This week in Shanghaiist
SH Mag reports: "The clothes are still made in LA, and so are the wages – staff here receive above the US minimum. ... Small, but packed full of sweatshop-free goodness." And the prices? "Fine jersey T-shirt (¥188); plain tank vest (¥154); knee-high tube socks (¥102); solid rib mod dress (¥307); lamé late night mini skirt (¥328); unisex striped zip hoody (¥461); nylon taffeta jacket (¥553)." We're curious to see how this location performs. Nice looking building, but does anyone actually go there? (Honest question — we've never been.)
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Obama and America’s banker Hu-Jintao
November 17, 2009 by politicalsnapshots.wordpress.com
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we've been a bunch of times!
http://shanghaiist.com/2008/02/25/1933_wheres_the.php
http://shanghaiist.com/2007/11/17/1933_from_slaug.php
There's been a cigar and rum shop in there for months now, and it's hidden away in a little corner of the building. I'd be amazed if they have more than 1 customer on an average day.
It's a nice place, but will be freezing in the winter.
While American Apparel's idealism is commendable, I think they are incredibly naive about the dynamics of the local market. One, the location is too far out of the way. High-end foreign retail needs to stay in the Nanjing or Huaihai areas to have any chance of success. Two, those prices are absurd compared to their competitors (i.e.: Uniqlo, H&M, etc.) and labor costs will be astronomical if they are paying employees over 40rmb per hour. I seriously doubt they'll be able to entice enough consumers to take a moral stand with their wallet to turn a profit. Seriously, couldn't they have had an intern put together a simple PEST & SWOT analysis of the market before they started throwing large amounts of money around?
The tongren lu girls dream of the day that Dov Charney comes to town, it will be the stuff of legends.
One of the three American Apparels in Beijing is right next to Sanlitun Village - so I think their eventual plan is to be near high end retail (hopefully). I love American Apparel so if they make their way closer to downtown, I'll definitely patronize them. (They make the best t-shirts)
How much are the basic cotton T-shirts?
I think they're pretty pricey - maybe 230?