Play in fashion: bridging China to the west with a look at Taiwan fashion branding

The purpose of this paper is to investigate strategies of European and Taiwanese fashion marketing and give explanations for the difference between a successful brand and an unsuccessful one.

Interviews were carried out with international fashion brand managers and buyers. Advice of practitioners and a literature review are presented.

The paper finds that, by adapting to the local market and building brand image, value and design, many Western luxury brands have become successful in Taiwan and the Asian markets. Many Taiwanese fashion retailers have become successful in markets of Mainland China.

Taiwan's luxury fashion brand experience is a window into China's new luxury goods market. The current market in China for luxury goods includes 1.7 billion consumers with sales totaling approximately US$20 billion. Just as high social status and recognition in society are long‐held values in Taiwan, the attraction to high‐quality luxury goods will originate from these same cultural values in China.

The paper provides useful information on European and Taiwanese fashion marketing strategies and what is a successful or unsuccessful brand.