Q:
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Are we going to talk about everything that we wear around our necks?
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A:
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No. We'll talk about scarves only. Mufflers, shawls, mantillas, veils and others are excluded.
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Q:
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I hear scarves originated in Europe, where they were worn to protect the neck and head against the cold.
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A:
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That's right. But these days scarves are worn for ornamental purposes. In particular, they are attractive to women as fanciful ornaments that add extra charm to their collar or for covering their head.
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Q:
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In general, scarves were square (36" x 36"), weren't they?
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A:
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They used to be. But rectangular versions and types resembling enlarged handkerchiefs have been on the market for about ten years.
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Q:
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They are made of wool, silk and synthetic fibers. Right?
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A:
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Apart from these materials, thinner materials are becoming popular, such as silk crepe, georgette and lace.
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Q:
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In the past, when we referred to scarves, we usually meant square, printed ones made of silk. How come we now see them in different materials and shapes?
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A:
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That is because fashion trends among women have changed from "elegant" to "sexy and casual." This is nowhere more conspicuous than among young women. Possibly because young women are capricious, their taste changes every 2-3 years. Originally, square, printed silk scarves were targeted at middle-aged women, who used to wear scarves even for brief outings. For special occasions, in particular, they dressed up and never went out without elaborately tied silk scarves. They loved scarves by popular brands such as Hermes, Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Gucci. That was 20-30 years ago, when all these popular brand scarves were imported from France and Italy. About 10 years ago, however, not only middle-aged women but young women were crazy about printed silk scarves, and hunted for them in Paris and Milan when they traveled there. Many were privately imported like this. I would say a typical woman used to have some 10 silk scarves. I imagine most of them still lie unused in their wardrobes.
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Q:
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So, they wanted them just because others had them, but this is not the case any more.
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A:
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Yes, it was a case of "keeping up with the Joneses." Scarves often became the topic of housewives' gossip meetings. Another reason for the change in this trend is that brand houses concluded deals with Japanese licensees and filled the Japanese market with Japan-made versions, which diminished the rarity and the value of their products. Consumers, who had by then got a bit weary of the merchandise, found it available everywhere, and lost interest in purchasing scarves.
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Q:
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As you mentioned earlier, the type of clothing that goes well with silk scarves then fell out of fashion among women.
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A:
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True. Haute couture was no longer their main attraction, and young women now prefer more casual clothes, having shifted from an elegant to a sexy style, so to speak. The problem with scarves is that you have to coordinate them with other clothes. They are like bit-players that emphasize the main characters in a drama. As such, they are not absolutely necessary. That's the biggest weakness of this product.
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Q:
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Where are the major silk scarf producing places?
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A:
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Como in Italy, Lyon in France and Yokohama in Japan.
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Q:
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Have any Japanese manufacturers cracked any overseas markets?
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A:
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Because scarves don't sell well without an established brand name, their offshore operations are limited to establishing printing or sewing factories overseas. Strictly speaking, they are not manufacturers but licensees of brand houses. They've established factories in South Korea, Vietnam, India and the Philippines, and, more recently, in China. They bring in the cloth, manufacture it into scarves, and export them to Japan for distribution.
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Q:
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In Japan, we often see Italian-made scarves retailed at \1,000. How can they be so cheap?
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A:
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Frankly speaking, I have no idea. But sales of scarves are solely dependent on only a limited number of factors. For example, even if you discount a \10,000 scarf to \1,000, it won't sell unless it matches the clothes of the intended buyer. So, I imagine that outdated versions and dead stock from previous seasons are being sold off cheaply. In other cases, they discount merchandise which has remained unsold due to warm winter weather. Discount shops, outlets, supermarkets and other mass merchandisers purchase directly from licensed overseas factories. Overseas manufacturers sell them directly because they purchase them in quantities, but this is beyond our control.
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Q:
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What makes scarves sell?
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A:
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First of all, whether they go well with clothes. Then how attractive their patterns and designs are to consumers. Brand names are also important. More recently, an increasing number of consumers are taking price into consideration. In the past, silk scarves were the commonest type, but synthetic fibers too have become popular. Ultimately, the value of scarves is decided 80% by their fashion features, that is, whether they go well with clothes and the remaining 20%, by the need to wear them in cold weather.
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Q:
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How are trends in scarves created?
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A:
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A brand house, say, Pierre Cardin, proposes a plan to their licensees concerning the trends they hope to create. Based on this proposal, licensees formulate plans for different countries and show them to the brand house for approval. Licensees have a say in deciding the plans, and if they are not happy with them, they make counterproposals for reconsideration by the brand house.
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I see of late many scarves which are not always square-shaped and which create harmony with casual clothes.
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A:
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We have long, rectangular-shaped versions which you wear with the ends hanging down, short ones which you can tie, and those of handkerchief size for wearing around the neck. Others resist wrinkles, can be home-washed or feature novel features like filtering out ultraviolet light.
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Q:
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What about the purchase of PL insurance in the industry?
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A:
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Manufacturers and wholesalers usually purchase a PL insurance. There have been only a limited number of cases in which insurance money was paid because colors leached out and stained expensive clothes. Other than these, there have not been many accidents to speak of.
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How are they distributed?
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A:
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Most typically, licensees (including manufacturers and dealers) sell to wholesalers, who then sell to retailers, from whom the end consumers buy. As I mentioned earlier, some mass merchandisers purchase directly from overseas for their own distribution. There is a clear distinction in quality: department stores deal in luxurious types, and mass merchandisers deal in popular types.
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Q:
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How are domestic production, import and export broken down?
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A:
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There are no individual statistics for export and import of scarves, because they are combined with shawls, mufflers, mantillas and veils, though we do have separate figures for knitted and woven goods. In 1997, the total exports for all these amounted to \2,018 million. The top five export destinations are the U.S.A. (\478 million), the United Arab Emirates (\440 million), Saudi Arabia (\247 million), South Korea (\118 million) and Hong Kong (\95 million). Total imports in 1997 were \22,645 million, with the top five being Italy (\7,771 million), China (\4,668 million), France (\4,543 million), the U.K. (\2,856 million) and South Korea (\1,037 million).
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Q:
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What do you think the future holds for the scarf business?
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A:
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It is quite hard to predict future trends, but the market will become increasingly segmented and manufacturers need to have a firm idea of what they want to manufacture. Rather than being too conscious of what their competitors are doing, they should read changes in the market at the earliest possible opportunity and propose products the consumers actually need. I think whether or not they succeed in this will distinguish the winners from the losers. |
Information source: T. Kawabe & Co., Ltd.
Source of figures: Japan Trade Monthly Returns
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