A UK cartoon character is growing wildly popular in China that even becomes the aim of counterfeiters and has received endorsements from celebrities. In China, fashion houses pay celebrities and influencers huge sums to wear their clothing and sport their logos. So when stars like Angelababy (brand ambassador for Dior) and Yang Mi (brand ambassador […]
Monthly Archives: January 2019
Standing Out in China’s Sea of Cliché Influencers
China’s lucrative influencer industry is an extremely crowded place. According to local consultancy iResearch, the number of Chinese KOLs (key opinion leaders) with more than 100,000 followers grew 51 percent from 2017 to 2018, and mega-influencers with more than one million followers zoomed 23 percent. Notwithstanding this burst of newcomers, the clichéd messages of Chinese social […]
Alibaba Again Downplays Trade War Worries and Allays Fears of China Slowdown
Good news, finally, for investors in China stocks and believers in the luxury industry? Alibaba Holding Group beat Wall Street analysts’ expectation for net profit in its end-of-year quarter, reporting $4.5 billion (RMB 30.964 billion). Its success stories included its cloud computing business that saw revenue increase 84 percent year-on-year and a spurt of 33 […]
7 Questions for The Luxury Institute’s CEO on the State of Market in 2019
The global luxury market is entering a year of uncertainty and turbulence. With an outsized focus on China — the world’s second-largest economy as well as the key driving force for luxury consumption — the country’s economic health and consumer appetite will be crucial to the development of luxury business in 2019. Jing Daily caught […]
LVMH Reports Strong Growth But Remains Cautious about the Global Economy
Luxury stock investors held their collective breath as the world’s largest luxury player unveiled their earnings for last year — a year dominated by news about lagging luxury sales at overseas destinations by wealthy Chinese tourists. After last week’s mixed news about Burberry’s results and some surprisingly positive Chinese tourist sales data, industry players hoped […]
Will London’s Luxury Stores Bring Home the Bacon This Chinese New Year?
With a national plan to grow Chinese tourist spending to $1.32 billion (£1 billion) annually by 2020, the city of London clearly should look at Chinese New Year as a key period for drawing big Chinese spenders, particularly to its collection of famous luxury department stores. But are these retailers actually hitting the mark with […]
Can E-Commerce Giant Alibaba Defy the China Slump?
Chinese stocks took a beating in 2018, but mainland companies are looking to bounce back this year despite a slowing economy and an ongoing trade war with the U.S. Few stocks are as closely watched for clues as to what’s next for China as the world’s biggest e-commerce player, giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. It […]
Condé Nast Launches Online Trade Mag ‘Vogue Business’
Condé Nast, the fashion publishing powerhouse behind consumer-facing magazines like Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair, has officially stepped into the trade-publication sphere. The move flags an unusual, bottom-line focused direction for the company amid a tough environment. The 21st century has seen the veteran publisher downsize markedly and traditional fashion magazines lose relevance and influence, […]
Three Problems Overhanging Luxury Giant LVMH
“Is the Vuitton brand ‘too’ ubiquitous?” That’s an intriguing question being raised by investment bank Morgan Stanley ahead of the release of French luxury behemoth LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH)’s 2018 full-year results on Wednesday, January 30. The company’s results will play an oversized role in the luxury market mood and outlook as LVMH […]
Valentino Appoints Menswear Chinese Brand Ambassador
In “Chinese Whispers,” we share the biggest news stories about the luxury industry in China that haven’t yet made it into the English language. In this week’s edition, we discuss: Valentino’s new Chinese brand ambassador for menswear, Ritz Carlton and Etro crossover, and Italian lingerie brand Calzedonia’s China move. 1. Valentino taps into the influence […]