However, to take it one step further it has to actually make sense and stand to it. You can't be too many things at once and you have to actually mean it. You can't have an all american brand not made in america. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, however if thats the case where for production cost reasons you have to outsource, all fine. Just don't make the promise that it is all american.
So with that a brand needs to make a conscious effort to be bold, i think. I think manytimes these brands that i see in taiwan don't survive because they're not bold enough to do something different and instead try to make it in an oversaturated market. not to say that the competitors are at the top of their game, but its definitely something to look at considering that a lot of these businesses just look like another brand, and end up dying out in the process.
Lasting brands might have a lot of capital to survive and just enough to make it by, but what is the appeal of the brand? You have brands in America, like crooks & castles, obey, abercrombie, and gap. Each all stand for different things but my point is, some of these brands can be found in taiwan so what is the problem? how come they haven't survived more than they have in other places?
No. 1, from my perspective i hate boutiques. When you mix bad brand with good brands, you don't have a sense of taste and therefore i would be less inclined to trust the store. Furthermore in taiwan you really have to examine what your buying due to counterfeiting and the fact that you can't really return anything.
So in that same breath, the examining of goods, and what to look for is usually lost on most people. Most people don't know what to look for, and its because of that brands can do whatever they want and make some ridiculous stuff once they've nabbed their market.
Building a brand is not only hard, but its time consuming. Creating content that is fresh and timeless is one thing, but constantly garnering one's attention is another. You can create a lot of new content but depending on your audience, you can alienate one quite fast. For instance, per abercrombie, not that its my style but i like to keep an open mind but if you look at their seasonal catalogs, its more or less always the same. One can argue its consistent, and another can say its lack of creativity.
For whatever the reason, it boils down to your mission statement and what you are committed to doing. Furthermore, drawing the right boundaries is something one can't overlook.
