LINE

Text:AAAPrint
Voices

Does 'China Chic' rise in a real sense?

1
2019-09-04 16:07:18CGTN Editor : Mo Hong'e ECNS App Download

Chinese vogue realm has witnessed a trend for "China Chic" since early 2018 after domestic sportswear brand Li-Ning hit the fashion circle by storm with its robust oriental-styled designs.

"China Chic", or "Guo Chao" in Chinese, refers to designs deeply rooted in Chinese culture and perfectly mixed with modern fashion.

At the semi-annual New York Fashion Week last February, Li-Ning amazed the spectators with its Wu Dao (the principles of Taoism) collections. That has made the once sub-marginal brand a household name in the fashion industry overnight.

Li-Ning collections during New York Fashion Week in 2018. /VCG Photo

Li-Ning jackets during New York Fashion Week in 2018. /VCG Photo

Li-Ning suffered a deficit of three billion yuan (418 million U.S. dollars) from 2012 to 2014 and it closed 1,821 stores in 2013. By contrast, its revenue reached 10.5 billion yuan (1.46 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, 18 percent up from the previous year, according to its annual financial report. It's been the first time the company's revenue surpassed 10 billion yuan (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) since its founding in 1990.

The popularity of Chinese designs caters to young consumer's tastes to showcase personality while embracing the traditional culture. Jason Yu, managing director of Kantar Worldpanel, told CGTN that young consumers have a high-level pride of the country and Chinese brands' resurgence suits that mentality.

More than clothing

Besides Li-Ning, plenty of Chinese brands have made products blending with tradition and innovation. Those brands, either old or new, range from cosmetics to food to electric appliance.

At the Fall/Winter New York Fashion Week last September, China's down jackets brand Bosideng made heavy coats an iconic fashion with its collections highlighted by washing paint, stamped with Chinese characteristics, pavilions, and gardens in water-bound towns of southern China.

Bosideng down jackets during New York Fashion Week. /VCG Photo

American Actress Anne Hathaway poses backstage for Bosideng during New York Fashion Week in New York City, September 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

Inspired with its 1,860,000 pieces of collections, the Forbidden City in Beijing is another highly-successful pioneer in leading the "China Chic" trend. It launched a set of lipsticks with elegant packages of royal embroideries, antique furniture and fairy cranes in 2018. Online buyers snapped up more than 100,000 lipsticks within four days.

A set of lipsticks made by the Forbidden City. /VCG Photo

Another example is milk candy brand White Rabbit, which developed perfume, body wash, cushions, and tote bags with various partners. The company has rolled out an arsenal of paraphernalia to attract customers already familiar with the brand.

White Rabbit candy-flavored lip balm. /VCG Photo

Interestingly, the original locations of "China Chic" brands seem to concentrate in south China, according to research by Chaopaihui, an online community for hipsters in China. It randomly selected 50 brands and found that over 90 percent are from cities in southern China. Five cities in Guangdong Province, – Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Jiangmen – made a list out of the total 11 cities.

MorePhoto

Most popular in 24h

MoreTop news

MoreVideo

News
Politics
Business
Society
Culture
Military
Sci-tech
Entertainment
Sports
Odd
Features
ECNS Wire
Biz
Economy
Travel
Photo
CNS Photo
Video
Video
Special Coverage
Infographics
Voices
LINE
Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1999-2019 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.