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.
The sparse concrete interior of Shanghai’s Long Museum was transformed into an unlikely disco scene for the 1,000 guests invited to see Dior’s Pre-Fall 2021 collection last night.
The occasion marked the first time Dior has staged a women’s pre-collection show and it was livestreamed to over 100 million viewers via nine social media channels.
The in-person guest list for the show, which was staged as part of the Shanghai Fashion Week schedule, included superstars Zhang Ziyi and TF Boy Wang Junkai (also known by the English name Karry Wang), who watched as the collection was introduced by Dior’s artistic director, Maria Grazia Chiuri.
On the runway, the original Pre-Fall line-up (first released last December) was joined by nine new looks unveiled in Shanghai, including the closing four dresses, each with pleated tulle flouncing to mid-calf and sequinned bodices respectively emblazoned with the letters D, I, O and R .
The collection was made available for pre-order on Dior’s China e-commerce channels, including WeChat, directly after the show.
Beijing’s Covid-19 policy shift will give the sector a boost in 2023 but a surge in infections and sluggish economic growth could dampen the recovery after an uplift from Chinese New Year.
This week, China rolled back some strict zero-Covid measures, opening a road to recovery for luxury and retail. But the journey is likely to be long and bumpy, experts warn.
Despite disappointing Singles Day sales results, harsh Zero Covid restrictions and supply chain woes, international beauty conglomerates continue to see China as a growth engine.
Disappointing sales were only part of the story, as brands increasingly used the world’s biggest online shopping festival as a marketing moment.