theceomagazine.com | 41“To ensure the products remain close
to market trends and consumer demand,
the R&D team actively build an open and
interactive cooperation mechanism with
the sales department, so we know country
market data and customer feedback in
a timely and accurate manner, and can
improve the product research and accuracy
of our market positioning.”
Because he heavily invests in R&D,
Zheng can clearly see where all the brands
are heading in terms of development. For
example, IMM has increased its growth
steadily over seven to eight years, while Fiona
Chen, Michelle Moissac and Anzheng have
each broadened their market reach and are
also growing fast.
To ramp up growth even further,
Anzheng went public on the Shanghai Stock
Exchange in February 2017. The listing
allowed the company to set up more
financing channels and opportunities and
build a larger platform for employee
development. Zheng insists this hasn’t
changed Anzheng’s fundamental identity.
“Even after becoming a public company,
we’re a responsible social citizen, always
serving our consumers, providing returns
for our shareholders, and contributing to
society,” he says.
Another core competitive advantage of
the group is its integration with various
upstream and downstream suppliers. Zheng
thinks the abilities of suppliers are a useful
supplement and an effective extension of the
group’s capabilities. “In addition to credibility,
integrity, cooperation and other basic
indicators, I also pay plenty of attention to
the partner’s ability to cooperate, its team
status, enterprise culture, and potential for
future growth,” he explains.
“Running a business is like mountain
climbing. We can see different scenery in
different stages, and do it because of the
desire for the beauty of the unknown.”
But what truly defines Anzheng as a
brand is not being ‘a top brand’ in the
traditional sense, even though that is still very
important. Instead, Zheng hopes to define the
company by how it espouses the values
behind China’s rich history and culture.
“The value of fashion not only lies in
providing solutions for the ways people dress,
but in the guidance and search for the beauty
of human nature; in the pursuit of and leading
the trend of fashion style, making judgements
for different customers and showing them the
charms of the high-quality way of life,” he
says. “While our brand grows, the country is
developing very fast as well. We need to be
not only growing fast, but also building our
brand of power and vitality.”
However, much like the rest of the
Chinese economy, the local fashion industry
is rapidly changing and is still in a transition
process. Zheng notes that while the market
is developing quickly, it has not reached
complete maturity. “There are more companies
entering the industry. If we’re just running a
single brand, we won’t grow bigger and it will
be difficult to survive,” he says.
“Women’s clothing is relatively mature,
but children’s clothing is taking off. China’s
fashion industry still needs 15 to 20 years
to develop. There’s still plenty of room
for improvement.”“ Our professional
R&D team has
a profound and
comprehensive
understanding of
the company’s
brand concept.”
Interview | INSPIRE