Seven surprising Chinese crossover fashion collections
It’s not uncommon for Chinese fashion labels to work with Western brands, but some partnerships have stretched boundaries in the pursuit of China’s millennial shoppers
In China’s fast-growing consumer economy, brands eager to reach shoppers have taken a route Western consumers might consider unusual, for all that the luxury industry’s collaborations on crossover collections sometimes break barriers.
Whether they are selling technology, holidays, fast food or consumer goods, companies have tapped China’s independent fashion designers to reach young Chinese consumers looking for unique ways to express themselves.
In some cases the partnerships are obvious – Disney collaborating with clothing and accessories brands ahead of the opening of Star Wars films and Disneyland in Shanghai; make-up brand M.A.C working with designers at one of China’s biggest fashion events on catwalk shows and to leverage their KOL (key opinion leader) networks for product launches.
Brand sponsorships for seasonal collections can also be a win for emerging designers, who not only receive funding but, in some cases, help with logistics and supply chain management.
Other collaborations are less obvious. For tea brand Lipton, for example, which faces completely different consumer behaviour in China than elsewhere, a colourful, streetwear-inspired fashion show that might raise eyebrows in the West doesn’t look odd in Shanghai.