Descente expands into wool outerwear
The premium line of the third biggest sportswear group in Japan has introduced its first mid/outerwear wool collection, which is being marketed in collaboration with The Woolmark Company.
Descente Japan is the third largest Japanese sportswear group with annual sales of about A$1.3 billion. It is an affiliated company of Itochu, one of the largest trading houses in Japan, which recently became a Woolmark licensee. Descente Japan operates several major outdoor sports’ brands.
In September 2023, AWI subsidiary The Woolmark Company launched an autumn/winter marketing campaign with DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN, the premium line of Descente Japan which is one of the most popular Japanese sportswear brands. The brand is well positioned and renowned for incorporating high-end sportswear functionality into contemporary lifestyle wear.
The autumn/winter marketing campaign was followed up with a spring/summer marketing campaign launched in February of this year.
Wool range broadens into outerwear
The two-season campaign promoted the brand’s first wool collection outside of base-layers, which included coats, jackets and trousers. The products are made from an innovative waterproof three-layer wool blended fabric from Japanese licensee Nikke using 17.5 and 18.5 micron wool.
The new DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN wool collection is available in stores and online across Japan.
The Hard Shell Hooded Wool Coat from the latest DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN wool collection, which is certified by The Woolmark Company as Wool Rich Blend.
The marketing collaboration was focussed on raising awareness of Merino wool’s benefits for premium urban wear, and on maximising sales of the collection.
The campaign used website banners, social media, email marketing and running paid advertisements to drive online traffic to a dedicated landing page on the DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN e-commerce platform that showcased the campaign’s products. There was also an advertorial about the collection on digital fashion magazine POPEYE Web, which is one of the most popular young men’s fashion magazines in Japan.
Result of long-standing relationship
The Woolmark Company has built a long-standing relationship with Descente Japan that began in 2018 when AWI organised an inspiring tour of several Australian wool-growing properties for representatives of several brands of Descente Japan.
Prior to the trip, Descente had used only a small amount of wool, however it subsequently decided to expand its use of wool. The Woolmark Company has subsequently undertaken joint marketing collaborations with several Descente brands including Munsingwear and Lanvin Sport.
The new collaboration with the DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN collection is the latest positive outcome of the ongoing successful business relationship with Descente Japan. Its new collection is the result of workshops provided by The Woolmark Company to the Descente product development team.
Keiji Tsubouchi of Descente’s garment development section examining the new wool collection during a workshop with The Woolmark Company.
Keiji Tsubouchi of Descente’s garment development section, who has worked at Descente for 35 years, says the company is increasingly looking at natural fibres to address how sportswear can best handle sweat, heat and other issues that synthetics struggle with.
“By understanding how natural fibres work, we have developed new materials for sportswear. For us, Merino wool is a special fibre. Its moisture-wicking and thermal control properties are very attractive qualities for sportswear. The soft feel of the wool also gives a certain elevated quality to the wool products,” Mr Tsubouchi said.
“Connecting with The Woolmark Company has given our product development team a better understanding of wool’s attributes and benefits. The certification from The Woolmark Company also provides our customers with extra reassurance that they are buying a quality product. Consumers are increasingly looking at how products can benefit their wellbeing – and now is the right time for them to discover wool’s charms.”
It is anticipated that further campaigns with brands in Descente Japan will be undertaken in the future, with joint product development and retail of additional wool product lines.
This article appeared in the June 2024 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
