As French Retailer Expands In China, High End Remains Focus Of Efforts
Dior Homme’s fall show in Paris. (Women’s Wear Daily)
Dior’s menswear division recently announced plans to hold its first runway show in China later this month, continuing the French fashion retailer’s measured and luxury-oriented China expansion plan.
The April 25 Dior Homme show will be held in Beijing at the Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in conjunction with the reopening of Dior’s renovated Seasons Place boutique. The show closely follows the March 2013 Christian Dior haute couture event in Shanghai, where the label’s emphasis on courting a sophisticated, stealth wealth-oriented Chinese clientele was apparent. The upcoming menswear presentation will be a continuation of this approach, according to the company.
“The path we’ve been going down is the high end,” Dior Homme designer Kris Van Assche told Women’s Wear Daily when discussing the event.
As a result of this aim, Dior’s China strategy has featured not only fashion shows, but also the inclusion of China as a stop on its globetrotting promotional projects as well as a focus on upgrading the infrastructure of the brand’s already-existing 18 boutiques in China.
The label will present Dior Homme’s fall ready-to-wear collection in a reprisal of its recent show in Paris, with elements tailored to the Chinese market including local models and extra designs not featured in Paris. Dior’s past China shows have been star-studded events with many Chinese celebrities in attendance.
The inaugural show comes as China experiences a menswear moment, with an increasing number of companies taking steps to cater to fashion-forward male consumers.