 1.2 units per minute. Carris Note's online sales in the first half of this year rose 182 percent year on year, with overall first-half sales growing more than 10 percent.

"Expanding overseas is a process of validating in global markets the brand competitiveness and product strength we have built at home," a company official said. "We will establish an early foothold through localization strategies and product competitiveness rooted in Asian fit."