10 Iconic Brands You Didn’t Know Are Produced In China( Number 5 Will Shock You!)
Private Label Manufacturing (also known as Original Equipment Manufacturing) has been in existence long before you probably even imagined it. And for decades, China has been the leading country with a thriving hub of Private Label Manufacturing products.
This huge business strategy has been employed by some of the world’s iconic brands to reduce the cost of establishing their own factory.
Before we dive into details, we’d like to explain what Private Label Manufacturing means so this doesn’t look strange.
Private Label Manufacturing means a company liaising with another company to produce part or all of a product for the contracting company. What this means is a company hires or has an agreement with another manufacturing company to produce or manufacture a branded product on behalf of the company.
For context, a company whose spare parts or components are parts of the products of another company is known as a Private Label Manufacturing.
Surely, you are probably thinking about some products where you have seen the phrase “Made in China” or “Assembled in China” right? Well, that’s exactly what we are talking about.
Now let’s get into details:
10 Iconic Brands You Didn’t Know are Produced in China
1. Converse
Converse is one of America’s footwear companies known for its long-running Chuck Taylor All-Stars. Although the company is now owned by Nike, the brand enjoyed a resurgence but also moved manufacturing completely from the United States to Indonesia and other countries in Asia including China. Huali is the Chinese partnering manufacturer for Nike, Converse and Vans.
2. Nike
The Nike swoosh logo is among the world’s most recognizable brand logos, bringing to mind the company’s athletic footwear and brand. Though founded in Oregon, the company has been making shoes in international plants since at least the 1970s, when new protective labor laws in South Korea and Taiwan drove manufacturing to less prohibitive markets in China and Vietnam. As mentioned in 1 above, Nike acquired Converse and the company Huali is the one partnering with Nike as Private Label Manufacturing to design those shoes you love!
3. Ray Ban
The iconic Rayban glasses are quite popular even among American celebrities and guess what, it is coupled in China. The brand doing this for Ray Ban is Luxottica. Luxottica is a leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of fashion, luxury and sports eyewear. Its portfolio includes proprietary brands such as Ray-Ban, Oakley, Vogue Eyewear, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Arnette, Costa del Mar and Alain Mikli, as well as licensed brands including Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Bulgari, Chanel, Coach, Dolce&Gabbana, Ferrari, Michael Kors, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & CoValentino and Versace.
4. Chanel
When it comes to luxury bags for women, Chanel is no small feat. Just like many American brands, Chanel also moved her production to China. Different Chinese manufacturers produce different products for Chanel. For instance, Luxxotica makes Chanel eyewear while Shenzhen Ribon Creative Co. Ltd designs some of her luxury handbags.
5. Apple
Oh yes, you didn’t see that coming. Did you? Anyway, the iPhone you are probably holding right now is assembled in China. The components manufactured by those companies all around the world are ultimately sent to just two companies to assemble into iPods, iPhones, and iPads. Those companies are Foxconn and Pegatron, both of which are based in Taiwan.
Technically, Foxconn is the company’s trade name; the firm’s official name is Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. Foxconn is Apple’s longest-running partner in building these devices. It currently assembles the majority of Apple’s iPhones in its Shenzhen, China, location, although Foxconn maintains factories in countries across the world, including Thailand, Malaysia, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Pegatron is a relatively recent addition to the iPhone assembly process. It is estimated that it built about 30 percent of the iPhone 6 orders in its Chinese plants.
6. Prada
Prada is also a leading fashion luxury brand and not all of her products are made by the same Chinese manufacturer. For instance, Luxxotica makes Prada eyewears while Stella International Holdings makes Prada’s shoes. However, Prada’s quality cannot be compromised and the luxury brand still delivers on her promise to be of good quality.
7. Michael Kors
When it comes to wristwatches, Michael Kors brand is no small feat. But many didn’t know that the luxury brand isn’t made in America. The Fossil Group is the Asian company that manufactures Micheal Kors’ luxury wristwatches. Fossil Group is a big watch brand behind the endearing FOSSIL brand of luxury watches. But in addition to their own brand watches, Fossil also makes watches for most of the Luxury watch brands like Michael Kors.
8. Dell
Dell Inc is a leading American owned technology company but not all the components of their computers are sourced and coupled in the US. Dell obtains the majority of its components from China and other countries. Taiwan and Japan, in addition to China, import or manufacture personal computers.
9. Chevrolet
Chevrolet is an iconic automobile brand that has earned her place in the hearts of many American citizens. But not many know that Chevrolet, owned by General Motors, is not coupled and assembled in the US. Based in Detroit, Michigan, General Motors is known as America’s largest automobile manufacturer. While the company isn’t owned by a Chinese company, it relies on its partnership with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC) to manufacture some spare parts. In 1998, the two auto giants teamed up to form SAIC-GM, a Chinese brand with a 6 million square-foot facility in Shanghai.
10. Gillete
Every man loves Gillete, isn’t it? Well, most of the razors are made in Shanghai, China. Although Gillette established a razor factory in China, about 1000 of the workers are mainly Chinese and they produce Gillette razors.Gillette runs another joint venture in Shenyang, about 800 miles northeast of Beijing. It also operates blade plants in Europe, India, Turkey and Latin America.
Moment of Truth
Many people assume that China products are fake, while this is not an article to debunk these rumours, we will also like to point out that Chinese made products are equally of good and exceptional quality. The fact remains that China has helped a lot of business owners, industries and countries by producing products affordable to each global market.
For instance, the same quality of shoes produced for Prada may not be the same quality of shoes produced for ordinary resellers. The quality varies in terms of business agreement and proposition. You can get exceptional quality goods from China and you can also get inferior quality goods. It all depends on your demand, target market, budget and business proposition.
Bonus read: How To Manufacture Your Product From China In 2021
Are you interested in Private Label Manufacturing too?
Yes, we thought so too! Private Label Manufacturing helps you bring your own ideas to life. We offer private label manufacturing for all niches.
Whether you’re making souvenirs for your next event, packaging materials for your company, or items with your brand that you intend to sell, you can always rely on us to link you up with the right custom manufacturer for your product.
What’s more? Because we care about the specifications you give us, we actually visit the manufacturer in their factory to supervise and ensure quality control as well as timely production of your goods. After manufacturing, we provide supplier payment, warehousing and international shipping services for you to wherever you are in Nigeria, Ghana, USA, UK, Canada and Dubai.
Naiyuan Mart offers you the opportunity to work with qualified suppliers and local manufacturers to bring your designs to life!
Are you ready to manufacture your own custom products? Let’s work together.