I have meaning to write about the clothing label Kappa for a long time.  It is an extremely popular brand in China that bases its appeal on a very recognisable logo and a series of smart designs.  Despite the ill-fitting look of the clothes, the sporty designs are especially popular with urban youths.  Kappa is interesting because it has overcome a lack of brand name innovation by cashing in on the popularity of football and the free replication of national flags and colours. 

According to its website, Kappa is half-owned by Chinese sportswear giant Li Ning.  Li Ning is basically a Chinese copy of Nike and Adidas which now has very deep pockets – the brand is currently endorsed by Shaquille O'Neal.  The website also mentions something about the Italian origins of the brand.  This sounds like rubbish to me –it seems impossible that fashion-conscious Italians would wear Kappa.  However, positioning itself as Italian must bring much benefit to the brand because Chinese people usually associate Italy with fashion (whereas Australians probably are more likely to associate Italy with flashy cars and the Mafia).  France also benefits from this kind of word association – I once saw a woman describe a French hatchback as 'romantic'. 

I can easily recognise Kappa on the street due to its distinguishable logo.  I originally thought that the logo was two women sitting back to back, but according to Kappa's website, it is actually a man and a woman (Kappa's Chinese name is bei kao bei, which means back to back).  When you consider that Playboy is also a very popular clothing brand in China, it makes sense to use a sexy logo. 

A couple of models wear Kappa

Kappa's strong suit is its use of the flags and the national colours of various countries as the designs for its clothing.  In this respect, I reckon Kappa is the work of pure genius.  Everyone knows that Chinese brand names lack innovation – the logo for Kappa's mother company Li Ning is an upside-down swoosh.  Instead of coming up with an innovative brand name, Kappa has used designs that are instantly recognisable and are absolutely free to copy.  Two of Kappa's most popular designs have featured the British Union Jack and the national colours of Germany.  You can also see a lot of people getting around in Kappa jackets with 'Italy' plastered on the back. 

Kappa's marketing strategy has clearly cashed in on the popularity of the soccer world cup.  Even though the Chinese football team did not participate in the last World Cup, Chinese fans can still enjoy the tribalism of kitting out in a country's national colours.  It also has been well documented that Chinese aspire to enjoy the living standards of other countries, a feeling that has been exploited in other industries, especially in real estate.  Many real estate projects in China have been named after foreign destinations, for example: Palm Springs, Park Avenue and Central Park.