Forbes China recently released the 2017 "30 under 30" list naming 300 young Chinese born after 1987 from 10 different sectors, whose work has made an impact on their respective industries and who have the potential to become game-changers.
The Chinese edition of the 2017 list, features 30 young Chinese for each of the following 10 sectors: consumer technology; enterprise technology; entertainment and sports; the arts; finance and venture capital; manufacturing and energy; healthcare and science; social entrepreneurs and education; media, marketing and advertising; and retail and e-commerce.
From entertainment celebrities, fashion designers to founders of fashion e-commerce companies, the list includes a number of familiar faces as well as some emerging leaders who have the potential to shake up the industry. Jing Daily picked seven up-and-comers from the list who the luxury industry should know:
1. Dai Ying (29): Founder of Beijing's Beauty of Fashion#
Dai Ying is a graduate from Tsinghua University and worked as a trader at Bank of China before she established her own business "Beauty of Fashion" in 2013. Dai's womenswear fashion business targets Chinese female consumers who are in need of plus-size clothing, a highly niche market for the moment. The traditional aesthetics in China tend to favor thin women. Therefore, women who don't fit the type are often neglected by the mainstream market. Dai's company attempts to fill in the gap, making clothing that helps women feel confident and beautiful.
2. Andrea Jiapei Li (27): Womenswear Fashion Designer#
Andrea Jiapei Li is a Chinese fashion designer based in New York. She is also a graduate of Parsons School of Design. Li has a namesake womenswear fashion brand that debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2014. Li's designs focus on "unique silhouettes and creative fabric techniques." She has consistently been featured in a number of international fashion publications such as Vogue, Elle and the Business of Fashion.
3. Lu Yiwen (29): Founder of Darry Ring (DR)#
The 29-year-old Lu Yiwen is the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of the Chinese diamond brand Darry Ring. Specializing in engagement rings, the brand has been a hit with young Chinese couples in recent years thanks to its unique marketing strategy. A man can only customize one Darry Ring in his lifetime. Thus, DR hails its engagement rings as the greatest promise to the one and only love of a man's life.
4. Wang Shenghan (28): Founder of Drunken Goose Wine E-commerce#
A graduate of Brown University and then Le Cordon Bleu with a degree in the Wine and Management program, Wang Shenghan (who is more well-known for her internet nickname "Zui E Niang," which literally means 'Drunken Goose') founded a wine e-commerce business in 2015. She regularly produces online videos to teach Chinese consumers everything about wine from how to order, select and taste wines. Her videos are favored by fans who have helped transform her into an authority in the field. Wang has successfully transferred her huge online influence to sales through managing a subscription-based wine e-commerce business. Subscribers pay 200 yuan to become members of her Penguin Club and receive one bottle of wine, along with other benefits, each month.
5. Wang Siming (29): Founder of Soiree "la petite robe noire"#
Wang Siming is the Founder and CEO of Soiree E-commerce Group that only sells versions of the little black dress to Chinese consumers. The idea was inspired by Coco Chanel's design for "la petite robe noire" back in the 1920s. Wang created a unique distribution sales channel on WeChat, making her business really stand out among her peers. Her so-called "direct-to-consumer (DC) + online to offline (O2O)" business model works in this way: a consumer who purchases Soiree's products will receive an exclusive QR code that allows her to share with others. If anyone scans the QR code and makes the purchase, the original consumer can get 30 percent off the price as her reward. In this way, Wang has turned her consumers into distributors to motivate them to bring in more customers.
6. Zhou Dongyu (25): Award-winning actress#
Zhou Dongyu gained international recognition through starring in Zhang Yimou's film Under the Hawthorn Tree in 2010. In 2016, she was awarded the Best Actress honor at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards for her role in Peter Chan's movie Soul Mate. Following her career breakthrough, Zhou's fashion sense has been appreciated by international luxury brands. Earlier this year, she was invited by Burberry to attend its London Fashion Week. She has also been featured in an online lipstick campaign by the premium beauty brand Lancome.
7. Vivien Zhang (26): Artist#
The Beijing-born, London-based artist Vivien Zhang graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL and the Royal College of Arts. Zhang's style is strongly affected by her multicultural background, showing a sense of geographic fluidity. Zhang's work has been exhibited in a number of international cities and can be found in the Swarovski Collection, the St. James Group and Aspen collections.