Full beach replicas, a farm scene with live baby pigs, and women dressed as mermaids in aquariums are all attractions that have recently found their way into China’s shopping malls as brick-and-mortar locations vie with both each other and online shopping sites. In a new Wall Street Journal video interview, China Value Retail CEO Mark…
Tmall to Hold China Day During New York Fashion Week
Tmall has announced it will hold a China Day in association with The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) during this year’s New York Fashion Week. Tmall is Alibaba’s business-to-consumer e-commerce platform. Its event will be held on February 7 and focus solely on menswear. Participating designers include more mainstream brands Li Ning and Peacebird, as well…
Dior Puts Youth Before Tradition at Haute Couture Shanghai Show
Continuing its ongoing efforts to maintain relevance in the fickle Chinese market, Dior hosted its first China-based haute couture show at an industrial museum space in Shanghai on March 29. Besides showcasing most of the same surrealist-inspired collection it first exhibited at the Musée Rodin in Paris, Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri offered a Shanghai-exclusive…
Will China’s Expanding Waistlines Solve Retailers’ ‘Vanity Sizing’ Dilemma?
Gap offers XXXS sizes in China to make up for its sizing difference with other countries. Pictured: a Gap store in Hong Kong. (Gap Inc.) International clothing retailers have long struggled to find a balance in their global sizing policies in order to cater to both their super-size American and petite Chinese customers, but a…
New York Fashion Week Grows as Magnet for Chinese Designers
A few years ago, Chinese fashion designers at New York Fashion Week were few and far between, even as their presence grew markedly at other major fashion events in London and Paris. Now, it’s a completely different story as New York is becoming a key platform for Chinese designers as they find it crucial to establish…
How Lane Crawford’s ‘Unique’ Business Model Defies China’s Anti-Graft Drive
Despite China’s ongoing corruption crackdown that has dampened sales for some luxury companies, Lane Crawford President Andrew Keith told CNBC that his company hasn’t felt the pain. In fact, Lane Crawford has gone ahead with its expansion plans into mainland China, and opened a new store in Chengdu this year. “We’re fundamentally different; we’re unique,”…
China’s Secondhand Luxury Market Catches on with Price-Conscious Fashionistas
A Gucci handbag that is up to 70 percent off its original price easily draws suspicion in China. With a prevalent daigou culture in the industry and e-commerce sites like Tmall riddled with fakes, shoppers after legitimate luxury products are likely to be more at ease sourcing their fashion from brick and mortar stores or…
What Luxury Brands Can Learn From China’s New Show, “Fashion Master”
It’s been called the “Project Runway of China” and it stars leading figures from China’s burgeoning fashion industry. Fashion Master, a reality show produced jointly by state-run television network CCTV and e-commerce giant JD.com, launched early last month to showcase the talent of Chinese designers and “build a bridge for Chinese aesthetics and the world’s fashion industry.”…
London Men’s Fashion Week: China’s Menswear Market Shifts Into High Gear
A look from Xander Zhou’s collection at London Men’s Fashion Week. (WeChat/Xander Zhou) Although overshadowed in recent years by a surge in spending by female shoppers, China’s menswear market has become more important than ever for a growing number of brands. Currently, menswear accounts for around 43 percent of China’s overall apparel industry, the largest piece of…
Acquiring Major Stake in Vivienne Tam, Chinese Brand Ellassay Aims for Global Influence
New York-based Chinese-American designer Vivienne Tam is moving into mainland China with the help of a new Chinese partner, Shenzhen Ellassay Fashion Co. The Chinese women’s apparel company announced Tuesday that it will buy 75 percent of Vivienne Tam’s brand rights for 37 million yuan. The rights were acquired from the company’s sole shareholder, Peony Power Limited,…