Across Canada’s many university campuses, it is hard to miss products from Vancouver-based Herschel Supply Company.

Herschel, often known for its backpacks that blend simplicity and style, has quickly become the quintessential accessory for Canadian students. In 2017, Herschel chose China as the epicenter for the global Herschel phenomenon, making its Shanghai office, a wholly owned foreign enterprise, the entry point into the Chinese and greater Asia Pacific retail market.

Established in 2009 and named for the small, rural Saskatchewan town where the founders’ family immigrated from Scotland, Herschel focuses on retro-inspired bags, accessories and, more recently, clothing that banks on a sense of nostalgia and vintage authenticity. The fashion-forward company of 150 employees has since transformed the retail industry into one where backpacks are no longer solely used for students to carry their textbooks, but as a functional and stylish accessory for all. This has helped propel Herschel’s growth beyond North American borders into over 70 worldwide markets.

As one of the world’s fastest-growing bag and travel accessory companies, Herschel’s headquarters in Vancouver offers many strategic advantages, including geographic proximity to the rapidly expanding – and changing – consumer markets of the Asia Pacific. In recent years, a noticeable shift has occurred in China’s fashion retailing. As hordes of young millennials – approximately 415 million people, or 65 percent of China’s total consumer growth – head into the workforce, western fashion chains have been attempting to capitalize on these more fashion-conscious shoppers. In doing so, they have contributed to China’s upswing in retail sales that have catapulted the economy forward as the country shifts from one that is predominantly export-driven to a more consumer-oriented society.

Having already carved out a lucrative niche among trendy young shoppers in North American markets, Herschel has also capitalized on the growing trend of an “experience economy,” subscribed to by younger populations around the globe that prefer to spend their money on travel and events – and want to look fashionable while doing so.

By testing the waters in a variety of Asia Pacific economies through a network of 7,000 third-party retailers and rapidly growing e-commerce markets abroad, Herschel’s expansion of a permanent office in Shanghai signals the company’s ambitious objective of conquering China’s constantly fluctuating consumer base and making these consumers a cornerstone of its global marketing strategy.

– APF