The emerging designers with exhibits at Lane Crawford for its 165th anniversary celebration. (Courtesy Photo) Over its 165 years of history, Lane Crawford has seen big business from sale of Western fashion labels, but its recent anniversary celebrations made it clear that Chinese designers have a big role to play in its future. In addition…
Category: Fashion
Gucci’s Artistic Transformation Puts Key Focus on China
Portraits by Helen Downie at Gucci’s “No Longer / Not Yet” exhibit at the Minsheng Art Museum in Shanghai. (Courtesy Photo) Upon taking the reins earlier this year, Gucci’s new CEO Marco Bizzarri and creative head Alessandro Michele have sought to revitalize the venerable Kering-owned brand worldwide. However, one market in particular has already shown…
Simon Gao’s Imperial-Chic Style Steals China Fashion Week Spotlight
A piece from Simon Gao’s S/S 2014 runway show at China Fashion Week on October 26, 2013 in Beijing. (China Fashion Week) It was standing room only at the Simon Gao show on Saturday night, as China’s young fashion designer of the moment showcased his spring and summer line for 2014 for Mercedes-Benz China Fashion…
Why Shanghai’s Glitzy Bund Is Losing Its Luster For Luxury Retailers
Once a top locale for luxury retailers, Shanghai’s Bund has become second-best. (Shutterstock) Despite being known for serving as the home to many global high-end boutiques, the Shanghai Bund’s glamour has been fading quickly as brands are leaving the scene one after another. Although it remains as the city’s most-visited tourist attraction, the district has…
Gucci Strives To Adapt To China’s New Niche Tastes
A logo-free Gucci bag in the label’s S/S 2014 ready-to-wear collection. Gucci said on a conference call yesterday that it is upping its logo-free offerings as part of an upscale branding push. (WWD) Global luxury conglomerate Kering reported lower-than-estimated third-quarter growth numbers yesterday due in large part to mega-label Gucci’s China sales slump, showing that…
London Fashion Week Chinese Designer Spotlight: Judy Wu
A look from Judy Wu’s Autumn/Winter 2016 collection at London Fashion Week. (Courtesy Photo/Simon Armstrong) In an almost perfect, if not intentional, prelude to International Women’s Day on March 8, there was Judy Wu’s runway show at London Fashion Week. In it, the London-based designer used two inspiring females as her muses for her Autumn/Winter…
Spring Festival Spotlight | Year Of The Horse Fashion Guide
In preparation for the start of Chinese New Year this Friday, retailers and brands across the world are gearing up for the gifting rush with a massive number of special year of the horse products. As part of our ongoing coverage of luxury Lunar New Year marketing, today we’re featuring some of the top special-edition…
China’s ‘Kim Kardashian’ Sparks Controversy as Dior’s New Brand Ambassador
Parisian fashion powerhouse Christian Dior is being harshly criticized on social media for its appointment of Chinese actress Yang Ying, aka Angelababy, as its first brand ambassador in China. Yang, who has been called the “Kim Kardashian of China” (and spent $31 million on her wedding—more than Kardashian spent on hers), said in a video that…
Louis Vuitton’s Beijing Opening Heavy On Celebs; Light On Logos
Louis Vuitton’s Beijing women’s store opening at Shin Kong Place on Friday was a veritable who’s who of Chinese celebrities: the luxe label rolled out the brown carpet for the likes of brand ambassador and actress Fan Bingbing (范冰冰), pop star Li Zhiting (李治廷), models Du Juan (杜鹃) and Liu Wen (刘雯), and actress Carina…
Coach’s ‘Hot Mom’ Brand Status Propels Robust China Growth
A Coach purse “kind of feels like your mom’s bag,” proclaimed a Bloomberg analyst last January when discussing the American leather-goods (and now lifestyle) brand’s “lacking personality” as a cause of a less-than-stellar quarterly earnings report. Its new numbers released this week were once again disappointing — but not in China, where the label’s tech-heavy and youthful branding…