On May 18th, the global flagship store of Archaeopteryx, located on Nanjing West Road in Shanghai, officially opened, and the other name of this store is "Archaeopteryx Museum". The first and second floors are retail spaces for various product lines, while also creating immersive natural scenes such as high mountains, cliffs, jungles, and natural mountains; The third floor serves as a mountain school and provides product maintenance services; The fourth floor is an exhibition space that records the brand's history.
The reason why it is called a museum is twofold: on the one hand, the store will launch exhibitions related to brand history; on the other hand, it is because a complete range of categories and multi scene decoration styles can fully showcase the image of the Archaeopteryx. Similar to some large stores opened by Archaeopteryx, the flagship store on Nanjing West Road also has coffee shops and workshops.
At the opening event on May 18th, Archaeopteryx also showcased the functionality of jackets and other outdoor equipment through five sets of art installation spaces. For example, in a group of transparent square glass houses called "Jungle Space", the space is arranged as a living room with sofas, but artificial rainwater falls densely, and moss and ferns grow on the sofas and floors. A performer wearing a hard shell coat of an Archaeopteryx was holding a book, and rainwater hit the coat with a crackling sound, but the clothes inside were dry. Through this display, the Archaeopteryx hopes to highlight the functionality of the hard shell jacket while also arousing the desire of urban visitors to explore the outdoors.
The Archaeopteryx also showcases a range of classic silhouette jackets and outdoor gear through runway shows. Among the models on the runway, there are also mountaineers Zhou Peng, Will Gadd, He Chuan, and Quentin Roberts, who are wearing the hard shell ALPHA SV introduced by Archaeopteryx in 1998 and continuously iterated thereafter.
In the past few years, Archaeopteryx has accelerated its development pace, and the Chinese market has been more valued.
According to the financial report of its parent company, Amafin Sports, the revenue of the Greater China market in 2023 increased by 61% year-on-year to 841 million US dollars, including the technology clothing department of Archaeopteryx, which grew by 30% in the Greater China market this year. Thanks to the soaring performance of Archaeopteryx in the Chinese market, the overall sales revenue of Yamafin Sports through its direct channels increased by 49%.
In recent years, outdoor clothing has become the fastest-growing segment of the clothing, footwear, and hat industry. The concept of outdoor sports is still flourishing in the minds of Chinese consumers. How to instill and cultivate the concept of outdoor sports, and even establish a brand mentality, different brands choose different paths.
Compared to the term "trendy outdoor" or "luxurious outdoor", the outdoor image that the Archaeopteryx conveys to the market should be called "exquisite outdoor". Archaeopteryx has opened luxury stores, but the actual price range of its products is extremely wide; The North Face clearly distinguishes between trendy and professional lines, but consumers will pair the professional hard and soft shells of the Archaeopteryx as fashionable jackets.
In fact, few outdoor brands will make themselves look like luxury goods, and their operations are similar to top brands with high exposure such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Luxury brands often prioritize the integrity of their overall image, which allows Archaeopteryx to directly match its refined operational methods and image with its main products.
But trend is a rather rough word. If the relationship with the public is too close, it is often easy to become outdated, and Archaeopteryx clearly hopes that its products will become fashionable but not outdated in the large and finely decorated flagship store; And it can highlight spiritual value through materials, craftsmanship, and history - outdoor sports are not only about achieving personal transcendence through physical strength, but also related to various aspects of society and culture.
If you search for employees in the China region of Archaeopteryx on LinkedIn, you will find that many people have experience working for luxury brands, including large luxury brands such as Chanel and Burberry. When a group of people who used to serve luxury brands become employees, their operational thinking naturally shifts.
For the Archaeopteryx, which has officially entered China for 20 years, the transformation has only occurred in recent years. In 2003, Archaeopteryx and Sanfu Outdoor reached a cooperation agreement, authorizing the latter to sell products in China under the name of an agent. In the era that later belonged to Amafin Sports, it reorganized its channels and products, but overall it still targeted professional outdoor circles.
But after Anta Group became the major shareholder of Amafin Sports, the development path of Archaeopteryx changed. At first, it became like a trendy brand, with various soft and hard shells favored by fashion bloggers. Later on, it seemed to have become an outdoor luxury brand again, not only showcasing and opening large flagship stores, but now it also needs to sort out history through museums.
Few people question the precision of the materials and craftsmanship used in Archaeopteryx products. Its unique fabrics and e3D three-dimensional cutting developed in collaboration with Gore Tex are the foundation of its professional outdoor presence.
But to further expand the brand, it is necessary to find new consumer groups outside of professional outdoor activities. In 2009, Archaeopteryx also launched the high-end business men's clothing VEILANC branch line, which is also available at the global flagship store of Archaeopteryx on Nanjing West Road. This is a subtle "seesaw" - it needs to strike a balance between highlighting the professionalism of core values and expanding the trend of consumer scenarios, so as not to overlook one aspect and lose the other.
To some extent, it is a group of outdoor brands, including Archaeopteryx, that have made high-intensity outdoor sports, including mountaineering and skiing, more recognized by Chinese consumers. Under the influence of refined operation, although the Archaeopteryx still emphasizes challenging limits when promoting these sports, it also endows it with more leisure fun for urban populations. After all, not everyone has the physical conditions to challenge high-intensity outdoor activities. However, depicting a life imagination of exploring mountains and steep mountains is the emotional value that retail can convey to ordinary people. In the vast majority of clothing consumption scenarios, consumers are paying for emotional value.
For Yamafin Sports, which will be launched in February 2024, a more refined and urban outdoor image can enable Archaeopteryx to target more potential consumers, achieve higher sales scale and capital market recognition.