Brand Origin

AIYIMEI: Gorgeous evolution from OEM to OBM

The Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York is a dream paradise of global luxury goods and the world’s most famous jewelry, clothing and cosmetics gather here. Rent for a shop on this avenue can be described as astronomical; even so, there still is a clothing brand from Ningbo come to test the water, and she is exactly AIYIMEI.

AIYIMEI Company, founded in 1979, is a large manufactory engaged in the design, manufacturing and sales of AIYIMEI brand clothing. AIYIMEI was listed in first batch of Ministry-grade Excellent Products by the Ministry of Textile Industry in the year 1989, ever since then, brand AIYIMEI has become more and more famous. Currently, we have been honored “Zhejiang Famous Brand Product”, “China Top Brand”, “Famous Export Brand” Mainly Cultivated and Developed by the Ministry of Commerce, etc. In 2005, AIYIMEI coats and business suits for export obtained the exemption certificate from the AQSIQ (the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine). Double products of one company obtain such a certificate; there is only AIYIMEI that has got it in China so far.

In a village named Tengtou in Fenghua, Ningbo, when mentioning the development history of AIYIMEI, almost everyone knows about it. AIYIMEI, who just had a dozen of sewing machines initially, now has become a leading enterprise of this village and even one of China’s largest designated cashmere garment manufacturers. To keep pace with fashion, seize the trend and eye on world fashion seems the born nature of AIYIMEI. Early in 1997, AIYIMEI invested a huge sum in establishing a technology development center, carrying out systematic research and development of knitted and woolen fabrics. It has cultivated a number of design talents with sensitive “smell”, both talents and wisdom; and also has joined hands with senior designers at home and abroad to set up new product design and development studios in Shanghai, Osaka, Paris and New York respectively. In recent years, the R&D fund she invests in the R&D of new products reaches RMB 6 to 7 million per year, and the output value contribution rate of new products and new styles is up to 40%.

After laying a solid foundation, AIYIMEI proposed an application to the AQSIQ for inspection exemption renewal for its AIYIMEI brand coats and business suits in September 2008; passed the on-the-spot audit by the inspection-exemption expert of the AQSIQ in December the same year; and was crowned the qualification of “Export Inspection Exemption” once again in February 2009, which would avoid AIYIMEI from paying more than RMB 1 million of inspection fees directly. Other benefits brought due to accelerated clearance rate and shortened logistics cycle is even more impressive.

Yin Heming, manager of AIYIMEI Import & Export Co., Ltd., has directly participated in the preparation and operation of AIYIMEI clothing store on the Fifth Avenue. He said, this store is exactly a microcosm of Ningbo local brands on their internationalization road. When time fell back to five years ago, Yin Heming saw a cashmere coat priced at 10,000-upward US dollars in a store in the United States, both style and fabric of which were like most AIYIMEI. Then he checked the trademark of this coat consciously and saw “STJOHON”, his heart thumped, because STJOHON, a famous American brand, was also a partner customer of AIYIMEI. AIYIMEI was just the OEM of this cashmere coat entrusted by STJOHON, but the price of such a coat offered by STJOHON to AIYIMEI was only $ 300. Such a huge balance set off a raging tide in the mind of Yin. He reported this to his leaders after going back to Ningbo, and they hit it off instantly. After a series of tense preparation, they opened a clothing store on the street 40 of the Fifth Avenue by use of the trademark AIYIMEI registered abroad in 2004.

Through five years of experience and toughening, AIYIMEI has set up sales branches in Paris of France, Tokyo of Japan, etc. and registered the trademark AIYIMEI in more than 30 countries including the USA, Japan, Britain, France, Germany and Italy. In China, AIYIMEI has operating 10 or more sales branches and the products have been available in more than 20 large and medium-sized cities, she even has become a designated uniform manufacturer of the AQSIQ, the Ministry of Public Security, the Supreme People's Court, the State Administration for Industry & Commerce and so forth.