Der kommerzielle Kampf hinter dem "Komfortgefühl". Der leitende Vizepräsident für internationale Geschäfte von Vuori enthüllt, wie man auf China setzt | Exklusives Interview von New Look

Text by He Zhexin

Edited by Qiao Qian

Like 99% of men, Joe Kudla, the founder of Vuori, would always think when buying clothes: Can I wear this piece both after working out and at work?

In 2015, Vuori was born.

In Finnish, Vuori means "mountain". Joe himself is a mountain - climbing enthusiast. At first, Vuori targeted men who love yoga, who account for 30% of the entire market, but there was no suitable pair of pants for men to wear during yoga on the market.

At that time, the trend of sport - casual wear was just emerging. Vuori grew rapidly in its first few years. With an accounting background, Joe attached great importance to the company's cash flow. Vuori started making profits less than two years after its establishment. Subsequently, Vuori began to expand its product line. In 2018, it launched women's clothing, which currently accounts for about 50% of the sales volume. In late 2019, it launched the Meta Pant, a pair of men's casual pants suitable for various occasions.

Vuori rarely reveals its business data to the outside world, but its growth is undoubtedly rapid. In 2017, Vuori's revenue was about $7 million. For a long time after that, Vuori's annual compound growth rate reached about 140% - 200%. In November 2024, Vuori completed an $825 million investment round led by General Atlantic and Stripes (also one of the investors in On). The company's valuation reached $5.5 billion.

Joe is happy to share everything in public, including the story of being rejected by the owner of a New York City yoga studio. "Listen, lululemon is popular here now." was the most common thing he heard.

According to a survey by Earnest analytics, nearly half of lululemon consumers will choose Vuori. Vuori hopes a similar result will also happen in China.

"lululemon's performance in China shows that it is a market full of potential, which can accommodate many excellent brands." Andy Lawrence told 36Kr in an exclusive interview not long ago. He is the senior vice - president of international business of this rapidly rising sport brand.

Andy Lawrence joined Vuori around 2021. Before that, he had accumulated rich experience at Ralph Lauren and Reiss (a British royal - style fashion brand). His 12 - year experience of living and working in South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong made him very familiar with how to run a direct - to - consumer retail business in Asia.

A few weeks ago, Andy also came to Shanghai. Taking the opportunity of the opening of Vuori's iapm store, he mainly talked with us about why Vuori adopts a "patient" store - opening strategy in China, how to adapt to the local consumption culture to the maximum extent, and most importantly, how to truly capture this wave of consumer enthusiasm and make more people become "Mr./Ms. Vuori".

"Making sports a part of daily life"

Vuori's explosive growth started after the pandemic. People returned to the office from home, but the dress code had been greatly relaxed. Young professionals wore sport - casual clothes to work. Especially wealthy tech elites, who preferred sport - casual style and Apple Watches, rather than the Brooks Brothers suits paired with Rolex watches of the previous generation.

These Silicon Valley elites projected their enthusiasm and rigor for tech products onto clothing. As a result, various functional clothing suitable for daily outings became popular. Whether you call it commuter pants or travel pants, "the essence of this trend is to design non - sports clothing with sports attributes." Kristen Classi - Zummo, a clothing industry consultant at Circana (formerly NPD Group), understands the meaning of "making sports a part of daily life" in this way. And Vuori's investors believe this is a market worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

36Kr: 55% of lululemon consumers also buy Vuori, and about 10% of the consumers of Vuori, Alo, and On overlap. Is this good news for Vuori?

Andy Lawrence: There is indeed some overlap in customers between us and lululemon, Alo, and On.

In terms of running products, the overlap with On's customers is also very obvious. From a visual aesthetic perspective, we sometimes also display advertising pictures of our products paired with On on our website.

I want to say that lululemon has truly created a new market in China, and we have also benefited from it. Although we are different from lululemon, lululemon has cultivated a mature consumer market, and this market is still expanding, leaving room for other brands.

When we negotiate with real - estate developers, they like our restrained expansion strategy and also value the new things we bring to the market. Since there are already lululemon and Nike in their malls, we represent a fresh choice for consumers.

36Kr: Versatility and daily functionality are what distinguish Vuori from most sport brands on the market that emphasize professionalism. But do you worry about losing focus?

Andy Lawrence: Of course, if you try to please everyone, you won't succeed. But as I said, first of all, lululemon has opened up a new market, which is large enough for us to survive and grow.

Secondly, if you observe the needs of Chinese consumers, they actually fit very well with Vuori's brand concept. Firstly, the aesthetic preference has shifted from being flamboyant in the past to being more understated. In the past, large reflective logos were standard for sport brands, but now consumers prefer low - key and minimalist designs and natural and soft color schemes.

In addition, a report we received shows that the number of people participating in outdoor marathons in China has tripled compared with a few years ago. As the pandemic subsides, it seems that Chinese consumers are paying more attention to health, not only physical health but also mental health. Personalized lifestyles and taste expressions have also become increasingly important. This is exactly the original intention of Vuori's multi - functional design philosophy - our products can seamlessly fit into various scenarios such as yoga studios, offices, and country trails, hoping to better help customers achieve a healthier life.

36Kr: Talk about the newly opened iapm store in Shanghai. As far as I know, it's not the flagship store, right?

Andy Lawrence: Yes, strictly speaking, it's not the flagship store. But the definition of "flagship store" may vary from brand to brand. We only have a few flagship stores in non - home markets for now. Our store on Regent Street in London can be regarded as one of our flagship stores. But one of our advantages is that our designers will create some international stores that are both novel and different while still very much in line with the Vuori style according to the characteristics of the local market.

The iapm store is currently our largest store in Asia. Although its area is still smaller than that of our flagship stores in New York, Los Angeles, or London, its execution quality and attention to details are very good.

36Kr: In 2021, Vuori had a plan to increase the number of global stores to 100 by 2026. There are still 30 stores short of this goal. How will you allocate the remaining store - opening goals in less than a year?

Andy Lawrence: As of now, we have successfully opened 85 stores and are about to reach the important milestone of 100 stores. It is expected that by the end of 2025, we can exceed this goal, including adding 7 new stores in the international market, which will further expand our global business.

36Kr: Does the newly opened iapm store count among these 7 stores?

Andy Lawrence: Yes.

Vuori iapm store

Two design logics

Generally speaking, there are two design logics for producing a functional clothing product: One is to reverse - deduce the material selection based on functional requirements. For example, "to design a one - piece jacket suitable for autumn and winter sports, it needs to have moisture - wicking function." The other is to be guided by the wearing experience - "Vuori pursues to let consumers feel the 'ultra - soft' touch, so soft and comfortable that people don't want to take it off." This is also Vuori's unique design philosophy.

In order to create products with a "premium touch" that exceeds market standards, Joe once spent a lot of time searching for new fabrics. He was not only enthusiastic about the latest R & D results of textile manufacturers but also very familiar with their technical details. He once said in a podcast that the most frustrating situation is "when you come up with a breakthrough design concept, but find that the existing fabrics and sewing techniques cannot realize it."

Vuori's first and star product, the Kore Short, is a pair of men's shorts. It has a loose cut and soft fabric, but with details such as an elastic waistband and a supportive lining. What it brings to mind is not a well - groomed urban man in an industrial - style yoga studio, but a curly - haired, wheat - skinned Hollywood star who goes for a morning run on the beach road every day.

But at first, the owners of California's chain gyms didn't understand the significance of this product. "It's more like swim trunks than sports shorts." Joe had to turn to social media. He posted, emphasizing the words customers used when describing how they incorporated the Kore Shorts into their daily outfits: "running, training, hiking, traveling, and casual wear."

This strategy inadvertently helped Vuori. The comfortable fabric made more people willing to wear it on various occasions. "The results of consumer questionnaires show that there are far more people wearing our products while walking their dogs or running than doing yoga."

36Kr: I remember when you opened the first store in China, you said the sales ratio of men's and women's clothing was almost 50/50. Has this ratio changed?

Andy Lawrence: There are some slight changes, but generally, it's about the same, which depends on different seasons. And this ratio is similar in different regions around the world - very close to 50/50.

36Kr: But as far as I know, Vuori invests far more in men's clothing than in women's clothing. Contributing such a high proportion without much investment, does it mean that women are still the fastest - growing and most potential group in the sports market?

Andy Lawrence: I think Vuori offers another choice for female consumers - products very different from those in the current yoga or sports market. Our fabric is well - known for its "soft touch", so our sports, lifestyle, and mix - and - match products are very popular.

As for why the performance of women's products can match that of the men's market, it's because we try to maintain a dynamic balance in promotion. For example, in store displays and area layouts, we constantly adjust the positions of products to ensure that both men's and women's products get relatively consistent exposure. Our brand's sales situation shows that pants are more popular than tops, which is also the case in the Chinese market.

36Kr: What about the product categories in the stores? As I observed, many retail brands are reducing the SKUs in their physical stores.

Andy Lawrence: Enriching store categories is a gradual process. For example, when you visit our stores in California, you'll find more categories, such as outdoor products, accessories, and swimwear. But we don't have these in China for now. This is because we have a stronger brand recognition in the United States, and people trust us very much, so we can successfully sell some niche products.

Compared with the US market, currently in Chinese stores, we focus more on some key categories. And since our stores in China are smaller in scale, we need to make more precise decisions and focus on the categories that can really bring growth.

36Kr: In recent years, the Chinese market has shown more local consumption characteristics. I believe Vuori has also noticed this.

Andy Lawrence: Yes, but we don't need to provide completely different products for the Chinese market for now. We only need to slightly adjust the product categories and sizes to adapt to the local market. From the perspective of product categories, in China, we sell more XS and S sizes, while in the United States, these sizes are relatively less in demand.

36Kr: Is localization only about adjusting the sizes?

Andy Lawrence: I want to say that the ultimate strategy for product sales is to listen to consumers. It sounds cliché, but the fact is that many brands also claim to be doing localization, but usually, they apply the same communication methods and product strategies in all markets. We pay more attention to listening to the real needs of customers.

For example, most of our marketing strategies are formulated by the global team, and the local team provides feedback to guide this process. We know which key styles will become our best - sellers.

For example, in Shanghai, if our newly launched Halo Wide Leg is very popular, we'll ensure that creative advertising and store displays will quickly revolve around this product. The store layout and product display are also determined according to the best - selling products and consumer preferences.

Whether in marketing or product display, we focus on the products that customers really like, rather than promoting products that are effective in other markets but haven't gained popularity locally. Listening to feedback, quickly adjusting, and responding are the current focuses of our localization efforts.

36Kr: Can you list some popular styles in China?

Andy Lawrence: For women's products, the Halo Wide Leg was our best - selling style last quarter. We think it will become an important part of our business in the future. Our new BlissBlend Legging also performs very well.

As for men's products, the Kore Short is still one of our best - selling styles. It's a signature product in the company's history and is still very popular. In addition, the basic styles of the Strato series, such as the Strato Tech T - shirt and the Strato Polo shirt, also perform well. Moreover, we've also noticed that some products made of slightly thicker and more luxurious - textured fabrics are also very popular. These products are not as light as some lightweight styles but give a more upscale feeling. Our Ponto series is a good example. As part of our core business, this series continues to grow. At the same time, we've also noticed that both male and female consumers are becoming more interested in casual workwear. Our Villa series for women and the Meta series for men are good examples that confirm this trend.

Vuori iapm store

From online to offline

At first, Vuori was just a pure online brand. When many founders in the direct - to - consumer field opposed cooperating with wholesalers, Joe actively looked for opportunities to cooperate with them. In the early days of the brand, he got his products on the shelves of REI and Nordstorm, thus establishing brand awareness and acquiring more new customers in a low - cost way.

"At that time, online brands thought that as long as the customer lifetime value could cover the cost, it was worth investing even if the customer acquisition cost was twice the sales volume. Facts have proved that this strategy has flaws." Joe once explained his "conservative" expansion strategy in this way.

In China, Vuori's store - opening strategy is also cautious. In 2022, Vuori entered the Chinese market through e - commerce platforms under the Chinese name "Feiaoli". In August of the following year, Vuori opened its first offline store in Shanghai's Jing'an Kerry Centre. However, this store on the basement floor was defined as a pop - up store. Now, all three of Vuori's offline stores are in Shanghai. Andy told us that although there are plans to open stores in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Chengdu, focus and patience are still the keywords for Vuori's store - opening.

36Kr: We've observed that "opening large stores in key areas" is the approach of many international brands in China now. As a young brand, how would you describe Vuori's store strategy?

Andy Lawrence: Our strategy in China is to start with smaller stores in the best locations. In the best shopping malls, the owners usually split the space