Charli XCX frenzy and John Galliano’s exit: China’s biggest fashion moments of 2024

This year has delivered its fair share of defining cultural moments. Against a backdrop of headline-grabbing events, from the US elections to the Paris Olympics, fashion cemented its influence, shaping conversation over the past 12 months. The challenging retail landscape saw numerous independent labels shutter operations and the creative director carousel span on. Yet, 2024 also set the stage for evolution, with athletes continuing their ascent from sportspeople to style muses, and Asian stars making their mark on Western culture at high-profile events like the Met Gala. Reflecting on a transformative year, Jing Daily spotlights the 10 defining fashion moments of 2024 below. 1. A year of grand fashion departures Ending a year synonymous with creative director musical chairs and industry upheaval, John Galliano last week announced his departure from Maison Margiela. Leading up to that monumental event, the year began with Peter Do’s departure from Helmut Lang after less than two years, followed by Kim Jones stepping down from Fendi to refocus on personal projects and Dior after years of juggling dual roles. One of the most industry-shaking exits came midyear: Dries Van Noten bid an emotional farewell to his eponymous label, presenting a June swan song in Paris. Equally shocking was Pierpaolo Piccioli’s exit from Valentino in March, paving the way for Alessandro Michele’s appointment in April 2025. Meanwhile, Phillip Lim stunned the industry in November when he announced his departure from 3.1 Phillip Lim just after its 20th anniversary, foreshadowing reinvention for the brand. Alongside the creative director refreshes that 2024 brought, smaller cult-fav brands like The Vampire’s Wife, Dion Lee, and Calvin Luo shuttered, reflecting broader pressures on niche labels. 2. Chanel’s Hangzhou show (December) December saw Chanel’s debut show in China, the 2024-25 Métiers d’Art, take place at Hangzhou’s West Lake. Previously, Chanel had only staged collections in China that had been first unveiled in the West. The Hangzhou presentation went viral on China’s socials, with the hashtag “ChanelHangzhouGlobalDebut” topping Weibo’s Hot Search list and racking up 18.84 million views. This year has seen a raft of luxury players turn to Chinese landmarks to host their collections, including Balenciaga’s nightfall showcase atop Shanghai’s Museum of Art Pudong for Spring/Summer 2025, Ami Paris’ repeat of its Fall 2024 collection in Suzhou, and Louis Vuitton’s pre-Fall 2024 collection, hosted at the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai. 3. Moncler in Shanghai (October) In October, Moncler Genius took Shanghai by storm with its “City of Genius” event, the brand’s most ambitious showcase to date. Held at the historic CSSC Pavilion on the Huangpu River, the activation spanned 30,000 sqm, and featured 10 designer pavilions, each created by Moncler’s co-creators. With 8,000 attendees, including superstar couple Rihanna and A$ap Rocky, the event was a star-studded extravaganza of creativity with various exhibition spaces dedicated to each collaborator, from Rick Owens to Palm Angels. 4. Brat’s takeover (summer) A 2024 fashion roundup could not overlook the power of “Brat green.” Sparked by Charli XCX’s viral June album release, “Brat summer” became a cultural movement, symbolizing an anti-“clean girl” lifestyle of carefree partying. The associated lime-green hue on the Brat album cover, was quickly trending in global marketing, from luxury retailer Harrods captioning a Longchamp bag with “brat green,” to Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, marketing his controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion with a Brat reference. In China, the trend gained momentum, with Shanghai’s Jiangwan Stadium metro station turning into a social media hotspot. On platforms like Xiaohongshu, “Brat” has racked up millions of views. 5. Olympians become viral fashion stars (July) Alongside a slew of history-making sporting victories, the Paris 2024 Olympics also spawned a new category of fashion influencers: athletes. From South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-Ji’s viral Fila jacket, which got fashion fanatics trawling the internet to find a replica, to Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang’s “model” strut, these style moments brought in a new wave of watchers to the Olympics, who tuned in to enjoy the teams’ uniforms. Pre and post-Games, these sportspeople have been inking deals with some of the biggest in the business — swimmer Haiyang, for example, signed with Swiss watchmaster Tag Heuer in March. 6. Matchesfashion closure (July) In June, leading luxury fashion retailer Matches shuttered, after being put into administration by Frasers Group. The shutdown marked the end of a notable e-commerce presence, with the retailer offering discounts to clear stock. The development highlighted the growing challenges in Western e-commerce, especially for luxury brands struggling to maintain profitability. Meanwhile, in China, major e-commerce platforms like JD.com, Tmall, and Taobao continue to dominate, with JD.com alone accounting for 56% of online luxury purchases. These contrasting fortunes further emphasize the diverging trends between Western and Chinese online luxury retail markets. 7. ‘Tenniscore’ scores an ace (May) Outpacing numerous internet-driven trends this year, “tenniscore’s” impressive endurance was bolstered over 2024 by the release of Luca Guadigno’s erotic tennis blockbuster Challengers, China’s Gen Z on Xiaohongshu, and the upswing of recreational tennis players across China. In April, the “tenniscore” keyword generated over $10.8 million in MIV (media impact value), up 460% month on month. In terms of placements (social media posts, media articles, or blog posts that mention the keyword/brand), “tenniscore” grew by 527% MoM in April. Meanwhile, in May, WeArisma found that global social media influencers and celebrities collectively posted over 4,500 tennis fashion-related posts, an 18% YoY increase. #Tenniscore has amassed over 6.5 million views on TikTok and some 4.8 million on Xiaohongshu. 8. Asian stars take over the Met Gala (May) May’s Met Gala, which explored the theme “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” saw a new generation of Asian superstars command the spotlight, underscoring the regional talent’s influence on Western media. In tow was K-pop boyband Stray Kids, dressed in Tommy Hilfiger, Blackpink’s Jennie Kim in Alaïa, and rising Thai actor Bright Vachirawit in Burberry (Bright was appointed as an ambassador for the brand in 2022), marking the first time a Thai star has graced the event in its 75 years. In addition to attendees, celebs also turned to Asian designers for their custom looks this year, which included Windowsen’s Sensen Lii dressing American rapper Cardi B. 9. Balenciaga’s $3,300 tape-inspired bangle controversy (March) Kicking off Spring 2024 strong and keeping consumers talking all year long, Balenciaga’s $3,300 tape roll-inspired bangle became one of the most viral fashion accessories of the year, sparking humor and widespread criticism across Chinese social media. Dubbed absurd and meme-worthy, it inspired DIY replicas, with netizens turning regular tape or door knockers into makeshift versions. This polarizing piece exemplified Creative Director Demna Gvasalia’s strategy of blending everyday objects with luxury. Despite the sidewipes, the brand thrived: 42 million viewers tuned into its dystopian Paris Fashion Week show. Balenciaga’s provocations dominated conversations, cementing its role as fashion’s most divisive disruptor. 10: Maison Margiela’s artisanal show (January) On a January evening, John Galliano transformed Paris’ Pont Alexandre III into a 1920s dive bar for Maison Margiela’s Spring/Summer 2024 Artisanal show. Beneath the full moon, characters inspired by Brassaï’s voyeuristic works mingled in a dreamscape of corsetry, prosthetics, and Fauvist hues. Galliano’s mastery of haute couture was on full display, melding fantasy and craft with groundbreaking techniques—silicone-soaked fabrics, boiled tweeds, and porcelain-like leather. This show truly reaffirmed haute couture’s power to astonish, leaving China and the rest of the world awestruck, and it naturally became a viral fashion moment that remains one of the biggest of the year. Esteemed Chinese photographer Zhong Lin later captured Chinese supermodel He Cong in the Maison Margiela Couture collection for W Magazine China in June.

Top 2024 fashion moments, according to China

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Top 2024 fashion moments, according to China