Going global: 51Percent on trademark management

51Percent is a fashion brand built around refined everyday style, presenting original designs each season with structured silhouettes and metallic details. The name reflects its goal of being a brand that’s “1% more appealing,” a philosophy carried through everything from its store interior to its product design.

51Percent built a loyal following in Korea, centered on its menswear line, and gained viral reach by consistently posting lookbooks on social media. It’s drawing strong interest in global markets, especially China and Singapore. For international customers, it has expanded its social media influence through collaborations with overseas influencers, live-streamed collection launches and other marketing. With a sharp rise in customers from Greater China, it’s now planning a full-scale entry into China. 51Percent is expanding globally with MarqFolio, MarqVision’s trademark management solution. We met its CEO to hear the brand’s story and growth strategy.

Wonjae Lee, CEO and creative director, 51Percent

Visiting the store, the metallic elements the brand is known for really stand out. Where do you find inspiration for it?

I majored in mechanical engineering, so I think metal found its way into my designs naturally. I’m very interested in space and architecture. I especially love Zaha Hadid’s buildings and Japan’s simple, clean architectural style. I often draw on the lines and planes of buildings to develop new concepts using metallic materials. The store interior you’re looking at is something I directed and designed myself. I also bring shapes I notice in everyday life into my designs, and try to present a different campaign every season.

With such an original, striking store design, you must get a lot of visitors. How has store traffic been lately?

51Percent’s sales are roughly 60% online and 40% offline, so the showroom accounts for a large share. Until last year, the store was by appointment only, but we started running it as a showroom from Seoul Fashion Week this year. Interestingly, about 85% of store visitors are international customers. At first many came from Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, but recently more customers are coming from Greater China, including China and Taiwan. As international traffic grew, sales rose about fourfold, which is why we decided to pursue overseas expansion actively.

At Seoul Fashion Week this year, you showed a womenswear line for the first time. What’s 51Percent’s targeting strategy going forward?

51Percent’s persona is customers who pursue a healthy, refined style. Rather than limiting by gender or age, we target people who consistently take care of and enjoy their everyday lives. You can think of the womenswear launch as an effort to reach more customers. In particular, we want to offer comfortable yet refined designs to customers who enjoy working out.

Looking into the brand before this interview, it’s especially popular in Greater China, including China and Taiwan, and in Southeast Asia. Does 51Percent have its own strategy for going global?

We didn’t have a special strategy. I think we went viral by consistently uploading lookbooks to social media. Recently, a survey of store visitors showed that Instagram and Chinese social media are the main ways people find us. We’re actively using social platforms for marketing, for example by collaborating with influencers in China, Singapore and elsewhere to present collections through live streams.

When you decided to expand overseas, which countries did you focus on most?

China and Taiwan. Customers from Greater China make up a large share of our international customers, so our goal for the second half of this year is a successful entry into the Chinese market. We’re preparing a short-term pop-up in Shanghai in November, so we’re focused on securing trademark rights quickly.

Why 51Percent chose MarqFolio

How did you hear about MarqFolio, and what sets it apart from other solutions?

I first read in a news article that MarqVision had won an LVMH award. The systematic approach I saw on the website gave me confidence. We filed our Korean trademarks ourselves, but overseas trademarks have many country-specific quirks, so I thought we needed expert help. Team lead Heejung Ko was very helpful, and I was happy with the dashboard service, so we chose MarqFolio.

What have you liked most about using MarqFolio?

The refund guarantee, which I haven’t seen anywhere else, was a big reassurance. The costs charged when problems come up during trademark filing can quietly add up. MarqFolio told us we could get our service fee refunded if a trademark is rejected, so we could decide with peace of mind.

I was also very happy that all information about our trademark filings is easy to see in the dashboard. I can check progress transparently at any time and quickly see issues and history by country and by stage, which saves a lot of energy.

Which brands would you recommend MarqFolio to?

I’d strongly recommend MarqFolio to any brand planning to enter overseas markets, especially China. I’d heard that filing strategy matters in China because trademarks of Korean brands are often registered first by others. Team lead Heejung Ko gave us in-depth information about China and carefully mapped out procedures and response strategies for our brand’s situation, which built a lot of trust. She explains difficult legal terms in a way that’s easy to understand, so even brands filing overseas trademarks for the first time can use it without worry.

Last question. What one phrase would you use to describe MarqFolio?

“An overseas assistant.” Trademark rights are essential when you expand abroad, but they’re hard and tedious for a brand to handle on its own. MarqFolio takes care of the filing process for us and reports every result transparently through the dashboard, so it feels like a dependable assistant for 51Percent. They always answer our questions kindly and carefully, and review and get back to us quickly, which makes things easy.

With MarqFolio, MarqVision’s trademark management solution, IP experts offer free consultations on an overseas trademark strategy tailored to your company. If your brand is planning to expand overseas, request a free MarqFolio consultation now.