Levi’s launches new brand in China

飞雪寒冰

The mighty American blue jeans, once a potent symbol of what was right about the US and wrong about communism, has come cap in hand in China to woo Asian consumers.
强大的美国牛仔裤曾一度被视为美国正确而共产主义错误的有力象征，如今则在中国表现得毕恭毕敬，以吸引亚洲消费者。

Levi Strauss, icon of the US jeans culture, yesterday launched its new global brand, Denizen, in Shanghai. With echoes of the words denim, citizen and netizen, the five-pocket jeans are aimed at 18-29 year olds in emerging markets.
美国牛仔裤文化的象征Levi Strauss昨日在上海推出新的全球品牌Denizen。Denizen是英文牛仔斜纹布、公民和网民的结合，这种5个裤兜的牛仔裤面向新兴市场18岁至29岁人群销售。

飞雪寒冰

Levi joins a growing number of western companies taking extra steps to court Asian consumers by tailoring their brands for those markets.
与越来越多的西方公司一道，Levi Strauss正采取更多措施，让自己的品牌迎合亚洲市场，以吸引亚洲消费者。

Terence Tsang, head of the new brand, said it was the first time Levi had launched a new global brand outside of the US. Denizen will initially be targeted at consumers in China, Singapore, South Korea, and eventually India. The US group said it aims to compete on fit, often a problem for Chinese consumers buying American jeans.
该新品牌主管Terence Tsang表示，这是Levi Strauss首次在美国之外发布新的全球品牌。Denizen最初将面向中国、新加坡、韩国以及最终印度的消费者。这家美国公司表示，计划在合体方面进行竞争，这经常是中国消费者购买美国牛仔裤的问题之一。

飞雪寒冰

“Chinese consumers complain that their hips are narrower, their bottoms are smaller and their legs shorter [than the average American jeans],” said Shaun Rein of China Market Research in Shanghai.
中国市场研究集团(China Market Research Group)驻上海的雷小山(Shaun Rein)表示：“中国消费者抱怨称，（相对于美国普通牛仔裤）他们的胯部较窄，臀部较小，腿较短。”

Designer jeans in the $200-$300 price bracket have found a lucrative niche market in China, but Levi’s classic basic jeans do less well. Retail analysts said Levi had priced its jeans too high for cheap casual wear, but too low to be a luxury item. The new jeans line aims to hit a low-middle price point, and appeal to a thrifty emerging consumer. It will be priced at $40-$60, about 10-15 per cent above the local competition, but half the current price of Levi’s jeans in China.
价格在200美元至300美元之间的名牌牛仔裤在中国有着盈利丰厚的利基市场，但Levi经典的基本牛仔裤表现则不那么优秀。零售分析师表示，Levi的定价对廉价休闲牛仔裤而言过高，对奢侈品又过低。新推出的牛仔裤系列定在中低价位，吸引节俭的新兴消费者。定价在40美元至60美元之间，较本地竞争对手高出10%至15%以上，但比Levi目前在中国销售的牛仔裤便宜一半。

飞雪寒冰

Chinese consumers love both luxury brands and bargains. Analysts say that the ground between cheap and luxurious can be hard for Western retailers to till.
中国消费者既喜欢奢侈品牌，也喜欢便宜货。分析师表示，介于廉价和奢侈之间的领域可能令西方零售商难以把握。

“Chinese consumers are still the most influenced in the world by big brands, but their actual choice of brand is increasingly value driven,” said Yuval Atsmon, consultant at McKinsey.
麦肯锡(McKinsey)咨询顾问安宏宇(Yuval Atsmon)表示：“中国消费者受大品牌的影响仍为全球最大，但他们实际的品牌选择则越来越受到价值的推动。”

baconchi

why offer translation?
quirky