The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
[ "Online Shopping Marathon Zooms Off the Blocks in China" (The New York Times)Opens in new window ]
"By late afternoon, Alibaba had already logged more than 23.8 billion renminbi in sales via its online payment system, Alipay, surpassing the 19 billion renminbi total for the full day last year. The promotion was pioneered five years ago by Alibaba, which owns Tmall and other e-commerce sites, when it latched on to an existing, unofficial Chinese holiday dubbed Singles’ Day."
"A Label Isn't Enough" (The Financialist)
"There was a time, not too long ago, when all a luxury goods maker had to do to make a sale in China was to make sure their label was prominent enough. Customers wanted quality, of course, but what they wanted as much or more was the caché that such a purchase conveyed. Those days are over. Like the Chinese economy itself, the country’s luxury goods sector has matured. What matters now is style — and it matters a whole lot more than you might think."
"Vogue China Marks 100th Issue" (Women's Wear Daily)
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"After tripling its circulation since the magazine started, Vogue China still has a long path ahead. [Angelica] Cheung said it is a difficult task as China’s fashion audience grows and segments. In the beginning, Vogue was aimed at top-tier Chinese consumers and growth was inevitable. 'Growth is easy; everybody makes money in China,' Cheung said with a laugh. The top tier has grown, but an emerging middle class, aspirational consumers and other segments of society all demand attention as well."
"Luxury Brands Follow Wealthy Consumers" (The Financial Times)
"Call it the year of transition. A slowing in the Chinese luxury goods market, returning confidence among US buyers, the growing power of tourist shoppers and a relentless incursion from the digital world — from online shopping to smart watches — are all shaking up the industry of watches and jewellery."
"Revamped French Label Carven Targets Wider Audience in China" (South China Morning Post)
"French designer Guillaume Henry is in a hurry. Not content with resurrecting the long-forgotten couture house Carven and turning it into one of the most talked about brands on the catwalk, the energetic 34-year-old from Chaumont in the rural east of France is busy taking the brand global and crafting the perfect 'Carven man'. Henry was in Shanghai last week to launch Carven on the mainland with a star-studded fashion show, the brand's first in Asia, presenting spring-summer 2014 womenswear and menswear collections."
The French beauty giant’s two latest deals are part of a wider M&A push by global players to capture a larger slice of the China market, targeting buzzy high-end brands that offer products with distinctive Chinese elements.
Post-Covid spend by US tourists in Europe has surged past 2019 levels. Chinese travellers, by contrast, have largely favoured domestic and regional destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.
While travel to Europe remains muted, Chinese shoppers are flocking to Singapore, Thailand and other Southeast Asian destinations where fashion retailers are hoping Lunar New Year marketing investments will pay off.
Local fashion designers experimenting with puffers and other down clothing have scored collaborations with outerwear companies like Moncler and attracted the attention of prominent international retailers like H.Lorenzo.