Is ‘barnfit’ next after ‘quiet luxury’?

Just when everyone thought that they had finalized their roundups of 2024 Gen Z fashion trends, from “mob wife,” and quiet luxury, to “office sirens — the “barnfit” trend has taken over China's Xiaohongshu. A take on the Western winter style that’s historically spotted in the depths of the countryside, the aesthetic gets its name from the notion of elevated barn-inspired dressing. The dedicated hashtag has racked up 21.16 million reads on Xiaohongshu, with fashion bloggers curating outfits of designer barn jackets, muted natural tones, and “Western retro vibes.” On TikTok, however, #barnfit only has 202 posts, making it a China-centric term — after all, slouchy Barbour jackets or trenches and cozy knitwear are a part of countryside culture every winter. China’s Gen Z is evidently increasingly finding its style subcultures through Western influences, while making them their own all at once. New phrase, old trend Founder of Plush Consulting, a boutique brand strategy and marketing agency based in Shanghai, Lucrezia Seu says, “Over the last few days ‘barnfit’ has been more revived perhaps due to the brown hues found in this style since the Pantone Color of 2025 has been announced as Mocha Mousse [on December 5].” Every year, Pantone selects its Color of the Year, which is intended to capture the “global zeitgeist.” The tonal brown hues in the “barnfit” trend represent this Mocha Mousse, says Seu, implying that the trend has been stirring all year, and this is simply a newly coined phrase to describe it. That is the perspective of London-based Chinese fashion influencer Nuria Ma, who has 710,000 followers on YouTube. She tells Jing Daily, “This way of dressing has been around for a while. We’ve seen it before: cargo pants, oversized corduroy jackets, flannel prints, and denim jackets. Even hunter boots tucked into mom jeans.” It is similar to how people call pink beauty looks “strawberry make-up,” says Ma; “barnfit” is a style in China that’s been trending for ages, yet has just now been labelled. Sales impact That said, “barnfit” poster brand Barbour has been stepping up its efforts to grow in the Chinese market through this year, including the recent openings of its first city stores in Changzhou, Jiangsu, and Nanning, Guangxi. It is also making its way into high-end shopping centers in emerging Tier 1 cities such as Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Chengdu. While Barbour’s parent company saw a nearly 20% YoY revenue increase for the 2022/2023 fiscal year, profits took a hit, dropping 10% due to inflationary pressures and geopolitical tensions. Despite that, Barbour’s presence in China has been bolstered by the rise of this newly-labeled “barnfit” aesthetic, as well as popularity of TV series like The Crown and The Knockout. Along with Barbour, the likes of Toteme, Prada, and Miu Miu have also boosted sales of the countryside-esque blouson jacket. In fact, for Lyst’s latest Index, Toteme’s country jacket was in fifth position for the hottest products of Q3 2024. The Swedish brand saw interest rise 51% in the quarter, while Miu Miu reclaimed number one position as the hottest brand. It saw searches jump 30% quarter over quarter. Overall, Lyst reported that searches for Barn jackets were up 225% this quarter. Along with the trending outerwear style, Ma says Hunter Wellington boots are a notable part of this fashion trend. That could well be the impetus behind the brand’s entry to the Chinese market just two months ago. October this year saw Hunter’s retail debut with the opening of its first pop-up store in central Shanghai. That move followed Shanghai e-commerce partner Baozun signing a deal with Authentic Brands Group, acquiring a 51% equity interest in Hunter’s Greater China and Southeast Asia business. It was reported in summer 2023 that Hunter wellies had collapsed due to 110 million British pounds ($140 million) of debt, which led to the Baozun sale. As Brit-favorites are adopted in East Asia with the rise of English-centric trends like “barnfit,” there is potential for their revival in a new context. There is distinct selling power in marketing England to China, after all. Western fashion trends comprise a growing influence on Chinese Gen Z consumers, who are reinterpreting and making these styles their own. The popularity of British-inspired aesthetics, such as Barbour jackets and countryside influences, reflects a larger cultural shift where global fashion cues are filtered through a local lens. With the ongoing success of countryside-inspired designs and the increasing prominence of English brands in China, the “barnfit” movement could pave the way for more cross-cultural exchanges in fashion, reinforcing the global reach and adaptability of iconic British styles.

Is ‘barnfit’ next after ‘quiet luxury’?

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Published December 18, 2024

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Is ‘barnfit’ next after ‘quiet luxury’?