https://www.scmp.com/rss/326184/feed Jessica is a Beijing-based writer who focuses on luxury and beauty for the Post. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Zhao Chenxi wants to get people talking about the real China. The 25-year-old fashion designer, an avid hip-hop fan with a passion for cultural icons like Marcel Duchamp and Jean-Michel Basquiat, is the man behind Fabric Porn, a new unisex label that has been turning heads since its debut last year for bringing Chinese cultural symbols into the spotlight. “I‘m trying to make Chinese people more confident in their culture,” he says. “We’re always learning things from different cultures, but I... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3106141/fabric-porn-chinese-fashion-label-showing-real-china-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3106141/fabric-porn-chinese-fashion-label-showing-real-china-west?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Oct 2020 21:15:08 +0000 She’s known within New York fashion circles and on social media for taking pictures in enviable locations, from Italy to The Bahamas. But when Jessica Wang’s TikTok post on iPhone hacks went viral in May, the style maven with more than 920,000 Instagram followers found instant fame as a tech guru. “It was really unexpected,” Wang tells the Post. “I was really just sharing some things I already knew and it gathered such a great response. Some of the videos actually got over 20 million views. I... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3098565/top-asian-fashion-blogger-switches-making-home-videos-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3098565/top-asian-fashion-blogger-switches-making-home-videos-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Aug 2020 21:15:25 +0000 On the street, fashionable expression is limited to a wearer’s imagination, but there are no such rules in the styling world. This is especially true in China, where stylists are breaking free of convention to produce magazine photo shoots that use tools such as CGI (computer-generated imagery) and experimental photography in addition to make-up, and feature emerging clothing brands. With the Covid-19 pandemic creating barriers to travel and in-person shoots, the schedule of a stylist looks a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3097627/how-stylists-are-rethinking-fashion-during-covid-19-three?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3097627/how-stylists-are-rethinking-fashion-during-covid-19-three?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Aug 2020 04:15:14 +0000 You can’t go to the bar, but bartenders around the world, faced with the harsh realities of Covid-19 lockdowns, are bringing bar-quality bottled cocktails to their customers. The past few months has seen an increasing number of Hong Kong’s cocktail bars and hotel lounges launch their own bottled cocktail lines, with many offering home delivery. The motivation is twofold: for the bar, these takeaway cocktails are a much-needed source of income, but they also allow the customer to bring the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3096269/bottled-cocktails-are-having-moment-spurred-coronavirus-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3096269/bottled-cocktails-are-having-moment-spurred-coronavirus-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 2020 04:15:15 +0000 It all started with a futile quest for a hair claw. “I just wanted a cute claw,” says Seattle-based accessories designer and artist Tiffany Ju, “which is impossible to find. You just can’t find one. It's nowhere.” Ju is a master of many trades, including moulding and weaving textiles into curvy shapes that protrude and dangle from their form in mesmerising patterns, using weft yarn from leftover hand-dyed nylon fabric. A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, the Korean-American... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3094261/theres-sweatshops-america-theres-ethical-production-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3094261/theres-sweatshops-america-theres-ethical-production-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jul 2020 04:15:12 +0000 Celebrity red carpet events are largely on hold in the real world because of the pandemic, but an Alexander McQueen pre-spring 2020 ensemble and a pair of Roger Vivier heels are having their moment in fictional worlds. In a scene in the third episode of popular Korean drama A Couple’s World (also known as The World of the Married ), actress Kim Hee-ae pairs The Story bag by McQueen with a rose-patterned pussy-bow shirt, high-waisted houndstooth trousers and an ivory raincoat by the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3091558/luxury-brands-miu-miu-montblanc-turn-korean-dramas-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3091558/luxury-brands-miu-miu-montblanc-turn-korean-dramas-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jul 2020 12:15:17 +0000 TikTok, home to those often humorous dance videos and viral hashtag “challenges,” is run by Beijing-based ByteDance, a private tech company that, as of May, was valued at an estimated US$100 billion. This makes ByteDance the world’s most valuable start-up, and its teen-friendly app worthy of attention, even as concerns from US lawmakers over security and censorship have made it the subject of controversy. The recent appointment of former Disney streaming chief Kevin Mayer as TikTok’s new CEO may... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3090979/explained-why-china-based-tiktok-became-fastest-growing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3090979/explained-why-china-based-tiktok-became-fastest-growing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jun 2020 21:00:12 +0000 Many beauty enthusiasts first come across New York-based Mi-Anne Chan on YouTube, where, in her video series Beauty with Mi, she tries a US$400 gemstone facial, undergoes cryotherapy, and unpacks trendy make-up routines. These days Chan’s social media output is more personal, an entry point to an Instagram community for expressive make-up, and – with everything that’s been going on amid the global pandemic – decidedly restorative. Her Instagram feed is filled with colourful shades of lavender,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3088546/bright-and-colourful-youtube-and-instagram-stars-make?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3088546/bright-and-colourful-youtube-and-instagram-stars-make?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jun 2020 08:45:15 +0000 In China and around the world, the coronavirus pandemic has decimated business revenues. Shops have closed, production lines have halted, and marketing projects have been stalled – many indefinitely. For Maggie Fu, a Shanghai-based make-up artist and beauty influencer, the widespread stay-at-home orders in China at the start of the outbreak created an opportunity. With tens of millions of manicure enthusiasts unable to visit nail salons, and fellow quarantined KOLs (key opinion leaders) and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3081248/quick-thinking-chinese-entrepreneurs-expand-beauty-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3081248/quick-thinking-chinese-entrepreneurs-expand-beauty-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2020 23:15:06 +0000 Amid the pandemic, face masks have become the accessory of the moment for most fashion labels. Accessories brand Rhanders has different priorities, though. The Danish glove-maker makes antibacterial gloves that are hypoallergenic, environment-friendly and come in a variety of materials and styles. Its crochet style, for instance, is 100 per cent cotton and treated with technology that claims to stop up to 99.99 per cent of microorganisms and bacteria passing through the fabric onto the wearer’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3080997/gloves-whether-protection-or-self-expression-are-having?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3080997/gloves-whether-protection-or-self-expression-are-having?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2020 07:00:12 +0000 As the coronavirus pandemic keeps many of the globe's citizens at home and salons closed, hair maintenance has taken on new meaning. We've now entered an era of awkward hair stages, exposed roots, and DIY fringes. Quarantine lifestyles have either inspired or forced people to take charge of their shears and clippers, resulting in countless Jim Carrey-style bowl cuts, patchy bald spots, and uneven layers. Well-meaning partners have shaved hairlines too high. Others, with nowhere to go and no one... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3078054/how-hair-salons-are-surviving-coronavirus-pandemic-when?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3078054/how-hair-salons-are-surviving-coronavirus-pandemic-when?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2020 18:00:13 +0000 As a global shortage of face masks hinders the fight against coronavirus, one Beijing-based fashion designer is helping her clients keep their faces covered – with tea silk. Kathrin von Rechenberg has made her career in the Chinese capital creating contemporary couture clothing using this rust-coloured traditional cloth produced in Guangdong province in southern China that is dyed with yams native to the region. Like many others in Beijing, Rechenberg returned to the capital from Europe in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3075749/amid-pandemic-silk-face-masks-you-can-wash-200-times?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3075749/amid-pandemic-silk-face-masks-you-can-wash-200-times?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2020 23:15:14 +0000 When a global cosmetics company launches a new collection in China that promises to hold the secret to lighter skin, it’s hardly surprising. For centuries, Chinese people have viewed fair skin as a mark of beauty and an indicator of high social and economic status. The Chinese beauty market has responded enthusiastically to skin-lightening products, and major players in the cosmetics world have reaped the rewards. Indeed, data suggests that demand for these products is growing rapidly... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3073934/how-western-beauty-brands-play-asian-desire-whiter-skin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3073934/how-western-beauty-brands-play-asian-desire-whiter-skin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2020 21:00:09 +0000 No, the fashion gods weren’t playing games with us – the end of the decade really did bring about one of the most unconventional collaborations imaginable, with Louis Vuitton teaming up with game developer Riot Games to create a series of digital “skins” for characters in League of Legends – a hugely popular video game – as well as capsule collections that can be worn in real life. From Louis Vuitton’s mark on League of Legends to MAC’s kiss with Honor of Kings, the gaming world is drawing a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3052414/why-louis-vuitton-mac-gucci-are-getting-gaming-and-why-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3052414/why-louis-vuitton-mac-gucci-are-getting-gaming-and-why-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2020 21:00:10 +0000 Jessica Rapp Jessica Rapp Recent years have given birth to countless Chinese brands and designers that overtly and proudly embrace their Chinese identity. Some incorporate cultural motifs into their work, while others appeal directly to patriotic sentiment in their marketing campaigns. However, a number of Chinese brands are bucking that trend and wearing European inspirations unambiguously on their sleeves. Guangzhou-based Juvil is one such brand. Founded by Hong Kong entrepreneur Adrian Cheng of K11 and New World... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3048262/chinese-fashion-brands-european-character-are-bucking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3048262/chinese-fashion-brands-european-character-are-bucking?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Feb 2020 09:00:12 +0000 In New York’s Chinatown, an edgy fashion and lifestyle boutique has staked its claim on offering a spirited medley of Chinese artistry and imagination. Chop Suey Club, which sells cutting-edge designs from contemporary Chinese artists, is benefiting from a rise in popularity of Chinese fashion. As the “Made in China” label loses its negative connotations, Chinese designers are securing spots at global fashion weeks and embarking on crossovers with big-name Western retailers. (Read more: Can... https://www.scmp.com/culture/chop-suey-club-new-york-chinatown/article/3045600?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/chop-suey-club-new-york-chinatown/article/3045600?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jan 2020 11:17:13 +0000 Tucked away in Manhattan’s Two Bridges neighbourhood, at the southern tip of Chinatown, is Chop Suey Club – a spirited medley of Chinese artistry and imagination. The edgy fashion and lifestyle boutique is benefiting from the rise in popularity of Chinese fashion; the “Made in China” label is losing its negative connotations as Chinese designers secure spots at global fashion weeks and embark on crossovers with big-name Western retailers. Chop Suey Club’s founder and creative director, Ruoyi... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3043912/chinese-fashion-and-cultural-identity-made-china-no-longer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3043912/chinese-fashion-and-cultural-identity-made-china-no-longer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Dec 2019 08:00:16 +0000 Jessica Rapp Jessica Rapp Schisandra may not ring a bell for even the most enthusiastic of beauty buffs, but most have probably heard of Moon Juice, the Los Angeles company that touts “dusts” and serums to aid in everything from low sex drive to dull skin. One of their key ingredients, the schisandra berry, is an ancient tonic in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that was traditionally used to treat the lungs and kidneys and then was linked to beauty. The influence of TCM is growing in the modern beauty world, but it’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3036875/skin-food-how-traditional-chinese-medicine-driving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3036875/skin-food-how-traditional-chinese-medicine-driving?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Nov 2019 21:00:09 +0000 Lifestyle dollar store Mumuso may have satisfying discounts for everyday goods, but it also has consumers across Asia scratching their heads. If Google auto complete queries alone are anything to go by, everyone is asking the same question: is it really a Korean retailer, or is it actually Chinese? Mumuso and its low-priced counterparts Ilahui and Yoyoso have become popular across Southeast Asia for selling cheap personal care goods, beauty products and homewares in brightly lit, minimalist... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3033532/korean-or-chinese-copycat-dollar-stores-face-intellectual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3033532/korean-or-chinese-copycat-dollar-stores-face-intellectual?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Oct 2019 00:15:04 +0000 It has been just over two years since Victoria’s Secret hosted its first fashion show in Shanghai and opened a flagship store in the city’s Xintiandi shopping district. The shop’s dramatic entry into China as a bricks-and-mortar retailer marked a big shift for China's lingerie industry, and a major win for Victoria’s Secret, whose popularity in the US market has since faltered. Back in the US, consumers have indicated the unwavering image of sexiness that Victoria’s Secret has been projecting... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3023756/whats-sexy-china-women-buying-lingerie-spurn-victorias?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3023756/whats-sexy-china-women-buying-lingerie-spurn-victorias?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Aug 2019 23:30:11 +0000 Western skincare brands have introduced a new generation of tech-enabled devices that allow a hyper-personal approach to beauty and skin health. Now China’s leading photo editing company and e-commerce giants are joining in. In the past year, big names such as Neutrogena and L’Oreal have been racing to upgrade their at-home skincare capabilities with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, and connected wearables. Earlier this year, Neutrogena, known for its AI-powered facial analysis... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3021980/personalised-skincare-chinese-tech-firms-muscle-loreal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3021980/personalised-skincare-chinese-tech-firms-muscle-loreal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Aug 2019 03:00:10 +0000 2019 is one that will go down in fashion history, according to management consultants McKinsey & Company. They believe that Greater China will, for the first time in centuries, overtake the US as the world’s largest fashion market. Homegrown fast fashion brands are well placed to cash in. They’ve long dominated smaller Chinese cities barely penetrated by affordable international brands such as Zara, H&M and Uniqlo, and recently, they’ve been taking their collections to the international... https://www.scmp.com/business/five-chinese-high-street-fashion-brands-watch-they-go-global/article/3018641?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/five-chinese-high-street-fashion-brands-watch-they-go-global/article/3018641?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2019 10:52:33 +0000 For every Topshop in the West, with its racks of ultra-hip dresses and crop tops, there’s an Urban Revivo in China peddling wide-legged summer pants and playful florals. For every H&M limited-edition collection in a tie-up with luxury designers, there’s a Peacebird collaboration with a rising Chinese fashion designer. With China poised to become the world’s largest fashion market in 2019, home-grown high-street brands are well placed to cash in. They’ve long occupied space in lower-tier cities... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3018369/five-chinese-high-street-fashion-brands-watch-they-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3018369/five-chinese-high-street-fashion-brands-watch-they-go?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jul 2019 05:00:11 +0000 Chinese sneaker brand Feiyue started out providing the go-to footwear for Shaolin monks; the shoes were lightweight, supportive and cheap. Fast forward nearly 70 years and the martial art accessory has become a fashionable must-have – and the cause of multiple copyright disagreements. For the past year and a half, Beijing resident AJ Donnelly and his business partner Nic Doering have been working with the Shanghai-based brand to bring it back to its humble roots. Donnelly’s story starts like... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3015522/how-chinas-feiyue-sneakers-shoes-shaolin-monks-are-making?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3015522/how-chinas-feiyue-sneakers-shoes-shaolin-monks-are-making?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jun 2019 03:15:06 +0000 No matter how digitally savvy they may be, most beauty-obsessed Gen-Zs in the United States will probably never have heard of Hedone. Yet, in China, the cosmetics brand is to influencer circles what Glossier or Kylie Cosmetics is to Instagram – a direct-to-consumer disrupter with a devoted online audience. Hedone, a digital-native brand that sells mainly eye shadow and lip glosses, is part of China’s rising “C Beauty” phenomenon. Its products and those from brands like it – including Front... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3009647/c-beauty-online-beauty-disrupters-use-influencers-reach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3009647/c-beauty-online-beauty-disrupters-use-influencers-reach?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 May 2019 10:00:08 +0000 More than four decades after it first emerged from the depths of the UK punk scene, Boy London is witnessing a rebirth. This time, though, the brand – sported in years past by people including Boy George, Andy Warhol and Sid Vicious – is not showing up in underground music venues. Instead, it is becoming a fixture in China’s trendiest cafes and shopping malls where floods of cosmopolitan, streetwear-obsessed youth have picked it up. The story of how Boy London arrived there from its start on... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3007775/how-uk-streetwear-brand-boy-london-beat-chinas-copycats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3007775/how-uk-streetwear-brand-boy-london-beat-chinas-copycats?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Apr 2019 10:00:07 +0000 Scarlett Hao would never shy away from a bright pink knit or a shimmery gold sequin, but the stakes are higher during New York Fashion Week. When we meet the China-born, New York-based influencer and self-proclaimed girl boss, she is prepping her wardrobe for one of the most important times of year, where her already striking style can get even more creative and colourful. 'She wants to look good in a size 2, not a 20': plus-size in China She hopes that her fearless approach to fashion and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2185806/plus-size-new-york-chinese-fashion-influencer-scarlett-hao?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2185806/plus-size-new-york-chinese-fashion-influencer-scarlett-hao?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Feb 2019 22:00:45 +0000 Among Chinese consumers, Lunar New Year has gained notoriety for triumphs and blunders in fashion design and marketing. It isn’t the only occasion where Western fashion brands are left wondering who their female customers are and what exactly they want. “I believe Chinese women are some of the most intelligent, enduring and beautiful women in the world – but their image often is misrepresented in the West, as well as to themselves,” American-Chinese fashion designer Grace Chen says. China’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2185379/modern-chinese-woman-what-shes-what-she-wears-her-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2185379/modern-chinese-woman-what-shes-what-she-wears-her-role?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Feb 2019 06:15:30 +0000 It wasn’t Drake, ice buckets or falling out of cars. Two and a half years ago, the biggest viral fad in China was the A4 waist challenge: in which young Chinese women held up an A4 sheet of paper to their tiny torsos, to prove their waists were smaller than the paper. The social media contests drew raised eyebrows from Western and Chinese observers concerned about body shaming, but in mainstream media, China’s traditional beauty standards barely wavered. But now a handful of confident... https://www.scmp.com/style/plus-size-chinese-women-are-trying-change-status-quo/article/2181130?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/style/plus-size-chinese-women-are-trying-change-status-quo/article/2181130?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jan 2019 09:34:12 +0000 Think of body image in China and most will recall a viral phenomenon two years ago in which young Chinese women compared their tiny waists to an A4 piece of paper. The social media contests drew raised eyebrows from Western and Chinese observers concerned about body shaming, but in mainstream media, China's traditional beauty standards barely wavered. Meanwhile, countless women struggled not only to find clothes that made them feel beautiful, but also to find body-positive role models. For... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2181068/will-china-embrace-plus-size-fashion-only-if-women-stop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2181068/will-china-embrace-plus-size-fashion-only-if-women-stop?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jan 2019 23:15:30 +0000 In China today it’s impossible to miss the new wave of young, hip streetwear devotees spreading their influence. From hip-hop culture, fuelled by celebrities such as Kris Wu and the Higher Brothers, to a slew of luxury brand collaborations aimed at Chinese millennials, the signs are everywhere – but before all of that, there was Yoho! Shanghai Fashion Week: 10 stylish looks from the streets Some insiders consider Yoho! the birthplace of alternative fashion and youth culture in China. Launched in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2177784/why-founder-chinese-hypebeast-thinks-next-global-streetwear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2177784/why-founder-chinese-hypebeast-thinks-next-global-streetwear?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Dec 2018 00:45:45 +0000 From Gucci’s counterfeit-mocking “Guccy” line to Vetements’ “Official Fake” raincoat, some luxury brands have been known to turn China’s notoriety for intellectual property infringement into cheeky creative opportunities. But outside the cutting-room floor, brand owners are winning major legal battles, causing industry observers to wonder: could China’s IP reputation be changing for the better? When two luxury menswear brands, Ermenegildo Zegna and Alfred Dunhill, recently emerged victorious... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2175012/comeuppance-cartier-copycat-cairter-and-dunhill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2175012/comeuppance-cartier-copycat-cairter-and-dunhill?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Nov 2018 14:03:54 +0000 It started out selling consumer electronics online, but today, JD.com has a luxury fashion e-commerce portfolio to rival the likes of Yoox-Net-a-Porter and matchesfashion.com. The No. 2 Chinese e-commerce company is courting on the one hand a group of luxury consumers among the biggest in the world, and on the other hand the high-end fashion brands that still haven’t opened an online boutique with it, or with any rival for that matter. His tagline is ‘I make glamorous clothes out of trash’. Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2173412/woman-leading-jdcoms-rise-online-appliance-seller-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2173412/woman-leading-jdcoms-rise-online-appliance-seller-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Nov 2018 02:45:30 +0000 It’s no secret that China’s two leading e-commerce giants are pulling out all the stops to gain a significant share of the online luxury market. But there’s a third e-commerce player in the mix with big ambitions: to introduce its more than 320 million customers to a wider world of fashion and put China’s own designer talent on the global map. Vip.com is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce platforms in China, with annual retail sales of US$11.2 billion. Like Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2168768/china-e-commerce-contender-vipcom-takes-jdcom-and-tmall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2168768/china-e-commerce-contender-vipcom-takes-jdcom-and-tmall?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Oct 2018 01:30:30 +0000 It has been little more than a year since French cosmetics firm NARS’ controversial decision to sell its make-up in China caused a major rift in the global cruelty-free beauty scene. Fans of the brand and animal-lovers may soon be able to make peace. China is mooting a change in its policy of testing cosmetics on animals which could pave the way for cruelty-free brands to tap into the country’s US$33 billion cosmetics market. China fur capital powers ahead even as the likes of Versace dump... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2166604/china-moves-towards-ending-testing-cosmetics-animals-good?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2166604/china-moves-towards-ending-testing-cosmetics-animals-good?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Oct 2018 23:15:45 +0000 It can sometimes be difficult to imagine bricks-and-mortar stores still have a future in China, so all-encompassing has e-commerce become in the country. But many new-generation online fashion and beauty start-ups have discovered that the next logical growth step is to take their online marketplace, well, offline. E-commerce giant Alibaba has been setting the pace for a new kind of retailing in China, one in which big data, consumer insights, digital discovery, and logistics create an efficient,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2165057/online-offline-trend-sign-omnichannel-fashion-retailings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2165057/online-offline-trend-sign-omnichannel-fashion-retailings?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Sep 2018 15:01:44 +0000 Design features aside, the totes and clutches from Elvis and Kresse look like any other classic, utilitarian bags. But their story could not be more different. Each handbag is made from upcycled materials sourced from items as diverse as fire hosepipes, printing blankets and parachute panels. In the past year, the list has also included unused leather from British luxury fashion house Burberry. Burberry under fire for burning unsold clothes but everyone does it Burberry declared on September 6... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2165225/where-burberry-waste-goes-now-british-fashion-brand-isnt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2165225/where-burberry-waste-goes-now-british-fashion-brand-isnt?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Sep 2018 10:30:00 +0000 Paraded as one of the simplest solutions to facial perfection, the jade roller has swept across Western social media like wildfire. From top beauty bloggers and vloggers to celebrities including Meghan Markle and Rachael Ray, all swear by the ancient Chinese tool for its ability to tone, de-puff and brighten facial skin. In China, things are a lot different. The jade roller is not a new fad, but a centuries-old device with properties based around ideas in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Five... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2164492/jade-rollers-how-west-fell-tcm-inspired-facial-beauty-tool?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2164492/jade-rollers-how-west-fell-tcm-inspired-facial-beauty-tool?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Sep 2018 11:15:30 +0000 From Virgil Abloh’s groundbreaking Louis Vuitton debut to Kim Jones’ splash at Dior Homme, luxury brands have been crossing paths with edgier, more casual menswear designers, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed by China’s affluent trend seekers. Where has this left the sartorial authorities on menswear, the tailors of Savile Row? T-shirt, trainers, US$6,000 made-to-measure suit: men’s style in China “There will always be a demand for Savile Row suits,” says Robert Bailey, a senior cutter at Huntsman... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2163716/how-savile-row-measures-age-dressing-down-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2163716/how-savile-row-measures-age-dressing-down-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Sep 2018 17:00:45 +0000 The trade war between China and the United States has made some Chinese consumers think negatively about America. Yet US luxury brands in China, from Ralph Lauren to Tiffany, are in a position of strength – they just need to know how to leverage it. So says Jerry Clode, director of Smart, the research arm of Shanghai-based digital and social media agency Resonance, who made that argument last month in a presentation to the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. He emphasised just how much... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2162552/luxury-fashion-and-us-china-trade-war-are-us-brands-still?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2162552/luxury-fashion-and-us-china-trade-war-are-us-brands-still?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Sep 2018 15:45:15 +0000 The wearables market wouldn't be the same without Apple. All eyes have been on the tech company for the past few years as it competes with rival mobile technology giants, and start-ups, to create the ultimate connected smart wristband. A fitness tracker, a heart-rate monitor, a payment device, and more, the Apple Watch continues to innovate on its offerings to outlast the hype, and sales of Apple wearables, including its Airpod earphones, rose 60 per cent year-on-year in the latest quarter. Why... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2162034/how-china-wearables-market-has-changed-apple-watch-launched?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2162034/how-china-wearables-market-has-changed-apple-watch-launched?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:45:15 +0000 British fashion brand Burberry caused outrage last month when it announced it had burned more than US$37 million worth of unsold clothing, accessories and perfumes last year. It begged the question: was such wastage really necessary? It was not the first time the annual report of a luxury brand had stirred controversy over the fate of unsold inventory. Only months earlier, Swiss luxury group Richemont, which owns watchmakers including Cartier, Montblanc, Piaget, Baume & Mercier and Vacheron... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2161123/luxury-fashions-waste-disposal-problem-chinas-part-it-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2161123/luxury-fashions-waste-disposal-problem-chinas-part-it-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Aug 2018 09:30:45 +0000 Jessica Rapp Jessica Rapp It wasn’t long after moving to Beijing from the north of France that Michel Alarcon started using a face mask to protect his skin from the city’s air pollution. But the mask isn’t quite what one might expect: it’s eco-friendly and vegan, composed of mud and paired once or twice weekly with a baking soda scrub. Top Chinese beauty blogger’s advice: shop at British pharmacy Boots “The pollution definitely changed my skincare routine,” he says, explaining how his skin took a turn for the worse and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2160191/anti-pollution-creams-cleansers-serums-target-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2160191/anti-pollution-creams-cleansers-serums-target-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Aug 2018 02:17:22 +0000 From e-commerce websites making product recommendations to magazine editorials curating in-vogue outfits, fashion advice in China’s booming luxury economy is everywhere. Add this to the colossal number of Chinese social media platforms and their key opinion leaders (KOLs) constantly promoting changing brands and trends, and you’ll see why choosing a personalised style can be a challenge. Yet there’s a growing crowd of willing, eager and adventurous consumers hoping to receive just that from... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2158746/two-kols-helping-chinese-fashion-lovers-find-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2158746/two-kols-helping-chinese-fashion-lovers-find-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Aug 2018 05:00:45 +0000 One day she’s featured in head-to-toe Adidas playing soccer alongside model Karlie Kloss; the next, she’s in a chic pantsuit brandishing a bejewelled watch for Montblanc. Fan Bingbing’s versatility and household appeal in China as an award-winning actress makes her an attractive personality for brands looking to woo her fans. Montblanc, who named Fan a global ambassador in April, is only the most recent in a long list of luxury labels to tap her celebrity talent. How Chinese stylists to the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2156189/fan-bingbing-or-mr-bags-its-celebrities-vs-kols-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2156189/fan-bingbing-or-mr-bags-its-celebrities-vs-kols-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Jul 2018 03:45:45 +0000 Mass-produced fashion and fakes are rampant in the mom-and-pop shops lining the road to Beijing’s Drum and Bell Towers, all vying for the eyes and wallets of millennial tourists. In one pocket-sized store, however, the clothes tell a different story. At The Bulk House, a zero-waste shop founded by Carrie Yu and co-managed by her partner Joe Harvey, shoppers are encouraged to buy items that will contribute to sustainable lifestyles. The front half of the shop features products made from organic... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2154928/recycle-reuse-upcycle-chinese-fashion-retailers-big-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2154928/recycle-reuse-upcycle-chinese-fashion-retailers-big-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2018 23:45:45 +0000 Less than a year ago, few knew his name. Now the little brother of actress Fan Bingbing is one of China’s hottest “little fresh meat” stars, wooing millions of fan girls with his boyish good looks and talent – and all thanks to hit Chinese television talent show Idol Producer. Spanish luxury fashion house Loewe didn’t miss a beat. As viewer votes piled in and catapulted Fan Chengcheng into the final nine contestants for the show’s top prize, Loewe invited Fan to attend the debut of its summer... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2153365/teen-male-heartthrobs-milk-their-fame-china-sell-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2153365/teen-male-heartthrobs-milk-their-fame-china-sell-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jul 2018 05:45:30 +0000 WeChat and Weibo dominate China’s social media scene. But just as there’s more to e-commerce than Taobao and JD.com, China’s leading social media platforms are only part of the story. The digital environment in a market with more smartphone users than any other is constantly changing – one social media app eclipsed its competitors within little more than a year of its launch, for example. China’s live-streaming fashion boom changing the way Gen Z shops For luxury brands, mastering social media... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2151762/how-luxury-brands-use-four-social-media-apps-china-reach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2151762/how-luxury-brands-use-four-social-media-apps-china-reach?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Jun 2018 05:45:15 +0000 Jessica Rapp Jessica Rapp Clinton, a 24-year-old Beijing-based professional, spends like there is no tomorrow, typical of China’s so-called moonlight clan whose focus is enjoying life to the full. And their carefree spending of most of their income – in stark contrast to the saving habits of previous generations – is a major contributor to luxe sales in China. Market research firm Kantar Millward Brown attributes this phenomenon to the 66 per cent growth in Gucci’s brand value this year. China’s live-streaming fashion... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2151644/carefree-china-millennials-who-prefer-spend-save-profiles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2151644/carefree-china-millennials-who-prefer-spend-save-profiles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Jun 2018 23:45:45 +0000 A rising number of Chinese consumers would be unfazed by a US$200 whitening serum by favoured Korean label Sulwhasoo or the similarly hefty price tag on a 50ml bottle of Estée Lauder’s famous Advanced Night Repair. But ask one of China’s rising beauty bloggers, and she’ll tell you all about her go-to spot for bagging loads of skincare goodies abroad – and it’s not Saks, at least not always. Xixi, a former make-up artist for leading WeChat KOL Becky Li, has an insider tip: stop at Boots, the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2151275/why-xixi-china-beauty-blogger-and-favourite-becky-li?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2151275/why-xixi-china-beauty-blogger-and-favourite-becky-li?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jun 2018 10:00:15 +0000