80% Of Wealthy Male Chinese Consumers Between 18-44 Years Of Age
One of the faces of "he fashion" in China: athlete Liu Xiang (Image: 163.com)
This May, Jing Daily translated an interesting Chinese-language article that outlined an emerging trend it called “he fashion” in major Chinese cities, exemplified by a growing number of relatively wealthy, younger men spending freely on everything from designer clothes to personal care items. According to that article, major luxury brands are making a mistake by more directly targeting female consumers in China, since men still account for the majority of luxury sales in China (PDF). Though, as we pointed out, 50% of luxury purchases last year in China were made with the intention of giving the items away as gifts.
This week, AsiaOne looks at the “he fashion” demographic, noting that the comparatively flashy sense of style being fostered among the younger fashion denizens in some of China’s wealthier cities presents an opportunity for fashion houses that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world at the moment, save perhaps for Dubai or Moscow.
From the article:
The article goes on to (rather insightfully) discuss the promotion of an “alpha male” image in marketing efforts by some luxury brands, noting that the faces chosen by these brands to advertise their products tend to reflect in some way the Asian image of a successful alpha male.
Specifically Chinese issues such as the competitiveness unleashed by the country’s rapid growth and societal change, the one-child policy, urban-rural divide and gender imbalance are highlighted as a source of opportunity for entrepreneurs who know where to look:
While much of this has been covered here and elsewhere, the article does make good points about how crucial it is for brands to put as much effort into their outreach — especially digital — for men as they do for women. While a more assertive, more independent female demographic is developing quickly — and will probably be the defining force not only in the fashion and cosmetics segments but even wine, cars and technology — for the next few years at least, the Chinese luxury industry is still “a man’s world.”