An enterprising duo is re-positioning the fashion concept to suit changing consumers tastes and demands. BONG KOK HOONG speaks on the shape of things to come.

BWIIL founded in 2015 with Eric and me with a mutual purpose –  to bring together the five essential elements of urban living into the market which are Fashion, F&B, Property, Automobile, and Entertainment, says Bong Kok Hoong, chairman, of B Wiil International Sdn Bhd.

“We started off with F&B embarking into Japanese fusion cuisine, with the brand IKU. Then further ventured into the fashion industry where we acquires the brand name NerdUnit and within 2 years the business expanded rapidly from half a million to current, a multi-million company and the brand is today internationally known.”

Bong Kok Hoong, Chairman.

Rapid Expansion    

“At the same time, we became actively involved in retail consultancy and started a company named B_Nav, after which we began working efficiently with few big names F&B retails in Malaysia.

“Our businesses expand further to another field, working aggressively in the commercial and shopping mall consulting market. As our focus shifted more to other companies, we have to hold our horses and focus on building up our current businesses, and in hope, one day when the time is right, we shall embark and expand our business further afield.”

“One of the key business that we are focusing right now on is the automobile industry as the market is potentially huge and as such we have diverted our attention into importing of luxury cars with showrooms in Malaysia.”

“One of the biggest milestones we achieved is being able to bring street wear fashion – ‘NerdUnit’ to the International market and recently began to own our flagship store in Tokyo, Japan – the fashion capital. Expanding rapidly, we have signed an MOU with a renowned multi-million fashion online company House of CB in Europe.”

Paradigm Shift    

“As our business module is diversified, we will be facing fierce competition out there. Take the fashion industry, for example, understanding the nature of today’s buying decisions based on asking for discounts frequently and that majority are trying to fill this need by lowering price position, we do things differently,” he explains.

“Rather than going with cost-cutting formula, we focus on brand building and invested heavily in brand positioning and brand direction.

“Smart, brand-conscious shoppers are willing to pay more for a quality brand they trust. We believe, a business that always competes in a price war has no end, and this goes with all our services including the retail consultancy. We do not skyrocket our fees but instead, look we look at gaining ‘value for money’ clients who will invest in us.”

“As most retailers suffering in the South East Asian market, we see an opportunity to re-creating and re-curated space for a stronger concept, engaging activities with crowd pulling effect with consumers that inevitably change the hype of conservative retailing business experience.

Targeting the Market        

“The critical action to do is, run a feasible market survey to understand consumer needs rather than focusing on what we want to sell.

Taking fashion brand NU as an example, we discovered that high street-wear fashion culture is booming fast with leading brands like Supreme, Off-white, etc. expanding aggressively but how many ordinary consumers can afford that sky-high pricing?”

“Here, we cater to regular consumers an international brand with an affordable price point where anyone can enjoy the upscale quality of the brand. Our collection of clothing has its own story and concept.”

He says, “currently, we are looking into a brand involving denim jeans, and the brand is Lavine Jeans, as we understand most consumer will not leave without a pair in their wardrobe. It is durable and timeless. So building this brand is one of our top priorities.”

Another plan is developing a new modern retail platform revolution – HOOD (House Of Original Design), says Hoong.

“HOOD is a hype retail location catered for all the up and coming designers wear which is affordable for the general market. Understanding the need for today’s ever-changing market in the entertainment industry, we will continue looking into creative and inspirational ideas, and create more innovative events.”

For additional information, please visit http://bwiil.com

Hong Kong’s Business Leaders share market and interest intelligence in the pages of HKMVC 2019

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