Breaking down Bosideng’s hustle for fashion capital

What happened British designer Kim Jones has officially joined Bosideng as creative director of Areal, the Chinese downwear giant’s new luxury sub-brand, a strategic move that underscores the company’s ambitions to conquer the high-fashion outerwear market. Following his January 2025 departure from Dior, where he served as artistic director for seven years, Jones will now steer Areal’s creative vision. The debut Fall/Winter 2025 capsule, comprising 15 to 20 men’s and women’s looks, has been quietly in development for six months. The collection is being sold through two pop-up stores and 50 retail locations across China only, positioned at a premium to Bosideng’s main line. Areal fuses Bosideng’s 49-year expertise in down technology with Jones’ globally reputable design language — the same genius that was behind Louis Vuitton’s collaboration with Supreme. In his new, part-time role, Jones reportedly aims to “redefine” the down jacket, reshaping it as a functional yet aspirational piece for the modern professional. Jones has emphasized a shift toward creative independence, hinting that he also plans to expand Kim Jones Studio. This partnership with Bosideng follows on from some recent fashion moves from the down-jacket’s main brand, such as with MSGM in Q4 2024, as well as hosting a runway at Paris Fashion Week for the first time earlier this month. The Jing Take Bosideng is evidently in such a robust financial position that it can finally make a strive toward the fashion credibility that it has long sought: for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, Bosideng International Holdings reported total revenue of 25.90 billion RMB ($3.6 billion), reflecting a year-over-year increase of 11.58%. In the six months ending March 31, 2025, the company achieved revenue of 17.10 billion RMB ($2.4 billion), up 61.39% compared to the same period the previous year. After nearly five decades of business, the company has just implemented its most blockbuster fashion move, but definitely not its first. The Chinese powerhouse’s strategy over the past decade reveals a deliberate push to elevate its global image through high-profile runway moments and designer collaborations. The brand made its international fashion debut at New York Fashion Week in 2018, teaming up with acclaimed designers Tim Coppens, Antonin Tron, and Ennio Capasa. A year later, supermodel Kendall Jenner opened Bosideng’s Milan Fashion Week 2019 show. Since then, Bosideng has pursued a steady cadence of creative partnerships and international showcases: collaborations with Kenzo Takada and Ennio Capasa in 2019, Jean Paul Gaultier in 2019 and 2020, a Maserati-inspired line in 2022, and most recently, a capsule with MSGM in 2024. The brand’s consistent presence at major fashion weeks — including its London Fashion Week debut in 2020 and a 2023 Milan Fashion Week return featuring global ambassador Eileen Gu — signals its ambition to position itself firmly within the luxury fashion ecosystem, leveraging design credibility and celebrity association to strengthen its global prestige. However, these moves have yet to fully assert it in the global fashion conscience. For example, despite having a $42 million flagship in London’s Mayfair, the Bosideng London Instagram account has under 5,000 followers, with the creative direction slightly confusing. Judging from the success of competitors, it would do well to assert its performance-wear technicality more so than producing fashion-focused visuals. While Moncler has finessed the artistic genius collaboration concept, the likes of Canada Goose and The North Face have truly connected with their urban reputation — all of which have shown support of the music industry, and creative endeavours that have amplified their cultural capital within fashion and style. The past decade shows Bosideng has its sights set on high-fashion, but the Areal sub brand could be a differentiation that the downjacket company needs to finally grasp the industry. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

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Breaking down Bosideng’s hustle for fashion capital