Senbism Overseas Unified Brand Being Made Widely Known
Toray Industries, Inc. aims to achieve a 10% annual increase in overseas sales of women’s and men’s wear fabrics in three years from fiscal 2017 (from April 2017). Special emphasis will be placed on expanding sales to Europe and China. Women’s and men’s wear fabrics including exports to the U.S., Europe, Middle East and China occupy about 20% of the export volume for the company’s Women’s & Men’s Wear Fabrics Dept., and in addition to exports, overseas sales are to be expanded with overseas products.
Overseas sales of women’s and men’s wear fabrics are largely occupied by exports from Japan, but the volume of exports to the U.S. and Europe has remained unchanged during the last few years, so measures will be taken from fiscal 2017 to expand exports again.
Toray will strengthen the following for expanding overseas sales: (1) promotional activities, (2) collaboration with fabric production districts in Japan, (3) collaboration with overseas group companies and (4) collaboration with the Sports Wear & Clothing Materials Fabrics Dept. For strengthening promotional activities, Senbism was introduced in February 2016 as a unified brand for high value-added fashion fabrics for overseas markets. The brand will be extensively promoted at Premiere Vision and Milano Unica this February, with the intention of making the brand widely known in overseas luxury fashion markets in the U.S., Europe, etc. and increasing contacts with customers.
Senbism is the icon of Toray fashion fabrics. It is positioned at the true heart of synthetic fibers made with Toray’s cutting-edge technology and made-in-Japan fabrics combining weaving, knitting, dyeing and finishing technologies that have long been cultivated in Japan.
Toray has been promoting individual fabric brands up to now, but it considers that instead of promoting individual brands, it would be better to have a unified brand more widely known in the high-end fashion markets in the U.S. and Europe, as it would lead to an increase in value. Woven labels are to be supplied to customers who agree and support promotion of the brand to consumers at stores.
In collaboration with Japanese fabric production districts, cooperation in the development of fabrics will be increased, while new yarns are to be introduced. Although the production capacity has been decreasing in Japanese fabric production districts, the company intends to firmly maintain the production capacity, and will strengthen developments through collaboration with companies in the production districts. Collaboration with overseas group companies is to lead to quantitative expansion. Beside Japanese products, the addition of overseas products will enhance the product lineup and lead to strengthening business with customers.
Furthermore, collaboration with the Sports Wear & Clothing Materials Fabrics Dept. is principally intended for the development of lifestyle products in sports apparel, and by promoting the company’s synergy, it aims to expand the scale of business.