Feiyi: Luxury’s answer to ‘guochao’

“Feiyi” (非遗), a Chinese term for “intangible cultural heritage,” has emerged as one of the buzziest concepts in Chinese consumer culture in 2024. Originally referring to the preservation of China’s UNESCO-listed endangered crafts, the term has evolved into a cultural and business phenomenon today. Young Chinese, in particular, are responsible for this development. Not only are they watching more feiyi-related craftsmanship videos on social media, they are also purchasing products and participating in experiences rooted in traditional crafts. ‘Guochao’ gets an upgrade Feiyi can be seen as the next evolution of “guochao” (国潮), the “national style” movement that saw Chinese consumers embrace homegrown brands, designs, and cultural symbols, often with a modern twist. When “guochao” first gained traction in the late 2010s, conversations about cultural confidence and consumer patriotism were just starting to take off. Today, the average young Chinese person is far more knowledgeable about traditional Chinese culture and increasingly interested in exploring the country’s rich craft heritage. With 43 items on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list — more than any other country — China has positioned itself as a leader in safeguarding traditions. The Chinese government also views feiyi as a way to boost national pride; since the early 2010s, it has promoted cultural celebrations such as “Cultural and Natural Heritage Day,” supported traditional culture-themed TV shows, and encouraged feiyi-themed tourism. And this strategy has paid off. Feiyi crafts once associated with older generations are now experiencing a strong revival on social media. On Douyin, content related to feiyi grew by 36% compared to the previous year, with Gen Z users born after 2000 emerging as the most engaged demographic. Top feiyi-related searches include lacquer fans, hairpin flowers, and horse-face skirts, all showcasing the younger audience’s renewed interest in traditional crafts. On Xiaohongshu, the hashtag #feiyi has garnered 1.5 million views and 560,000 posts. During the 2024 Chinese New Year period, the platform recorded one search for feiyi every second, according to its internal report. Feiyi’s success isn’t just cultural — it’s also commercial. On China’s major e-commerce platform Taobao, feiyi-related products achieved turnover of over $14.8 billion in 2023, up 37% YoY, even as overall consumer spending on the platform remained flat. While consumers under 40 made up 60% of feiyi buyers, spending by the post-2000s Gen Z demographic saw the fastest growth, rising by nearly 200% YoY. In the fashion category, embroidered horse-face skirts (马面裙), a feiyi-listed item, became a bestseller in 2023. The skirts generated over $7 million in gross merchandise value (GMV) and saw a 680% increase in search volume. Interestingly, just two years ago, the horse-face skirt made headlines when Chinese netizens criticized Dior for appropriating the design without acknowledging its inspiration. Following the incident, members of the Chinese diaspora staged protests outside Dior’s Paris boutique, wearing traditional horse-face skirts to assert the design’s cultural origin. Today, many Chinese students abroad wear traditional horse-face skirts at their graduation ceremonies worldwide to express their cultural pride. This shows that relying on superficial symbols of Chinese culture is no longer enough to satisfy today’s increasingly discerning consumers. Unlike “guochao,” which focuses on making traditional designs look cool and trendy, feiyi requires a more thoughtful approach, emphasizing heritage preservation and authenticity, says Rachel Li, founder of the Chengdu-based visual culture consultancy Resauce Studio. “This is why ‘guochao’ often appeals to mass markets, and feiyi is more closely aligned with luxury and exclusivity. “Feiyi requires consumers who appreciate the meaningful backstories behind unique products,” Li says. Luxury x feiyi crafts Loewe, the Spanish brand renowned for its craftsmanship, has been at the forefront of incorporating feiyi elements into its products. In 2024, the brand celebrated Chinese New Year with six Flamenco Mini handbags, their color palettes inspired by jade carvings from Beijing’s Palace Museum. This homage to China’s jade artistry followed Loewe’s Spring Summer 2023 collaboration with feiyi craft’s master Deng Xiping on the Chinese Monochrome Glaze Series, which earned widespread praise on social media. When Fendi brought its “Hand in Hand” exhibition — celebrating its iconic Baguette handbag through cross-cultural craftsmanship — to Beijing in August 2023, it partnered with Yi artisans to create a Baguette bag integrated with Yi embroidery and silverwork, both feiyi-listed crafts. Meanwhile, Dior has adopted a more respectful approach to feiyi since its horse-face skirt controversy. In 2023, the house integrated “ronghua” (绒花), a feiyi craft of velvet flower-making, into the hat designs of its Spring/Summer 2024 Paris menswear show. Earlier this month, the Milanese brand Valextra collaborated with Chinese feiyi bamboo master Qian Lihuai to craft a limited-edition handbag that fuses China’s bamboo inlays with Italian leatherwork. Future of heritage marketing Despite feiyi’s trend status, luxury brands are uniquely positioned to integrate it into their offerings. The movement aligns with the values the industry holds dear: uniqueness, craftsmanship, and artistry. According to Fang Yuan, who runs the popular Xiaohongshu account Feiyi Plus, brands should tap into China’s cultural legacy as a selling point while consumer enthusiasm for feiyi continues to rise. “Unlike generic craft-inspired products, feiyi highlights specific techniques and regional histories,” Yuan says. “Think about Suzhou embroidery, Yi lacquer work, or the mortise-and-tenon joints of ancient Chinese architecture. If brands can incorporate these elements into products, they are offering consumers more than just good aesthetics. It becomes a cultural identity.” Her account, Feiyi Plus, documents the evolution of feiyi marketing, from early brand collaborations featuring common cultural motifs like blue-and-white porcelain to more recent, sophisticated examples, such as Louis Vuitton’s partnership with Shanxi paper-cutting artists and Maison Margiela’s use of Yunjin brocade. As the Chinese market faces luxury fatigue and growing consumer skepticism, feiyi offers brands a way to showcase their products as high-value. “Feiyi items often involve labor-intensive processes and limited production, making them inherently rare. And rarity is the word that many of us are skeptical about luxury these days,” Yuan adds.

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Feiyi: Luxury’s answer to ‘guochao’