China Signals: Gucci’s Chinese ambassadors in Milan, Jay Chou’s IP flagship, Zhao Lusi’s Rose Amigo, NikeSkims’ Shanghai debut

Celebrity power runs through all four of this week’s stories. At Gucci’s Spring/Summer 2027 show in Milan, the house’s four Chinese ambassadors turned a front-row photo into a trending topic back home. In Shanghai, the company behind Jay Chou’s (周杰伦) official anime IP opened a flagship store on Nanjing East Road, next door to Top Toy and a short walk from Pop Mart. Actress Zhao Lusi (赵露思) opened pre-sales for her beauty label Rose Amigo, bundling skincare pads with fan collectibles. And Kim Kardashian brought her mother and sister to Shanghai for NikeSkims’ China debut, where Kris Jenner’s status as a Chinese internet luck charm did much of the promotional work. How did Gucci’s Chinese ambassadors turn Demna’s Milan show into one of fashion week's most-discussed Chinese celeb moments on Weibo? Market intel: Four Chinese actors sat front row at Gucci’s Spring/Summer 2027 show in Milan on September 25. They were Ni Ni (倪妮), whom Chinese media describe as the house’s spokesperson (代言人), and brand ambassadors Song Weilong (宋威龙), Wen Qi (文淇) and Tian Xiwei (田曦薇). Thai actors Billkin and PP Krit, also Gucci ambassadors, attended alongside them. Titled “The Store,” the collection was creative director Demna’s second runway show for the house, staged inside a replica Gucci boutique built for the occasion. Menswear opened the show and womenswear followed. The Horsebit, Bamboo, GG Marmont and Ophidia appeared across bags, belts and shoes. Guests included Shawn Mendes and Cardi B, and models Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Candice Swanepoel walked the show. On Chinese social media, the four ambassadors drew the most attention. A group photo in which Ni, Song and Wen put on sunglasses without telling Tian trended on Weibo, where users called it a “world masterpiece” (世界名画) drew thousands of likes. Song drew particular praise for his outfit and makeup, and some fans called his looks a “national treasure.” A post on Vogue’s social media account showing him with Billkin and PP Krit after the show received about 10,000 likes, well above the account’s typical few hundred. Market indicator: Gucci’s Chinese lineup produced the kind of content that spreads without paid media. Each of the four ambassadors brings a different fan base, and their unscripted moments together, including the sunglasses photo and the selfies with Billkin and PP Krit, circulated well beyond fashion audiences. In China, that reach can matter as much to a house as the collection itself. Milan was Song’s second big crowd in a week. On September 22, he appeared as Mikimoto’s global brand ambassador at the reopening of its store in Hong Kong’s Elements mall, where nearly 1,000 fans packed the building, some queuing from 3am. His appeal spans fashion and mainstream drama audiences, which makes him one of the names to watch this year. Brands choosing ambassadors in China now weigh cultural resonance and social media pull alongside fame and follower counts. Chinese talent sits at the center of global luxury marketing, and brands that choose well gain organic reach with domestic consumers that reinforces their positioning. Why did the company behind Jay Chou’s ChouChou IP open a flagship next door to Top Toy in Shanghai? Market intel: Star Plus Legend (巨星传奇, 6683.HK), the Hong Kong-listed company that develops Jay Chou’s official anime IP ChouChou (周同学), opened its first ChouChou & Friends global flagship at 558 Nanjing East Road on September 23. The 570-sqm store stocks more than 300 SKUs across seven categories: collectible figures and blind boxes, plush toys, fashion accessories, home goods, tech accessories, Shanghai-exclusive items and collaborations. Fans began queuing around 6am on opening day, and the checkout line stretched to nearly an hour as blind boxes sold briskly, according to Yicai. The design draws on Chou’s songs, including a giant clock referencing “Counter-clockwise Clock” (反方向的钟). The store sits next door to Top Toy, with Pop Mart’s flagship a short walk away. A third floor, due to open in November, will house a restaurant and party space. Lai Guohui (赖国辉), Star Plus Legend’s executive director and chief financial officer, said the company invested more than 10 million RMB ($1.5 million) in the Shanghai store. A Changsha store opened on September 24, with Chengdu and Guangzhou to follow. Lai said the company expects five stores by year-end and another five to 10 in 2027, and that other artists’ IP will join the network. Star Plus Legend’s founders include Chou’s mother, Ye Huimei (叶惠美), and his longtime manager, JR Yang (杨峻荣). The company holds a renewable 10-year IP licensing agreement with JVR Music, Chou’s management company. Market indicator: Chou’s store tests whether celebrity IP can sustain a retail business beyond concert merchandise. Star Plus Legend has built an immersive space around his music. Placing it beside Top Toy invites direct comparison with collectible brands that built their businesses on characters, without a performer behind them. Pop Mart’s rise offers a useful contrast. Its biggest characters began as artists’ designer-toy creations. Labubu first appeared in Kasing Lung’s (龙家昇) 2015 picture books, “The Monsters,” and Pop Mart has licensed it exclusively since 2019. ChouChou draws on a music career of more than 25 years and a fan base that spans generations. That gives it a head start on recognition. The harder question is whether fans keep buying once the novelty fades. Other celebrities now have a template: a licensed IP run by an operator close to the artist, backed by flagship retail that extends into dining. The renewable 10-year license points to long-term intent. Whether the model travels depends on whether ChouChou can match the staying power of designer-toy characters or stays tied to Chou’s own relevance. What does Zhao Lusi’s Rose Amigo pre-sale reveal about how Chinese celebrity beauty labels are turning fan collectibles into skincare sales? Market intel: Rose Amigo, the beauty brand controlled by actress Zhao Lusi, opened pre-sales on Douyin, Tmall and Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) on September 25. That was more than two months after it debuted with free lip-mask samples at her Macau concert. The first products are six skincare pads covering oil control, makeup prep, soothing, eye and lip cleansing and other light-care needs. They are sold as three sets priced at 358-678 RMB ($53-$101). Gift sets include limited-edition photocards, rabbit accessories and a lip mask from her concert. Zhao holds a 90% stake in Chengdu Maning Enterprise Management, which owns the Rose Amigo trademark. The brand has registered eight products: the six pads, a face-and-neck mask and a lip mask. Regulatory filings reported by Chinese media name two contract manufacturers so far: Guangdong Haitong Pharmaceutical for the face-and-neck mask and Encos (Shanghai) Cosmetics for the lip mask. Apple-flower-derived PDRN features across the range, though industry experts said the ingredient’s efficacy depends on its source, extraction process and concentration. By September 25, the brand had more than 71,000 followers across Douyin and Xiaohongshu, and its Douyin store logged more than 1,000 pre-orders in about 12 hours. Market indicator: Zhao’s team skipped a broad launch and started with a narrow set of targeted products sold mainly in bundles. At 678 RMB ($101) for all six pads, the full collection sits closer to mid-premium than mass market. The team is betting that fans will pay more for products that feel personally connected to her. Photocards, rabbit accessories and concert-themed items turn each order into a collectible, so the emotional connection to Zhao does much of the selling. Her pet and lifestyle brand, Rosydoedian, has a track record here. Lanjing News said one week of single-platform sales ran between 2.5 million RMB and 5 million RMB ($372,000-$744,000), and estimated that monthly sales could exceed 10 million RMB ($1.5 million). Repeat purchases will decide the brand’s future. Skincare in China is crowded, and even loyal fans judge results. If the pads underperform, a devoted fan base is unlikely to reorder. Why did Kim Kardashian bring Kris Jenner to Shanghai for NikeSkims’ China debut? Market intel: Kim Kardashian was in Shanghai by September 26 with her mother, Kris Jenner, her sister Khloé Kardashian and three of the family’s children. They came to promote the China debut of NikeSkims, the co-branded activewear line from Nike and Kim’s shapewear label, Skims. The family drew wide attention on Chinese social media, and Kim wore a Chinese-inspired outfit during a September 26 appearance. NikeSkims opened its first physical space in China at Shanghai’s HKRI Taikoo Hui mall on September 29, following a launch celebration on September 28. The five-month pop-up runs through February 2027. It carries apparel, footwear and accessories from the “Fall 2026 Edit 01” collection and offers tailoring on select products, and the brand said it is its largest and longest-running pop-up to date. Part of the collection is also sold at Lane Crawford in Shanghai. Jiemian said the trip included filming for the family’s reality series, “The Kardashians.” Jenner came close to upstaging the launch. Since March, Chinese social media users have adopted her image as a symbol of wealth and luck. They nicknamed her “money goddess” (财神嬷) and set her photo as their profile picture to “manifest” success. At a press event in Shanghai, Kim and Kris read the word “manifestation” (显化) aloud in Chinese, and Kris took several attempts, according to the Chinese Herald. Market indicator: Bringing Kris and Khloé gave NikeSkims more visibility than Kim alone would have. In China, the Kardashian-Jenner name works as a family brand, and fans follow the family story as closely as the individual businesses. Young Chinese consumers’ embrace of Jenner as a luck charm reflects wider interest in manifestation and prosperity culture. For NikeSkims, that goodwill came unpaid, and the family leaned into it by attempting the word in Chinese. Five months is a long run for a pop-up, which suggests NikeSkims is treating Shanghai as a serious market entry. The harder task is converting launch-week attention into repeat customers. China's activewear market is crowded, with Lululemon, Alo and domestic brands competing for the same health-conscious shoppers, and NikeSkims will need to win on product and store experience.

China Signals: Gucci’s Chinese ambassadors in Milan, Jay Chou’s IP flagship, Zhao Lusi’s Rose Amigo, NikeSkims’ Shanghai debut

How 2026 welcomed ‘Too Cool’ back

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China Signals: Gucci’s Chinese ambassadors in Milan, Jay Chou’s IP flagship, Zhao Lusi’s Rose Amigo, NikeSkims’ Shanghai debut

How 2026 welcomed ‘Too Cool’ back