Asian apparel brands’ Internationalization: the application of theories to the cases of Giordano and Uniqlo

Abstract

How did Asian apparel brands internationalize in the competitive global apparel market? Although Asian brands are becoming global, most of previous research on internationalization was limited to the cases of the brands having Western-origins. This study aimed to explore the internationalization patterns of two leading Asian apparel brands, Giordano and Uniqlo, applying existing internationalization theories. For analysis, a case study approach was adopted by analyzing the secondary data from company reports, websites, and trade publications, following the previous case studies. Today Giordano and Uniqlo are operating more than 2,000 stores worldwide. They internationalized to the geographically close markets first, and then extended the businesses to far distance countries following the Uppsala model. Both brands are focusing on Asian developing countries recently. The two brands’ integrated supply chains and the positioning concept as basic, quality apparel at low price contributed to facilitating their internationalization. The findings confirm the existing internationalization theories and add the empirical cases of Asian brands to literature. This study also provides a managerial implication for the other brands seeking internationalization opportunities, especially for the brands with Western-origins, that need to compete with growing Asian competitors in global marketplaces.