Posts filed under 'China Fashion News and Analysis'
Ted Baker is setting up its first shop in China, according to the FT, though the article does not say where. I suspect it will be in Shanghai and not Beijing. Ted Baker style is decidedly British, a bit lower end than Paul Smith, but quirky in a similar way. The Ted Baker man probably works in advertising, graphic design, journalism or possibly a trendier financial institution, perhaps venture capital. Are there enough Chinese men in these occupations with the funds needed to buy Ted Baker? The reason I ask this question is that I can’t imagine a guy in a more conventional multinational wearing Ted Baker or Paul Smith, not to mention a state-run company. Ted Baker men are creative and stylish, but have enough money to buy nice clothes. Then again, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there are more Ted Baker men in Shanghai than in Beijing. I still haven’t figured out why the Paul Smith boutique in Beijing closed.
Interestingly, I haven’t seen many Ted Baker fakes yet - nothing like the amount of Paul Smith stuff. Ted Baker does produce a lot in China though, so, as the brand gains in recognition, we can expect to see more fakes as well as “factory seconds”.
January 16th, 2008
The China Daily interviewed me regarding Stylites and Senli and Frye tailoring this past Sunday. The full profile with photos should be appearing in the coming weekend’s China Daily. Even before that, yesterday, some of my comments on eco-fashion made it into an article in a piece on the subject in the China Daily. I mentioned Chinese versions of the “I’m not a plastic bag” cloth bags that are popular here, either as fakes of the Anya Hindmarch item or as locally designed versions. Soon free plastic bags will be illegal at all stores in China, just as they are in much of Europe, so expect more coverage of the plastic bag issue and its relationship to eco-fashion on Stylites.
In other press related news, the CScout interview with me on trends and drivers in the China fashion market appears to be getting many links and to be quoted on countless other websites.
January 16th, 2008
The perfect way of getting around in August 2008 is made by Gucci and could be yours for a mere USD 3,420, which could be over USD 4,000 by the time of the Olympics at the rate the dollar is dropping. The color and fact that the brand is Gucci make this a perfect ironic symbol of the new China and I’m sure this exact thing has already been produced here as art. With eight products in total, there will also be a red watch, red shoes, a red Majiang set, a red bag set, and a hideous black and white panda. These products will only be available in Chinese Guccis. Olympics special edition products are a good idea and the bike will add a peppy feel to the boutiques, with their vapidly pretentious vibe (it’s also possible to be pretentious with depth). Gucci fans will be happy to buy up new lux goods that match the non-subtle vibe of the brand. Still, these may be the first items from Gucci than don’t strive to be sexy, which is refreshing. This Beijing Olympics blog has the full story.
Granted, Gucci does make relatively high quality clothing for a fashion brand, and everything is cut for my physique. In China at least, most people who buy Gucci go for the ugly logo covered stuff, which makes it hard to like the brand. The fake canvas bags are almost as popular as LV fakes. I wonder if we will actually see people riding around Beijing on those bikes.
I wonder if it is possible to buy the fakes for this stuff yet.
January 8th, 2008
I’m not the most “with-it” person when it comes to global pop culture. Still, a key focus for Stylites in 2008 is subcultures and what they mean for fashion in China and the development of the consumer market. We will be analyzing the Chinese interpretations, from a style standpoint, of hip hop, punk, mod, and other subcultures.
Some of our key questions: How do kids who ascribe to these subcultures express themselves through fashion? How do they buy? What do they think about the outside world, brands, and their futures? Do they think of their chosen style as foreign? How do they make it Chinese? Is any part or world view deliberately subversive?
January 7th, 2008
CScout charts new and innovative trends in hotspots throughout the world. With offices in Tokyo, Munich, New York, and Beijing, their blogs regularly feature updates on consumer-oriented trends in lifestyle, marketing, and technology. This week, Daniel Allen, their Beijing Trend Director interviewed me on trends and drivers in the China fashion market.
January 3rd, 2008
The theme of Shanghai Expo ‘10 “Better City, Better Life,” will lead artists, designers and others to explore the relationship between the city and countryside, man and nature. As urban space becomes even more important and a smaller and smaller percentage of Chinese live in rural settings, the question of how to make that space effective and pleasant will be ever more important. This piece from Shanghai Daily discusses the recent show “Imagination of Expo 2010″ that showcased all kinds of imaginative new designs that try to better urban life. It will be interesting to track the fashion ideas that appear at Expo 2010.
January 2nd, 2008
With all the “replica” Dior Homme these days, this guide to telling the real thing, from Fake Hunter, is a must-see. The number of hits on Taobao for “Dior Homme” is now at 13828, compared to 262 on Ebay.com. Even on Ebay, I estimate that one third of the items are made in China. Also, keep in mind that the 262 on Ebay are each a single item whereas usually each of the 13828 hits on Taobao represents an item that can be bought in at least a couple sizes, colors, and quantities.
For hip kids in China these days, Dior Homme is the brand to wear. However, even merchants selling fake Dior Homme admit that it is one of the few luxury brands that has yet to relocate production to China. So no one can claim that these are factory seconds or overproduction, like they can with Burberry, Dolce and Gabbana, and Prada. The Dior Homme fakes are higher end than most fakes because, as with the real brand, the target consumers are very discerning and style-conscious as opposed to buyers of LV bags who just want the brand name. Most of the factories that make Dior Homme were started by Koreans and Japanese to target the China market and their home countries.
It would be interesting to take a survey of the thoughts of wearers of this type of Dior Homme.
December 29th, 2007
The negative aspects are visible in the rise of religious fundamentalism of various stripes, but could there be an aesthetically pleasing side to this? And could that be in the realm of luxury and fashion? Earlier this year, Francois-Henri Pinault, the CEO of PPR - parent of Gucci, made a prediction: “We are entering what I think is an age of irrationality and return to fantasy – and luxury is a part of that. We are at the beginning of a social trend, change in values that could go on for years – the age of rationalisation, after all, lasted for more than a century.”
He’s right, and the craving for fantasy is keen here in Asia. Hundreds of millions of high-rise dwellers suddenly enjoy knowledge of a wider, more glamorous, world. On the internet and TV, they see all the exciting choices, whether in career, love, or aesthetics. While spirituality lags, they live in a constricted universe of concrete and pollution. They can only dream of joining that more beautiful world and fashion is a key tool for this dreaming. Fashion, even luxury, is fantasy for the masses.
December 29th, 2007
JWT, the largest advertising agency brand in the US, just released a list of the 80 trends to watch in 2008. It is not always clear what the terms they use mean. While the whole list is a must-read, I picked a few of their trends that are most relevant to Stylites and fashion in China:
4. Beijing 2008 - Requires no analysis. Stylites will be on the scene to record the styles of 2008 in Beijing.
9. Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang - Considerably better looking than Yao Ming, Liu’s picture is in every ad already. How does he dress when he’s not competing?
13. Cooperative consumption - JWT might mean (1) groups like Yahoo Freecycle that aim to reduce consumption through trading used products, (2) coordinated and planned purchasing based on the needs of small communities, to economize and reduce ecological impact or, though this is unlikely, (3) less coercive forms of marketing, advertising and sales in which the seller forms more of a partnership with the consumer. In any case, Stylites aims to track all three of these trends in China.
16. Designer Phillip Lim - The fashion designer of Chinese-origin JWT singled out, Lim relies on a gentle palette to create wearable-looking and fun pieces. He just introduced a men’s line which looks fresh but totally approachable, which is a notable accomplishment. Stylites will track perceptions of overseas Chinese designers in the Mainland.
37. Intellectual luxury - This seems to be a derogatory term denoting intellectualism for it’s own sake, though I’m not certain. I prefer to think of intellectualism as a luxury product that the elites everywhere engage in when they have the leisure and wealth needed to do so. In keeping with their country’s traditions, the elites in China are already starting to engage in intellectualism for fun rather than profit. It will be interesting to track the intellectual products they consume and the spread of “intellectualism as fun” to the general population.
39. Japanese designs (Tsumori Chisato, Uniqlo, Muji, etc.) - This hardly seems like a new trend. Nonetheless, the spread of Japanese style beyond the avant-garde to the mainstream is notable in the States, and of course in China. Everyone is wearing overproduction from Japanese brands. Anyway, why did Uniqlo close in Beijing?
41. Lifestyle curators - In China, this will be huge. The nouveau riche will demand it. More on this to come here at stylites.net.
57. Recycling into fashion (Nau, Gary Harvey, etc.) - This is going to intensify. There have already been dresses made from condoms, not to mention sportswear brands that use old bottles. Being so fashion-obsessed, what will the Chinese do with all this cheap apparel that is being created once it turns to rags or goes out of fashion? This is a special focus of stylites.net.
75. Vicarious consumption - Perhaps the most fascinating trend here, this Thornstein Veblen term is highly relevant to the current experience in China. Most older people will only achieve joy through the consumption that their progeny can engage in. They didn’t have the money and now they don’t have the youth to wear the Dior jacket but they can be gratified by seeing their kid in one.
I would like to thank JWT for coming up with this list. Stylites will be looking into many of these trends and others as they relate to fashion in China.
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December 28th, 2007
An attempt by an average but witty guy to share his fashion wisdom with misguided females, this diatribe on female fashion sins is amusing in a frat boy sort of way. He’s right about crocs and red lipstick I suppose - I’m not a huge fan of either - though the idea that there are just three types of red pushes his musings into Neanderthal territory. I’m just supposed to find the piece amusingly vulgar and refreshing, but the angst from men with boring style and cleverness to spare directed at the “pregnancy blouses” has always perplexed me. A lot of guys who wear un-tucked stripey shirts seem to make fun of the women who wear pregnancy blouses.
Can one be against a style because it is trendy and overdone? I suppose, though some people can still do them well. I get his point about this type of clothing being appropriate only for pregnant women, but they can also be an interesting play on proportions. Like many styles, they are a runway trend - that looks good on rail-thin models - that many ordinary folk took too far. Yes, they look bad with fat denim-clad legs protruding, but beautiful, slim ones, bare, or in colorful stockings are not as unsexy as he suggests. What kind of women’s style does excite him - tight jeans and a fitted white tank top?
As for the Cuban dictator hat thing, I find a tad annoying, though I haven’t really had the misfortune of seeing many of the hipster women that he mentions. There is an argument made time and again about style: “it was made for X, so if you’re not X, don’t wear it because you’ll look like a poser.” I believe much of the point of fashion is aspiration and fantasy. At its highest level, fashion is about narcissistic delusions. It gives ordinary, boring, people with burnable money and time the opportunity to dress to escape their mundane life. You don’t have to be a writer, artist, or dictator, but you can pretend you’re one with the right hat.
All the same, it’s a funny piece, and he is essentially laughing at people with mainstream and unimaginative senses of style, so I can’t complain too much.
December 27th, 2007
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