In “Chinese Whispers,” we share the biggest news stories about the luxury industry in China that haven’t yet made it into the English language.
In this week’s edition, we discuss:
- Alibaba's first fashion show in China,
- Fashion magazine Marie Claire China gets an upgrade, and
- Moynat CEO on why marketing and advertising isn't a priority for the brand.
1. Alibaba will host its first fashion show in Hangzhou next month -#
China's biggest e-commerce company Alibaba is going to host its first-ever fashion runway show in Hangzhou, China, on September 13, as an integral part of the company's annual "Maker Festival (造物节)." Twenty emerging young Chinese designers, including Wang Yifang (who has worked with Lady Gaga), and Liu Qingyang (founder of the indie brand Chictopia), will debut their collections during the show. Alibaba will live stream the show on its Taobao app, enabling a "See Now, Buy Now" mode to encourage spending among viewers.
2. New editorial team revamps Marie Claire China, eyeing new era for growth - Marie Claire China#
Fashion magazine Marie Claire China has upgraded its content offering to cater to a fast-evolving millennial audience. The magazine just had a viral online campaign, where it featured eight senior fashion influencers to introduce the September issue. To celebrate the revamp of Marie Claire China, the magazine invited Chinese artist Xu Bing and designer Jean Paul Gaultier to design the September cover.
3. Moynat CEO on why the 169-year-old luxury brand hardly needs marketing - Luxe.co#
The Parisien luxury brand Moynat uses much less marketing and advertising for the Chinese market compared to many of its luxury counterparts. In a recent exclusive interview with Chinese fashion publication Luxe.co, Guillaume Davin, the CEO of Moynat, explained why the brand does not need a concrete marketing strategy in China.
"Moynat has its own development path, so it does not need too much marketing and promotion to gain a loyal clientele, " Davin said, "what we do most is educate consumers, but not 'market' to them."
