Additional reporting by Rachel Zheng
Controversial Dior Brand Ambassador Angelababy Is Now UGG's Brand Ambassador Too#
News about Angelababy’s appointment as China brand ambassador of American accessible luxury brand UGG broke in August, and Chinese consumers cannot seem to stop talking about it. Fans of hers point out on Weibo that the UGG gig marks the third high-profile international brand this actress has been affiliated with this year, following her controversial Dior appointment in May and the Tag Heuer’s appointment in June. Contrary to the backlash surrounding the Dior role, Chinese netizens do not seem to mind the actress, who has been dubbed the “Kim Kardashian of China,” representing UGG—a luxury brand consumers also have a love-hate relationship with. UGG China’s Weibo post of Angelababy wearing the new Irina boots with glitter and pom poms has been shared nearly 30,000 times with consumers desperately trying to find out where they can get the new product on its release day September 18.
Weibo comment: "Angelababy has now become the ambassador for three luxury brands: UGG as accessible luxury, Dior as premium luxury, and Tag Heuer as top luxury."
Trending: Gigi Hadid Apologizes for 'Racist' Video Ahead of Victoria's Secret's Shanghai Show#
Super model Gigi Hadid apologized on September 1 to the Chinese people on Weibo for a video was made in February and posted to Instagram, for which she has been called racist. After it was announced that Hadid would walk the runway in the Victoria's Secret show in Shanghai (the brand is considered luxury in China though that's not its profile in the West), the brand's first show in China, hundreds and thousands of Chinese netizens flooded Hadid's Instagram account last week with comments like, “You are not welcome in China.” The model had not issued a public apology or statement until last week, when she posted an apology on her official Weibo account, saying that she never meant to hurt anyone and she has “the utmost respect and love for the people of China.”
The Instagram Story that was filmed by her sister Bella and posted earlier this year showed Hadid holding up a Buddha-shaped cookie and squinting her eyes mockingly.
Within a week of her apology, her post has drawn over 15,000 comments. However, Chinese commenters aren't exactly accepting of her apology, and think the brand is behind it and that it's a marketing ploy to "create hype" for the upcoming show.
“If the next Victoria’s Secret show was not being holding in Shanghai, she would have never apologized.” This comment from Weibo user Soapmanwu was up voted by over 25,000 people—the most of any comment on the post. Another said, “If you want to sell in China, you have to at least give some respect to the consumers.” A word to the wise.
Technical School Welcomes New Students With a Dozen Luxury Cars#
A technical school in Wuhan, China made headlines on Weibo today after local media reported its idiosyncratic move to welcome incoming students—a dozen luxury cars. The short video of the school’s welcome week with a closeup of the lineup of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Mercedes-Benzes, and Land Rovers is trending on Weibo with netizens going wild over the school’s seemingly bizarre gesture. The school told Chutian Metro, the newspaper that initially reported the story that the cars are the property of the school and are intended for students enrolled in a special luxury car repair program to practice their skills on.
Weibo Comment: “What if instead of repairing them, the students break them?”
