Reports

    China News Brief
    February 20, 2024

    To Summer opens second Shanghai store; Chinese designers show at Milan Fashion Week; Susan Fang partners Victoria’s Secret.
    To Summer is expanding in Shanghai. Photo: To Summer

    To Summer opens second Shanghai store#

    To Summer has opened  a second store in Shanghai, in the city’s Rockbund area. The new store’s theme is a “female writer's study” inspired by Virginia Woolf. The intention is to encourage women to cultivate a deeper inner world. In addition, the brand partnered with Paper Moon bookstore to curate books, and introduced a new fragrance series inspired by oriental literature.

    Chinese designers show at Milan Fashion Week#

    Milan Fashion Week for the Fall/Winter 2024 season kicked off today  and runs until Friday. The event, organized by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, features 161 activities, including 56 offline fashion shows, five online shows, and 67 static exhibitions. Notable brands like Gucci, Fendi, and Prada are participating, alongside four Chinese designer brands: Hui, Annakiki, Sarawong, and Jarelzhang.

    Susan Fang partners with Victoria’s Secret#

    During London Fashion Week, Chinese designer Susan Fang unveiled  a portion of her collaborative collection with Victoria’s Secret for the first time. Fang expressed her reverence for nature and all living beings, using "love, freedom, and dreamlike wishes" as the theme to create a range of new items for Victoria's Secret, from intimate lingerie to loungewear. It is reported that this collaborative collection will be officially released in April. Notably, this marks Victoria's Secret's second collaboration with a Chinese designer.

    Loewe Foundation names prize finalists#

    The Loewe Foundation yesterday announced  the list of finalists for the 2024 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. This year, 30 artists have been shortlisted, including two Chinese artists: He Yuefeng (Mainland China) with the piece Bamboo Rock and Chen Jundai (Taiwan) with the piece In Simplicity. The works of the finalists will be exhibited at the Tokyo Palace in Paris from May 15 to June 9, 2024.

    First Casa Curiel in China opens#

    Curiel opened  its first Casa Curiel in China at Chongqing’s Jiefangbei Global Shopping Center. Spanning nearly 1,000 square meters across two floors, the space draws inspiration from the longstanding friendship between the fashion house and Milan’s La Scala Opera House. Additionally, the brand's inaugural salon space introduces an afternoon tea bar developed by the Michelin-starred chef Marino D’Antonio team.

    Arc'teryx readies first proprietary shoe series#

    Arc'teryx is set to launch  its first completely self-developed sports shoe series on March 6. This series is primarily targeted towards outdoor activities and is divided into three models: Sylan, a technical trail running shoe; Vertex Alpine, focusing on comfort and stability; and Kragg, emphasizing mountain hiking. Of note, Arc’teryx’s parent company, Amer Sports, officially listed on the New York Stock Exchange on February 1 with a market value of $8 billion.

    Jewelry shone over Spring Festival#

    Data released by JD.com yesterday reveals  that during this year’s Spring Festival, the turnover of jewelry on the platform increased by over 120 percent compared to the previous year. Bracelets, in particular, were especially popular among young consumers.

    Hainan sees CNY duty-free shopping surge #

    According to statistics from Hainan Island’s Haikou Customs on February 18, from February 10 to 17, Haikou Customs supervised  a total of 2.489 billion RMB ($388.91 million) in duty-free shopping on outlying islands, with 297,700 shoppers and an average spending of 8,358 RMB ($1,306.88) per person. Compared to the Spring Festival holiday in 2023, duty-free shopping in Hainan’s outlying islands increased by nearly 60 percent this year, with the number of shoppers increasing by nearly 90 percent.