Business of Fashion Launches in China

few years ago, Louis Vuitton brought its $8 million steam train to Shanghai for a big runway show. Countless other luxury labels have also made their way to China, hoping to tap into what is now a $300 billion fashion and apparel business. And for good reason—by 2020, the Greater China region is slated to become the biggest market in the world for luxury goods.
It’s only fitting that China’s rapidly evolving luxury market should have a website that documents its changes, challenges, and the people who make up the industry. Today, Business of Fashion’s Imran Amed officially introduced the world to his solution: BoF China.
“The hutongs have all but disappeared, fake Chanel and Prada have been replaced by the real thing, and fashion brands have been entering the market in droves to participate in the largest shift in economic and political power since the Second World War,” says Amed. “But in a market like China, the only constant is change. And on each subsequent trip to this vast and varied country of 1.3 billion people, I have witnessed incredible shifts in the market landscape.”
Though the new BoF China website and its Daily Digest Newsletter are both in Chinese, there’s also a BoF China hub in English that lives on businessoffashion.com, featuring the latest intelligence, insights, and analytics on the Chinese fashion market. The site debuted today with a feature story on the country’s hot and cold market as well as profiles on China’s fashion leaders, including Sham Kar Wai (the founder of I.T), actress Fan Bingbing, Adrian Chi-Kong Cheng (general manager of New World Development), and model Liu Wen.
If you don’t know these names, it’s probably time to study up. Even if the market is cooling in China, as Amed reminds us, “What is important to remember is that for a nation of China’s epic scale, even not so hot is still pretty hot.” We’re adding BoF China to our bookmarks tab right away. 

Liu Wen at BoF China launch event in Shanghai

Photo: Business of Fashion