Pines at the foot of the mountain "climb" up; slow is the new fast | Houxue Company

"Even though the consumer venture capital investment is currently on the wane, do we still have confidence in emerging consumer brands?

The answer is beyond doubt.

Consumption is a long - term and lucrative field. Building a brand is not an overnight task. Once established, a brand is not likely to fade away easily. We've witnessed that after a period of rapid growth and the associated pains, some new brand companies have gained loyal customers, achieved considerable scale and even profits, and entered a new stage of stable growth. Most of these brands were founded after 2014, caught the wave of investment enthusiasm in 2019, and emerged victorious in the fierce competition.

Based on this, 36Kr Future Consumption has decided to select 36 new consumer brand companies. Through exclusive interviews, case studies, etc., we will continuously track their development and present the results in the column 'In - depth Interviews with 36 Emerging Brands'."

Author | Ren Cairu

Editor | Qiao Qian

Even on weekdays, there is often a queue of people waiting to enter the Songmont flagship store on Huaihai Middle Road in Huangpu District, Shanghai. Sometimes, the queue even extends to the neighboring shops. Many passers - by are puzzled, asking, "How did this brand become so popular?"

This high - traffic situation has persisted from the beginning of the year until now. Correspondingly, Songmont has also appeared in the public eye more frequently: In September, Bernard Arnault, the chairman of LVMH, visited the Songmont store in Shanghai's Qiantan Taikoo Li and purchased two bags; In October, Songmont held the "SONG of MONT" brand exhibition in Paris and appeared at Paris Fashion Week for the second consecutive year; In the just - concluded Double 11 shopping festival, it once again topped the sales list of luggage, clothing, and accessories on Tmall. Recently, Songmont officially launched its perfume product line, further expanding its product categories.

A consumer investor told 36Kr that many entrepreneurs he knows like Songmont. "For example, when shooting product posters, they would deliberately use Songmont bags as the background or for styling." They like the brand and its products, but they also identify with it as a fellow "entrepreneur."

This new consumer brand, founded in 2013, is similar to POP MART and Laofu Gold. To some extent, it represents a new generation of Chinese consumer brands - no longer just serving as "affordable alternatives" to international luxury brands, but building its own brand influence both at home and abroad.

Bloomberg cited data from BigOne Lab in a recent report, stating that "in the first three quarters of this year, the online sales of Songmont luggage in the Chinese market increased by about 90%. In the same period, the sales of Gucci and MK decreased by 50% and 40% respectively." The overseas market is also worthy of attention. On the global social platform Reddit, the number of questions about Songmont has been increasing. A recent question that sparked discussions was, "What exactly is this Songmont craze?"

As an outsider, it seems that Songmont has gone through a slow - growth phase in the past and is now moving forward rapidly under various active and passive driving forces. However, founder Fu Song believes it's okay - "There have always been driving forces, and there will be more in 2025. Generally, we still hope to take it slow and maintain our rhythm."

Fu Song likes the movie "F1: Drive to Survive." The inspiration she got from it is to learn to filter out the noise on the road. "Every entrepreneur needs to learn to block out some distractions and just do things that align with their values, and turn products into masterpieces."

 An Oriental Player Recognized by International Brands

One thing that has been confirmed from the start and has remained unchanged throughout Songmont's development is that "we are a brand originating from Shanxi." Fu Song has said many times that "Central Plains culture is our foundation and soil." This is evident in both its products and stores.

Songmont incorporates Oriental elements into many of its classic products. The lines of the "Eaves" series are inspired by the flying eaves of Nanchan Temple; the "Trailblazer" series is inspired by the "Gannan Tiger" in the Tibetan culture at the source of the Yellow River; the "Hundred - Fold" series integrates elements of camel caravans and camel bags from the Hexi Corridor into its design, and so on.

The "Trailblazer" series tote bag by Songmont

Images of rocks, mountains, riverbeds, and soil often appear in the design of its offline stores. The pop - up store that opened in Bangkok, Thailand, in July 2025 was also inspired by the "incense culture" of the Central Plains. The golden metal and gauze curtains in the store form a "forest of incense sticks" - the image of Oriental aesthetics becomes clearer from the outside in, and to some extent, it also forms an invisible barrier.

Songmont's pop - up space in Bangkok, Thailand

This distinct characteristic has earned it a group of loyal customers. An early overseas customer on Reddit said, "I really like the bags designed by this brand, which are inspired by Chinese architecture and lifestyle. It's a wonderful way of storytelling, and I will definitely recommend it."

Bernard Arnault's "unexpected" visit further increased the volume of discussions about this Chinese brand on social platforms and became a "signal" of market changes.

Bloomberg pointed out in a recent report that "China's $49 - billion luxury market is changing rapidly." Specifically, Chinese consumers' spending on Western high - end brands has stagnated, and their large - scale consumption is shifting towards domestic brands. "The rise of these brands is reshaping the landscape of China's luxury market and forcing global luxury giants to pay close attention." - In the past two years, the online sales growth rate of five representative Chinese brands (Songmont, Laofu Gold, Maogeping, Guanxia, and Etao) has exceeded that of overseas "high - end" brands.

Comparison of the online sales growth rates of Chinese brands and overseas brands in the same field in the past two years (Source: Bloomberg, BigOne Lab)

For Songmont's customers, the reasons for choosing to buy its products are not single - faceted. Some people think that Songmont's bags combine fashion and functionality well. They are not only good choices for commuting but also suitable for traveling. "They are roomy, easy to match, and look great in photos." Some customers also told 36Kr that "its pricing mechanism is more fair, and you don't feel like you're paying a 'logo tax'."

Since she "fell in love" with Songmont, Xixi, a financial professional in Shanghai, has purchased three bags: a medium - sized Trailblazer hobo, an ear - hanging tote, and a single - shoulder travel bag. She also bought some bag accessories in the store. "You can feel that the leather and design are well - coordinated, and they look low - key and tasteful. Now I carry it more often than my luxury bags."

Songmont's popularity has even led to the collective rise of domestic bag brands, especially those that focus on Oriental aesthetics.

Around 2013, few domestic brands sold bags for over a thousand yuan. A price of around 500 yuan was already considered "quite expensive," and brand names often had "suffixes" like "in Paris" or "in New York" to show their "foreignness."

In 2018, when Songmont first entered Tmall, Fu Song could clearly count the number of competing brands on one hand. Seven years later, the situation has changed significantly. "Now we have at least 300 competitors." Her goal is to create products with more warmth and texture, break the market's prejudice against domestic brands, and break the traditional relationship between luggage and identity.

Specifically in terms of products, in the past, domestic brands generally had low - priced products and used "second - grade cowhide" (usually a combination of the fluff layer of cowhide and artificial materials like TPU). Songmont, on the other hand, uses imported Grade A full - grain top - layer cowhide. The "Time - aged Vegetable - Tanned Leather" used in products like the "Traveler" and "Shallow Hobo" avoids the heaviness of vegetable - tanned leather through the brand's self - developed technology and understanding of customer needs, while remaining light, three - dimensional, and having an aged look.

In terms of hardware, Songmont uses stainless - steel vacuum - electroplated hardware, which is more wear - resistant. The fineness of the logo can withstand close inspection, almost reaching the precision of jewelry. "We encourage designers to create these delicate and somewhat pride - inducing works," Fu Song said.

The "Mountain Journey" series briefcase by Songmont

It seems that this is an example of "anti - consumerism" - consumers are becoming more practical and no longer blindly worship big brands. They are breaking away from the traditional "bag hierarchy" from mass brands to luxury brands and choosing brands they identify with and like, regardless of the logo.

The real consumption motivation may not be entirely so, but even in the inevitable "hierarchy" system, Songmont is unlikely to be at the bottom. In addition to focusing on product design and material selection, its brand storytelling that delves into local culture and the natural and easy - going Central Plains aesthetics support it to enter a larger market.

 "Good at Selecting Partners," Behind Which Lies Cultural Consensus

When we talk about Songmont's brand story and the cultural identity it has created, there is a topic that cannot be avoided - Songmont is good at selecting partners and creating content.

This is a common evaluation of it both within and outside the industry. Songmont's podcast "Sounds at Songmont" currently has 95,000 subscribers on the Xiaoyuzhou platform. Celebrities such as Li Na, Wen Qi, Jiang Qiming, Wang Yitong, and Jia Zhangke have had in - depth conversations with Zhou Yijun and others on the podcast. The TVC shorts and videos co - created by the brand and some of these guests have also become popular.

In these conversations, the guests usually don't talk about the typical star interviews but express their views on some in - depth humanistic topics. The continuous content output, seemingly unrelated to Songmont, has actually planted emotional connections in the hearts of many consumers.

In May 2024, Songmont officially announced Li Na as its brand friend, exactly 10 years after her retirement due to injury. Li Na has won two Grand Slam championships and is a unique figure in Chinese tennis. Whether on the court, off the court, or in some variety shows, she has always been a natural, frank, and powerful person.

Why choose Li Na? From her past work experience at Google, Fu Song realized that Chinese people are intelligent and hard - working, but often too shy to say what they want. "At that time, I wanted to express the idea of 'being honest about one's ambitions,' and naturally thought of Li Na. She is like a guiding light."

Jiang Fangzhou and Li Na were the guests of the first and second episodes of "Sounds at Songmont" respectively. Since then, Songmont's content creation has been "unstoppable." If it was once a quietly developing bag brand with good design, from then on, it seems to have made greater preparations and determined to achieve more.

In many subsequent content creations, the themes presented by Songmont and the people it chooses to cooperate with are not typically "refined" but rather have a natural and real - life feel. In the conversation between Zhou Yijun and Wen Qi in "Let's Go! Leave Behind Those Seemingly Important Things," it conveys the idea of taking off, being ambitious, and the real situation of women; in the short film "I Am the Wind" starring Jiang Qiming and Wang Yitong, it uses a cinematic narrative to express how to face inner fears; in these podcasts, director Jia Zhangke said, "Be loyal to your spiritual world," and artist Chen Danqing talked about the anxiety and confusion of young people.

"We often dare not say what we want or what we are afraid of," Fu Song said. She hopes that through the brand's expression, users can "gain something" and "be more powerful rather than creating anxiety."

The latest episode of "Sounds at Songmont": Zhou Yijun's conversation with Jia Zhangke

It is worth mentioning that Songmont's cooperation with guests from different fields is usually based on "mutual admiration" and content co - creation.

"We don't want to do publicity that simply relies on the star power of artists. When building a brand, we shouldn't have a gambler's mentality of'spending a lot of money for a big return,'" Fu Song told 36Kr. "The content is just an expression of the topics we want to talk about at the moment. If one day we don't want to talk about them anymore, the content may stop. We won't rely on this type of traffic."

On the brand's tenth anniversary, the Songmont team returned to Shanxi, shot a set of print ads, and visited ancient wooden structures such as Nanchan Temple. "During this process, we once again realized that on the land of the Central Plains, whether it's the landscape shaped by the Yellow River and sandstorms or the humanistic texture and historical charm brought by ancient buildings and rammed - earth walls, they are the brand's blood, memory, and source of inspiration, as well as the charm of 'time,'" Fu Song said.

Now, many consumers naturally associate Songmont with words like natural, easy - going, quiet, and steady. In this sense, it has opened up a path that Chinese brands are not usually good at - building brand temperament through unique content expression and arousing emotional resonance.

 Exploring New Territories

Beyond bags, Songmont is exploring new markets.

Currently, Songmont has three official stores on e - commerce platforms, covering bags, clothing, and perfume respectively.

In November 2025, its "Mountain - Hushed" perfume series was officially launched. The products were co - created by Songmont and the independent perfumer Yili. The