431If you've been browsing social media recently, you may have noticed that plus-size fashion has become a new trend. The outfit sharing of "plus-size girls" is getting more and more popular, even becoming a unique fashion statement.
And in this quietly rising plus-size wave, one name has gradually entered the public eye—BloomChic.
But did you know? Behind BloomChic is a second-generation entrepreneur labeled as a “Metersbonwe second generation.” With forward-looking market insight and precise social media marketing, he has carved out a place for himself in the North American market.
You may not be very familiar with this person, but his entrepreneurial journey and the story of his brand's comeback are definitely worth savoring.
The “restless” second-generation entrepreneur: How did Hu Zhoubin break out of his comfort zone?
Have you heard stories about “second-generation entrepreneurs”? Some choose to inherit the family business and enjoy all the ready-made resources, but Hu Zhoubin clearly did not take this path. As the eldest son of Zhou Chengjian, founder of Metersbonwe, he should have, in theory, taken over the family business directly and enjoyed the fruits. However, Hu Zhoubin chose another road—entrepreneurship.
After returning from studying abroad, Hu Zhoubin did not rush to take over the family business but instead joined Alibaba to accumulate e-commerce experience. Then, he founded the “Maliangxing” platform, focusing on personalized e-commerce services. Although not directly related to the fashion industry, these experiences laid the foundation for his later entrepreneurship.
BloomChic founder Hu Zhoubin. Image source: Internet
In 2020, with the rise of Shein, the cross-border e-commerce apparel market ushered in an unprecedented boom. It was in December of that year that Hu Zhoubin left Metersbonwe and founded his own independent brand—BloomChic, focusing on the North American plus-size women’s clothing market. This decision not only opened up a brand new entrepreneurial field for Hu Zhoubin, but also injected new potential into the family’s clothing business.
Hu Zhoubin chose to focus on the North American market because he keenly discovered a huge market gap—more than half of women in North America need plus-size clothing, but brands that can meet their needs are extremely scarce. Although “fat” is a word many women do not want to hear, Hu Zhoubin knows well that meeting this need is the key to winning the market. He decided to expand the size range up to size 30, solving the shortcomings of traditional brands in plus-size clothing and giving plus-size women more choices. This precise market insight and differentiated strategy quickly attracted a large number of loyal users to BloomChic, successfully breaking the market barrier.
With chips in hand, capital starts to get involved
The rapid growth of the brand has also attracted the favor of capital. In just two years since its establishment, BloomChic has completed three rounds of financing, with investors including well-known institutions such as L Catterton under the LVMH Group. The support of this capital not only provided ample funding for the brand, but also brought industry resources and cooperation opportunities, laying a solid foundation for the brand’s global expansion. It is with these “chips” that BloomChic has been able to move forward steadily, stand out in fierce market competition, and become a rising star in the field of cross-border e-commerce.
However, in addition to capital support, BloomChic’s precise layout on social media platforms has also contributed to its global expansion, helping the brand reach a broader market.
BloomChic financing history. Image source: Chuangyebang
How does BloomChic play with social platforms?
In the digital age, social media has become the key to brand success, and BloomChic clearly understands this, making full use of social platforms to maximize the brand’s influence.
TikTok
Since joining TikTok, BloomChic has quickly attracted a large number of fans through the platform’s powerful traffic and short video promotion. As of now, the brand’s TikTok account @bloomchicfashion has accumulated more than 717,700 followers and received a total of 3.9 million likes.
BloomChic's TikTok account
Through creative and fun short videos, BloomChic not only showcases the diversity of plus-size women’s outfits, but also cleverly incorporates lighthearted and interesting stories, allowing fans to better understand the brand’s core values.
The video content mainly focuses on “outfit showcases” and “product reviews,” a method that has successfully attracted a large amount of attention and interaction, bringing the brand stable and high-quality exposure.
Among them, the brand topic tag #bloomchic has played an important role, accumulating 10,100 posts so far, which has brought the brand extensive exposure and continuous traffic.
Works under the #bloomchic tag
In addition, BloomChic has further enhanced its brand influence by collaborating with overseas influencers who fit the brand image. For example, @haueterfamily, a family blogger with 9.6 million followers on TikTok, successfully attracted a lot of attention by showing how family members choose BloomChic clothing that suits their own style, bringing significant sales results for the brand.
@haueterfamily's account homepage. Image source: TikTok
In addition to @haueterfamily, BloomChic has also collaborated with other plus-size fashion bloggers such as @alesellsgeorgia (who has 97,300 TikTok followers). Through these KOLs who match the brand image, the brand has not only increased its exposure among the target group but also attracted more potential consumers. By continuously optimizing content and KOL collaboration strategies, brand awareness has been effectively improved.
BloomChic-related works posted by @alesellsgeorgia. Image source: TikTok
On Facebook, BloomChic’s homepage currently has 340,000 followers.
The content is mainly outfit inspiration and promotional information. Although Facebook’s user base is relatively diverse, the brand maintains interaction with fans by updating content and responding to comments.
Overall, BloomChic’s performance on Facebook is relatively stable and has attracted a certain number of fans.
BloomChic’s Instagram homepage currently has 549,000 followers, mainly enhancing the brand image through high-quality photos and outfit showcases.
Although Instagram’s content is more visually direct, the brand has still attracted many fashion-loving fans, strengthening its positioning in visual marketing.
YouTube
BloomChic has fewer subscribers on YouTube, currently only 1,930 fans. The content mainly consists of outfit tutorials, product reviews, etc., focusing on helping consumers better understand and choose plus-size clothing.
However, compared to other platforms, BloomChic’s influence and engagement on YouTube are still in the early stages.
Independent site operations: How does BloomChic expand its global market?
In addition to its social platform layout, BloomChic has also built an independent site to further expand its online sales channels.
BloomChic’s independent site provides detailed product information, covering size, material, and more, helping consumers fully understand plus-size clothing. The site also supports multiple language versions, offering a more user-friendly shopping experience for users in different countries. In addition, the brand has added an online customer service function to the website, making it convenient for consumers to inquire about products or resolve order issues.
Overall, BloomChic has optimized the user experience to a certain extent through these detailed settings, especially for overseas consumers. However, as competition intensifies, how to maintain traffic and conversion rates on the independent site remains an aspect the brand needs to continue focusing on.
The fashion revolution of “plus-size girls”: BloomChic’s breakthrough path
The rise of BloomChic is exactly a “counterattack” of Chinese brands going global.
From “Metersbonwe second generation” to entrepreneurial rising star, Hu Zhoubin has carved out a place in the blue ocean market of plus-size clothing with his keen market sense and precise use of social media.
Now, more and more Chinese brands are proving to the world with “smart vision” and “global thinking” that the future of cross-border e-commerce belongs to those “breakers” who dare to innovate.
