Netflix may soon be more powerful than Vogue when it comes to influencing how we dress.

You might need a VPN to view Instagram in China but wealthy luxury shoppers, especially those who have studied abroad, are still inspired by the platform, experts say.

Amazon has been trying to crack the fashion luxury business for years, while Alibaba’s Tmall has become the go-to for luxury brands in China.

Beauty brands can become defined by a single hero product, like YSL Beauty’s Touche Éclat or Estée Lauder’s night repair serum, yet most companies are always looking to their next big thing.

Chinese luxury shoppers look for fashion that gives them status. European heritage labels such as Prada, Chanel, and Dior tick that box, but US brands don’t.

Already a fast-growing duty-free destination, Hainan is now a top priority for luxury brands after tax-free shopping quotas were raised in July, a move that could sink competitors like Hong Kong and Macau.

Younger consumers have rejected stilettos as a symbol of feminine power, and older women have followed in their footsteps, preferring the comfort of trainers and boots, instead.

Social media influencers in the West have to pretend they are not trying to sell something, while those in China don’t – and they are helped by e-commerce infrastructure that’s much more advanced.

Pay-by-instalment services such as Klarna and Afterpay have seen revenues climb amid the Covid-19 crisis, and luxury brands are partnering with them – but there’s a price to pay for that, one some brands may consider too high.

A deep global recession may not be the best time to start a fashion label straight from college, as designers such as Alexander Wang and Molly Goddard did, but equally, jobs with fashion houses will be scarce because of Covid-19.

From department stores in London to the big brand streets of New York, retailers are worried about what will happen if Chinese students – who tend to spend a lot on luxury goods – stop studying overseas.

With US legislators debating laws to deter the use of forced Uygur labour in China, and the garment industry in crisis after coronavirus, now is the time for apparel brands to pressure Beijing, a rights advocate says.

Rimowa, Samsonite and Away stores are shut, while a 106-year-old luggage firm, Antler, has gone bust. Brands need new products and a switch to direct selling.

Chinese tourists could start visiting Hong Kong as early as the end of May if travel restrictions are relaxed, but a resumption of the city’s anti-government protests, and cheaper luxury goods at home, could see many still stay away.

Companies including Walmart and Gap won’t commit to paying in full for recent garment orders. This has forced factories to lay off staff, who lack financial support and may be vulnerable to slavery.

The men and women who prep A-list clients for glamour appearances should have been at the Met Gala on Monday, and getting ready to jet off to Cannes. The coronavirus has wiped their diaries, and put their future in doubt.

Much like the health crisis itself, brands that went into it in good health will survive. But they will have to change, move more sales online, and take a less-is-more approach to collections. Then they have to hope consumers want to shop.

Major sports events have been cancelled but Nike posted healthy digital sales returns in China, despite an overall fall. Is that a sign of what could happen to the sportswear, athleisure and activewear markets amid the coronavirus?

As China and South Korea deal with the virus pandemic, North Korea appears to be free of infection. This could be a boom time for manufacturing in the hermit state, with its cheap labour and lack of worker protection.

US trade tariffs, Brexit, Asian competition and casual trends have all had an impact on Savile Row, but the famous tailoring street is fighting back, with aggressive marketing in China and online, and younger tailors.

Streetwear brands like Supreme and Bape that are acquired by big apparel groups and become mainstream are forced to find a balance between their anti-establishment roots and keeping investors happy. Do they manage it?

From Burberry and Victoria Beckham to high street brands, the coronavirus is hitting global fashion production hard as factories in China halt work, with fears of serious long-term complications if the outbreak continues later into the year.

Where once they started in Hong Kong, some international fashion labels looking to break into mainland China are bypassing the city and taking their wares straight to mainland shoppers.

China buys, produces and exports most of the world’s clothing, but most Western consumers would struggle to name a Chinese fashion brand. We look at how this can change – starting with labels learning to tell their own story.

Move over, millennials – labels are targeting the younger Generation Z as their next big market, thanks to the rise of young internet influencers who eschew established brands such as Supreme for independent names.

Rich Chinese students in the US, Europe, Canada and Australia are using their huge allowances to fund luxury shopping sprees, creating an industry aimed at marketing goods to them that they then promote on Chinese social media.

The fashion industry has ways to help people, such as protesters, defeat facial recognition systems: make up your face in swirls, odds shapes and primary colours, wear a decoy T-shirt, or don a hairpiece with spikes or a fringe obscuring half your face.

Fashion manufacturing was shifting out of China before Donald Trump’s election, thanks to rising costs and China’s desire to move up the value chain. For suppliers, Vietnam is first choice for footwear, while Bangladesh has a skilled workforce.

Shoppers in China born since the mid-1990s spend more than counterparts in other markets, but getting their custom is a challenge for Western luxury brands.

The decade-old Masterpiece London fair – set to show in Hong Kong in October – wants to encourage everyone from connoisseurs to casual browsers to explore various disciplines.