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Luxury brands pivot to Asia-Pacific markets

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Luxury brands pivot to Asia-Pacific markets

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Luxury brands have been opening stores in China and expanding their physical footprint. Brands such as Burberry have done this as Chinese tourists are not able to travel to fashion destinations such as Milan, Paris and London.
All luxury brands have an eye on the Greater Bay Area as an area of tremendous growth. “This area already represents 11.6% of China’s total GDP – ie RMB 11.5 trillion – and this is set to triple in the next 10 to 15 years as Central Government targets the area to be a technology and financial powerhouse to rival Silicon Valley in California by 2035.”(Savills, 2020)

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Luxury brands pivot to Asia-Pacific markets | Savills Impacts

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Global luxury expansion has experienced a regional rebalancing in 2020. Retailers are pivoting their focus towards Asia-Pacific markets

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Vogue Business explained in this article how luxury brands were opening new stores in Asia to meet the demand of high-spending luxury customers.
The Chinese local spend is expected to increase so retail brands are changing their footprints accordingly.
"China, Japan and South Korea are the three markets of focus for OTB, parent company of Diesel, Margiela and Marni, as they are seen to have the greatest potential payoff, says CEO Ubaldo Minelli."(Vogue Business, 2020)
Brands are going to stop opening shops in Europe and focus on Asia.

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Luxury store portfolios will be vastly different in five years’ time, as brands pivot away from waning American and European locations to chase cash-rich millennials in Asia. Luxury brands are opening fewer offline locations overall, cutting spending and renegotiating leases to limit the damages brought by Covid-19. The exception is in China, where new stores are needed to meet the demand of high-spending luxury customers.

Bain expects Chinese local spend to account for up to 28 per cent of global luxury consumption by 2025, up from 11 per cent in 2019, and brands are planning to change their retail footprint accordingly. China, Japan and South Korea are the three markets of focus for OTB, parent company of Diesel, Margiela and Marni, as they are seen to have the greatest potential payoff, says CEO Ubaldo Minelli. “We will increasingly shift physical retail investment to China and Asia Pacific,” he says. In three years, Minelli would like Asia Pacific to account for 60 per cent of the business.

Roberta Benaglia, CEO of Italian brand MSGM and asset management company Style Capital, says strategic focus on Asia, which includes the planned opening of 30 stores in the region over the next four years, remains valid and “will certainly be the strategy on which we will focus for the future”.

“China is absolutely taking a priority,” says Andrew Maag, CEO of luxury menswear label Dunhill, adding that the brand does not plan to open stores in America and Europe in the near future.

“All the luxury brands I talk to are focusing on China. It's the one bright spot in the world,” says Nick Bradstreet, managing director of Savills Hong Kong.

This marks a turning point in how brands had approached Chinese consumers before, when they used to make more than half of their luxury purchases abroad, sustaining the importance of luxury tourist destinations like London and Paris. With 73 per cent of Chinese luxury consumers planning to convert half of their annual abroad luxury spend back to China in the next year, per Boston Consulting Group, China is bound to see an uptick in retail luxury investment at the expense of Europe and the US. Over the past 10 years, industry leader LVMH has gradually shifted its retail centre of gravity towards Asia Pacific. The region (excluding Japan) now accounts for almost 30 per cent of the conglomerate retail footprint, from 19 per cent in 2009, and Bain estimates that Asia’s luxury market share, defined as China, Japan and the rest of Asia combined, will reach 54 per cent of the global market by 2025. Europe and the Americas will both decline from around 30 per cent to 22 to 24 per cent.

“We are going to see a relocation of investment away from some of the more mature markets and see a reinvestment in the Chinese market because of the surging consumption there,” says Joëlle de Montgolfier, executive vice president of global consumer products, retail and luxury practices at Bain & Company. “The store footprint will have to rebalance from the mature markets into the Asian region.”

The new retail map

In 2019, China saw almost seven per cent of luxury retail global openings, more than the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand combined. Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang remain the top three markets in number of premium luxury brand stores, but cities in China’s Greater Bay Area like Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Xiamen are well positioned to receive luxury capex going forward, says Bradstreet. Sanya, a preferred domestic destination on Hainan Island in the South China Sea, is also piquing the interest of luxury players as an offshore duty-free destination and increasingly attracting domestic tourism. Lower-tier cities, however, still lack the high-quality developers luxury retailers trust with their endeavours, says Bradstreet, and expansion will remain focused primarily on first- and second-tier cities.

Vietnam, powered by a young population, growing middle class and growing infrastructure, should also be on the radar. Emerging markets in Asia and the Middle East will also benefit by being less over-retailed than North America and Europe, says Garrick Brown, vice president of retail research of the Americas at Cushman & Wakefield.

Sanya International Duty Free City, operated by China Duty Free Group, spans for 120,000 square metres and gathers nearly 300 international brands. Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Hong Kong, vexed by socio-political uncertainty, closed borders and a second wave of Covid-19, will remain a weak spot for luxury retail in Asia Pacific. “Everyone views it as a sort of fundamental shift this time,” says Bradstreet, comparing the current situation with previous challenging times for retail, like Occupy Central in 2014. Bradstreet expects brands with multiple stores in the city to drop at least two or three locations as retail sales remain low, rent remains high and mainland consumers remain across the border. “The general consensus is that Hong Kong retail sales, in the future, will end up somewhere between 30 per cent or 50 per cent of what they were in 2018,” he says.

In the Western hemisphere, the US market is expected to fare worse than Europe. “The United States is a great unknown today,” says OTB’s Minelli, listing a series of reasons including consumer crisis, weak department stores and wholesale, Covid-19 and the upcoming presidential elections. OTB has assumed a wait-and-see approach towards the market at least until 2021. Benaglia, speaking of luxury in general terms, sees a reduction in the weight of the US and a longer recovery path for the market. “If I have to think of a worse situation than America, I honestly think about Hong Kong,” she says.

Digital clienteling and local consumers

Brands, facing critically low tourist rates, are rethinking their approach to stores in order to be as relevant as possible to local consumers. That strategy includes continuing digital initiatives born during lockdown as stores remain open to maintain relevance.

During lockdown, Dunhill launched an outreach programme on WeChat, which allowed sales assistants to send an edited assortment of products to customers and finalise the transaction remotely. Now that the stores are opening again, Maag says that the digital clienteling is helping in assorting the stores correctly. Similarly, he says, the brand’s launch on Tmall at the end of September and the consequent access to consumer data will help determine its physical strategy. “Having the right number of stores for your local consumer is essential,” he says.

Police set up cordon during a protest at the International Finance Center shopping mall in Hong Kong in April. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

“The most important change that is required is to be relevant to one’s local clientele,” says OTB’s Minelli of the post-pandemic era, adding that the group is working towards giving to Chinese consumers in China the same offering, in terms of breadth of offer and pricing, that they were used to finding in Europe.

“If we don’t find a way for Chinese consumers to buy in their country today what they were buying in Europe [before], we risk that the algebraic sum gives a minus,” he says.

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Brands will focus investments in APAC and work on maintaining their presence in Europe, as the United States and Hong Kong drop into the background.

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Sanya International Duty Free City, operated by China Duty Free Group, spans for 120,000 square metres and gathers nearly 300 international brands.

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This article explains how companies need to use their potential to create additional sustainable income opportunities.

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Deloitte, through its successful global network of sector and strategy experts, provides services for determining efficient international expansion strategies.

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Coca-Cola was one of the biggest brands which was recognized globally. Now with the use of internet it has become more realistic for brands to expand internationally. Victoria Beckham need an easier website and a clear understanding of their brand identity.
"Apple, for example, can charge more for its computers than some other companies because of its brand reputation for offering innovative design and quality electronics. The same can be said about Mercedes or BMW automobiles."(Wasserman, 2021)
Businesses need to take into account cultural expectations and make sure it doesn't offend anybody.

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How to Build an International Brand

For decades, Coca-Cola and IBM were among the scant few globally recognized brands. By crafting a universal message and increasing brand awareness, here's how yours can be next.

Forty years ago, there were only a handful of truly "global brands" and they were made up of only the biggest corporations -- Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Colgate-Palmolive, IBM, Shell. Then a rash of upstarts came along, such as Nike, Microsoft, Apple, and Honda, and pushed their brand reputation further than their actual sales footprint. But now that barriers to international trade have come down and the Internet has helped small and mid-sized companies compete on the global stage, building an international brand is a realistic goal for more and more businesses.

"Only in the last 10 years has global business become the benchmark for how you do business these days," says Hayes Roth, chief marketing officer for Landor Associates, a strategic brand and design consultancy that has worked on international branding with such companies as BP, Panasonic, and KFC. "Thanks to the Internet it's hard to keep your brand just localized. Once you're on the Web, you're accessible pretty much anywhere in the world. It doesn't necessarily make you a global brand but you have to be mindful of the implications."

The following pages will detail what an international brand is, how to build a brand internationally, and how to build brand awareness in new international markets.

How to Build a Brand Internationally: What a Global Brand Is

In starting a new business or seeking to increase growth at your current business by expanding into international markets, establishing and building a brand identity becomes essential.

Branding involves what people think about your business and your products. "Think of a brand as a reputation," says Paul Williams, founder of the international marketing firm Idea Sandbox, which helps companies build their brands. "Building a reputation in any new market, including overseas, involves a first impression, which comes from the initial interactions someone has with your company, products, and services."

Businesses can attempt to shape or form the branding of their company or products in many ways, including advertising, media, word-of-mouth, and contact with your products or services. A lot of thought and effort goes into branding, including naming products, designing logos, and ensuring that service is uniform throughout the business. Through continued exposure over time, your brand -- or your reputation -- is formed with potential and existing customers. "A brand is essentially a short cut, it is a way for a customer to get an instant recognition on what the promise is of a product or service and how that will benefit them," Roth says.

The reason businesses spent time and money developing brand recognition is so that they can charge a premium for a product or service. People will pay more for a brand name product or service if it is recognized as a leader and a trusted brand and they know what they will get. Apple, for example, can charge more for its computers than some other companies because of its brand reputation for offering innovative design and quality electronics. The same can be said about Mercedes or BMW automobiles.

How to Build a Brand Internationally: What You Need to Expand

When businesses try to expand their brand globally, those goals don't change. But there are several steps you should take to make sure that your products or services will have a market overseas, that you can maintain quality in delivering and/or distributing your goods or services, and that your business or product branding meets cultural expectations -- and doesn't insult anyone -- in different parts of the world.

"The secret is doing your homework," Williams says. "Like any long distance relationship, it's got to be managed and needs more work than something you can see and physically touch, but it's not impossible."

The following steps may help you in building an international brand:

Make sure you have a market. "Proven success with your current target audience doesn't automatically mean that your new target will connect in the same way with your products or services," Williams says. "Ask your new market the questions you used to build your initial business plan." First and most important, he says, you'll want to determine if a market exists for your product. If so, make sure the want or need isn't already being well met by someone else. If there are existing competitors, what (in the perspective of your potential customers) makes you remarkably different? If there is a market and there are no competitors, make sure you find out why -- are there laws against distributing your products or can consumers buy them through other means?

Make sure you can deliver. Make sure you can get your product to, or manufactured within, the new market. "Import and manufacturing laws vary from country to country," Williams says. "Ensure you can make your products reliably and consistently available to your new target markets." Investigate the local laws. You need to make sure your products meet the local standards for construction of components, use of chemicals, disposal of goods, proper labeling of products, etc.

Re-examine your business and/or product names. In choosing a name for your business or product, you need to be culturally sensitive if you intend to sell in foreign markets. Make sure product names make sense to customers in your new markets, both in English and in the local translation. Williams, who has done international branding work with Starbucks, recalls how a holiday favorite in the U.S., the Gingerbread Latte, didn't sell well in Germany even though gingerbread was a favorite holiday cookie in that country. Sales of the drink increased dramatically when Starbucks began using the German word for gingerbread and rebranded the drink, the Lebkuchen Latte. If you are considering translating names, don't rely on computer translation. "You don't want what you think is an effective name to mean something opposite or offend potential customers," Williams says. "Work with someone locally who can help make sure you communicate what you intend."

Give your logo another look. Similarly, review your logo to make sure that you don't use any wording or symbols that would offend in a foreign market. "Ensure that any logos or symbols you use make sense and don't offend," Williams says. "Do an international search to make sure your logo isn't similar to that of another international company." For example, if you are selling products in some Middle Eastern markets, a logo featuring the face of a woman might not be appropriate. The best way to understand these cultural sensitivities is to consult a branding or design firm -- either a local one or an international firm that can research cultural sensitivities.

Understand packaging requirements. If you're selling a product, you need to consider the laws and customs and packaging requirements in your new markets before deciding on packaging for your products. Your packaging may use a clear plastic shell that hangs from a rod, but your competition may package their product in a box that can go on a shelf, Williams says. This may put you at a disadvantage. "If you're selling a packaged product around the world there are incredible hurdles," Roth adds. Shipping food across borders may require you to provide more nutritional information on packaging, in more languages, and there may be laws prohibiting the use of certain products in some markets -- even New York City has a ban on trans fatty acids, for example. Learn the local standards and ensure your packaging includes any necessary regulatory information and meets transportation standards.

Register trademarks and domain names. Follow the process in your new market to ensure you preserve patent and trademarks. Thanks to the NAFTA Treaty your marks should already be protected in Mexico and Canada, Williams says. If you're doing business in the European Union filing for a Community Trade Mark (CTM) will protect you. Another consideration is making sure the Internet domain name for your company and product are available. You still want to register a dot-com, which is the most popular domain worldwide for businesses. But you may also consider registering domains using specific country codes -- .nl for the Netherlands or .br for Brazil -- if you are targeting only one or two local markets and plan on providing up-to-date translations of your websites into the local languages.

In taking these steps to building a brand internationally, it almost always helps to find local resources to help you understand and enter new foreign markets. You might consider entering into business with a local distributor or retailer in this new market. "It is nearly impossible to understand local culture simply by visiting a country," Williams says. "Find local customers, local translators. Just because you took two years of French in high school doesn't make you qualified to understand the French market nor do French translations. Just as consumers' needs are different in Rhode Island from those in Florida and California, so are the needs of consumers in Paris different from those in Marseille."

How to Build a Brand Internationally: Building International Brand Awareness

The way to build awareness of your brand in these new markets -- and increase sales because, let's face it, this is your goal -- follows the same formula you use to increase brand awareness at home. "Craft and communicate a message that is relevant to the needs and wants of your customers," Williams says. "Deliver this message in the places they are receptive to it, in terms they can relate to and understand, and through the channels that will truly reach your potential customer."

Craft your message. Having done your homework and researched the new foreign markets, and perhaps engaged the help of a local firm or representative, you have hopeful honed your domestic branding for this new audience. Be sure to note what the competition and other businesses are doing. "What may have seemed witty or charming in the U.S. may be misunderstood in your new market," Williams says. "Be careful playing the 'old and established' angle. An 'old' company in the U.S. can sound impressive, but you may be doing business in a country that has bottles of wine and rounds cheese older than your company."

Deliver this message through the right channels. Don't rely on radio advertisements if your new market is a city in which people commute by subway or bicycle. Make sure you are communicating your message where it will be seen. Think about advertising inside the subway. "What are the habits your customer base in that other country? Where are they found? What is their lifestyle? What are they doing?" Williams says. There is no secret answer. It's up to you to connect the dots and find the right approach.

Communicate in the right manner. The manner and tone in which you engage your potential and new customers is as important as the words you choose, Williams says. "Manner and tone will come across through your packaging, advertising, online, through your sales people, and even the way you answer the phone," he says. What types of interaction you will have with customers? What will be the tone you choose? What types of sales process and policies will you use? Even though you are based thousands of miles away, this is still a reflection on you and your brand. Remember that.

While you focus on raising brand awareness, there is another component to building a brand internationally that needs your attention. You need to be vigilant in maintaining your brand reputation in every market in which you sell. That gets harder as your business gets bigger and expands into more locales. "Once you start having a couple of different offices or are in multiple states or countries or you've gone from 10 employees to 300 -- all of a sudden you're not a mom-and-pop operation anymore," Roth says. "Remember, your brand is a promise. You're starting to make a promise that people are buying into and you need to deliver whatever that product or service is."

You need to ensure that your customers' experiences with your product, your business, and your staff are positive. That extends to how you deliver your product, product quality control, how service is delivered or structured, and how your people act. "The larger you get, it's not just you being the representative for your widget," Roth says. "You now head up an organization."

In branding, one bad customer experience often resonates longer than one good experience. "One bad experience magnifies 100-fold," Roth says. "You need to have constant vigilance." You might consider developing an employee manual, investing in online training for your staff, and/or keeping in check how fast you grow so that you can ensure that you deliver on your brand promise no matter what market you serve.

International Branding Organization Non-profit organization dedicated to establishing branding as a specialized area of expertise.'¨

MyBusiness.co.uk
Import and export article.

Buy USA.gov, US Commercial Services, US Department of Commerce
Helps U.S. companies find international business partners, plus resources.

Interbrand Surveys & Research 'Best Global Brands'
A guide to research great global brands.

Landor's 2010 Trends Forecast
Market trends in the coming year and their impact on branding.

Forty years ago, there were only a handful of truly "global brands" and they were made up of only the biggest corporations -- Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Colgate-Palmolive, IBM, Shell. Then a rash of upstarts came along, such as Nike, Microsoft, Apple, and Honda, and pushed their brand reputation further than their actual sales footprint. But now that barriers to international trade have come down and the Internet has helped small and mid-sized companies compete on the global stage, building an international brand is a realistic goal for more and more businesses.

"Only in the last 10 years has global business become the benchmark for how you do business these days," says Hayes Roth, chief marketing officer for Landor Associates, a strategic brand and design consultancy that has worked on international branding with such companies as BP, Panasonic, and KFC. "Thanks to the Internet it's hard to keep your brand just localized. Once you're on the Web, you're accessible pretty much anywhere in the world. It doesn't necessarily make you a global brand but you have to be mindful of the implications."

The following pages will detail what an international brand is, how to build a brand internationally, and how to build brand awareness in new international markets.

How to Build a Brand Internationally: What a Global Brand Is

In starting a new business or seeking to increase growth at your current business by expanding into international markets, establishing and building a brand identity becomes essential.

Branding involves what people think about your business and your products. "Think of a brand as a reputation," says Paul Williams, founder of the international marketing firm Idea Sandbox, which helps companies build their brands. "Building a reputation in any new market, including overseas, involves a first impression, which comes from the initial interactions someone has with your company, products, and services."

Businesses can attempt to shape or form the branding of their company or products in many ways, including advertising, media, word-of-mouth, and contact with your products or services. A lot of thought and effort goes into branding, including naming products, designing logos, and ensuring that service is uniform throughout the business. Through continued exposure over time, your brand -- or your reputation -- is formed with potential and existing customers. "A brand is essentially a short cut, it is a way for a customer to get an instant recognition on what the promise is of a product or service and how that will benefit them," Roth says.

The reason businesses spent time and money developing brand recognition is so that they can charge a premium for a product or service. People will pay more for a brand name product or service if it is recognized as a leader and a trusted brand and they know what they will get. Apple, for example, can charge more for its computers than some other companies because of its brand reputation for offering innovative design and quality electronics. The same can be said about Mercedes or BMW automobiles.

How to Build a Brand Internationally: What You Need to Expand

When businesses try to expand their brand globally, those goals don't change. But there are several steps you should take to make sure that your products or services will have a market overseas, that you can maintain quality in delivering and/or distributing your goods or services, and that your business or product branding meets cultural expectations -- and doesn't insult anyone -- in different parts of the world.

"The secret is doing your homework," Williams says. "Like any long distance relationship, it's got to be managed and needs more work than something you can see and physically touch, but it's not impossible."

The following steps may help you in building an international brand:

Make sure you have a market. "Proven success with your current target audience doesn't automatically mean that your new target will connect in the same way with your products or services," Williams says. "Ask your new market the questions you used to build your initial business plan." First and most important, he says, you'll want to determine if a market exists for your product. If so, make sure the want or need isn't already being well met by someone else. If there are existing competitors, what (in the perspective of your potential customers) makes you remarkably different? If there is a market and there are no competitors, make sure you find out why -- are there laws against distributing your products or can consumers buy them through other means?

Make sure you can deliver. Make sure you can get your product to, or manufactured within, the new market. "Import and manufacturing laws vary from country to country," Williams says. "Ensure you can make your products reliably and consistently available to your new target markets." Investigate the local laws. You need to make sure your products meet the local standards for construction of components, use of chemicals, disposal of goods, proper labeling of products, etc.

Re-examine your business and/or product names. In choosing a name for your business or product, you need to be culturally sensitive if you intend to sell in foreign markets. Make sure product names make sense to customers in your new markets, both in English and in the local translation. Williams, who has done international branding work with Starbucks, recalls how a holiday favorite in the U.S., the Gingerbread Latte, didn't sell well in Germany even though gingerbread was a favorite holiday cookie in that country. Sales of the drink increased dramatically when Starbucks began using the German word for gingerbread and rebranded the drink, the Lebkuchen Latte. If you are considering translating names, don't rely on computer translation. "You don't want what you think is an effective name to mean something opposite or offend potential customers," Williams says. "Work with someone locally who can help make sure you communicate what you intend."

Give your logo another look. Similarly, review your logo to make sure that you don't use any wording or symbols that would offend in a foreign market. "Ensure that any logos or symbols you use make sense and don't offend," Williams says. "Do an international search to make sure your logo isn't similar to that of another international company." For example, if you are selling products in some Middle Eastern markets, a logo featuring the face of a woman might not be appropriate. The best way to understand these cultural sensitivities is to consult a branding or design firm -- either a local one or an international firm that can research cultural sensitivities.

Understand packaging requirements. If you're selling a product, you need to consider the laws and customs and packaging requirements in your new markets before deciding on packaging for your products. Your packaging may use a clear plastic shell that hangs from a rod, but your competition may package their product in a box that can go on a shelf, Williams says. This may put you at a disadvantage. "If you're selling a packaged product around the world there are incredible hurdles," Roth adds. Shipping food across borders may require you to provide more nutritional information on packaging, in more languages, and there may be laws prohibiting the use of certain products in some markets -- even New York City has a ban on trans fatty acids, for example. Learn the local standards and ensure your packaging includes any necessary regulatory information and meets transportation standards.

Register trademarks and domain names. Follow the process in your new market to ensure you preserve patent and trademarks. Thanks to the NAFTA Treaty your marks should already be protected in Mexico and Canada, Williams says. If you're doing business in the European Union filing for a Community Trade Mark (CTM) will protect you. Another consideration is making sure the Internet domain name for your company and product are available. You still want to register a dot-com, which is the most popular domain worldwide for businesses. But you may also consider registering domains using specific country codes -- .nl for the Netherlands or .br for Brazil -- if you are targeting only one or two local markets and plan on providing up-to-date translations of your websites into the local languages.

In taking these steps to building a brand internationally, it almost always helps to find local resources to help you understand and enter new foreign markets. You might consider entering into business with a local distributor or retailer in this new market. "It is nearly impossible to understand local culture simply by visiting a country," Williams says. "Find local customers, local translators. Just because you took two years of French in high school doesn't make you qualified to understand the French market nor do French translations. Just as consumers' needs are different in Rhode Island from those in Florida and California, so are the needs of consumers in Paris different from those in Marseille."

How to Build a Brand Internationally: Building International Brand Awareness

The way to build awareness of your brand in these new markets -- and increase sales because, let's face it, this is your goal -- follows the same formula you use to increase brand awareness at home. "Craft and communicate a message that is relevant to the needs and wants of your customers," Williams says. "Deliver this message in the places they are receptive to it, in terms they can relate to and understand, and through the channels that will truly reach your potential customer."

Craft your message. Having done your homework and researched the new foreign markets, and perhaps engaged the help of a local firm or representative, you have hopeful honed your domestic branding for this new audience. Be sure to note what the competition and other businesses are doing. "What may have seemed witty or charming in the U.S. may be misunderstood in your new market," Williams says. "Be careful playing the 'old and established' angle. An 'old' company in the U.S. can sound impressive, but you may be doing business in a country that has bottles of wine and rounds cheese older than your company."

Deliver this message through the right channels. Don't rely on radio advertisements if your new market is a city in which people commute by subway or bicycle. Make sure you are communicating your message where it will be seen. Think about advertising inside the subway. "What are the habits your customer base in that other country? Where are they found? What is their lifestyle? What are they doing?" Williams says. There is no secret answer. It's up to you to connect the dots and find the right approach.

Communicate in the right manner. The manner and tone in which you engage your potential and new customers is as important as the words you choose, Williams says. "Manner and tone will come across through your packaging, advertising, online, through your sales people, and even the way you answer the phone," he says. What types of interaction you will have with customers? What will be the tone you choose? What types of sales process and policies will you use? Even though you are based thousands of miles away, this is still a reflection on you and your brand. Remember that.

While you focus on raising brand awareness, there is another component to building a brand internationally that needs your attention. You need to be vigilant in maintaining your brand reputation in every market in which you sell. That gets harder as your business gets bigger and expands into more locales. "Once you start having a couple of different offices or are in multiple states or countries or you've gone from 10 employees to 300 -- all of a sudden you're not a mom-and-pop operation anymore," Roth says. "Remember, your brand is a promise. You're starting to make a promise that people are buying into and you need to deliver whatever that product or service is."

You need to ensure that your customers' experiences with your product, your business, and your staff are positive. That extends to how you deliver your product, product quality control, how service is delivered or structured, and how your people act. "The larger you get, it's not just you being the representative for your widget," Roth says. "You now head up an organization."

In branding, one bad customer experience often resonates longer than one good experience. "One bad experience magnifies 100-fold," Roth says. "You need to have constant vigilance." You might consider developing an employee manual, investing in online training for your staff, and/or keeping in check how fast you grow so that you can ensure that you deliver on your brand promise no matter what market you serve.

International Branding Organization Non-profit organization dedicated to establishing branding as a specialized area of expertise.'¨

MyBusiness.co.uk
Import and export article.

Buy USA.gov, US Commercial Services, US Department of Commerce
Helps U.S. companies find international business partners, plus resources.

Interbrand Surveys & Research 'Best Global Brands'
A guide to research great global brands.

Landor's 2010 Trends Forecast
Market trends in the coming year and their impact on branding.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Forty years ago, there were only a handful of truly "global brands" and they were made up of only the biggest corporations -- Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Colgate-Palmolive, IBM, Shell. Then a rash of upstarts came along, such as Nike, Microsoft, Apple, and Honda, and pushed their brand reputation further than their actual sales footprint.

# data[].attributes.body
As this brand has become a largely recognized British brand I wanted to explore how they were going to target it towards Japan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
After a strong set of financial results, Burberry has announced that it plans to continue focusing on achieving growth in Japan.

Burberry has become one of Britain's most recognisable luxury brands in markets around the world. But now that it has put a troubling few years behind it with strong financial results, it plans to continue seeking out overseas growth.
The company announced earlier today that adjusted pre-tax profits for the year to the end of March stood at £461 million, an increase of eight per cent from 12 months ago.
Over the same period, revenue increased by 17 per cent to a total of £2.33 billion. Encouragingly, the majority of this improvement came from higher customer spending - overall retail sales rose by 15 per cent, making up 70 per cent of the total revenue.

This wasn't necessarily down to more customers coming through the doors of Burberry's stores. Footfall was not particularly strong, but the shoppers who came through the doors were in bullish mood. More customers actually bought goods from the retailer, while average spend also increased.

Burberry says that continued efforts to integrate its digital and physical presence have played an important role in its success, as has the decision to integrate its beauty business instead of working on a licensing basis.

Crucially, it has also said that these encouraging results will prompt the firm to continue with its push into Japan, the second largest luxury brand market in the world. In fact, it has set the ambitious target of increasing Japanese revenues fourfold to £100 million by 2017, doubling its store presence over that time.
The company is due to take full control of its operations in Japan next year. The Financial Times points out that the move echoes Burberry's decision to take its Chinese operations in-house in 2010, allowing the firm to keep a closer eye on its brand image.
Christopher Bailey, who took over as chief executive on May 1st after Angela Ahrendts moved to a new role at Apple, warned that exchange rates could damage profits in the next year. If Japan's yen remains low as a result of loose monetary policy, the Asian nation could be one of the places where a strengthening pound does most harm.

Either way, Mr Bailey remains optimistic, saying: "As we enter a new chapter, our teams are united and energised by the opportunities ahead - from unlocking Japan, to accelerating beauty and further integrating the physical and digital to deliver distinctive experiences."

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Burberry continues global expansion | LSBF Blog

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After a strong set of financial results, Burberry has announced that it plans to continue focusing on achieving growth in Japan. Burberry has become one of Britain's most recognisable luxury brands in markets around the world. But now that it has put a troubling few years behind it with strong financial results, it plans to continue seeking out overseas growth.

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A recent global study predicted that Chinese consumers will account for forty-six percent of luxury sales worldwide by 2025 (Hall and Suen 2018)
Gucci realized consumers wanted more leather pieces instead of the logo.
Gucci collaborated with asian designers to produce bags with floral prints which were inspired by  chinese textiles.
"To take advantage of the increased spending on Chinese holidays, Gucci launched capsule collections for Chinese New Year and the Qixi festival. For the 2018 Chinese New Year, the year of the dog, Gucci’s special collection included sixty-three items featuring Alessandro Michele’s own Boston Terriers".(Cooper, 2018)
The article explained Gucci have been successful as "they made sure they have enough entry-level products for millennials like smaller bags and belts …and more than fifty percent of their marketing spending is now on digital” (Kottasavá 2018).

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Gucci Strikes Red: China's Love Affair with Gucci

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Under creative director Tom Ford, the Italian fashion house Gucci opened its first Chinese store in 1997 (Blanchard 2012, "Frida Giannini"). As early as 2004, chief executive of the Gucci Group Robert Polet aimed more than sixty percent of its investments towards Asia-particularly China-because he believed that the "Asia Pacific was going to be the big prize to be taken" ("Gucci Learns to Speak Chinese" 2012).

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Burberry already had two collections in Japan, Burberry Blue and black. The price point was lower making it more accessible to the Japanese market.
They stopped these ranges to focus on promoting the Burberry brand.
They used advertisements in Japanese Newspapers and proving their luxury heritage.

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Designed for younger females in Japan. Started with bags and small leather goods and expanded into clothing and menswear.
In pinks and blues which the Japan target customer prefers and the

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Salvatore Ferragamo is a high-end Italian designer of luxury goods. Ferragamo opened his first store in the United States in 1919 in Santa Barbara, California, where he quickly became a shoemaker for celebrities and movie stars. He soon opened a shop on Hollywood Boulevard, where he continued to design and sell shoes vigorously, often inspired by events or the world around him. Ferragamo continues to be a symbol of high quality and craftsmanship, and celebrities still wear his products. However, Ferragamo is an often-mimicked brand. With some smarts, you can distinguish between authentic Ferragamo products and the fakes.

Check the lining of your bag or tie. The lining should have "Salvatore Ferragamo" stitched into it. Fakes often have blank, solid colored lining.

Check the tags of your product. An authentic product should have one to several tags, one of which has the serial number underneath. Fakes never have a serial number.

Examine the font of the tags. The tags or labels should proclaim "Salvatore Ferragamo," and the font should match the font of this designer exactly: some of the letters should touch, others should not. Visit the official Salvatore Ferragamo website to double-check.

Check all the hard or metal-based items attached to the item, if any. They should all have "Ferragamo" engraved on them. Check closely for misspellings.

Look for a small white dust-bag, complete with a red drawstring mouth, if you are examining a handbag. Non-authentic bags rarely have this small trinket.

Tip

In general, the stitching and workmanship should be immaculate. Fakes often possess loose strings or threads, crooked stitches or other telltale signs.

If you see a tag that says "genuine leather" or "real leather," the product is a fake. That goes without saying when it comes to authentic Ferragamo products.

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Salvatore Ferragamo is a high-end Italian designer of luxury goods. Ferragamo opened his first store in the United States in 1919 in Santa Barbara, California, where he quickly became a shoemaker for celebrities and movie stars. He soon opened a shop on Hollywood Boulevard, where he continued to ...

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This article by Vogue shows how Victoria Beckham uses clashing colour to show confidence.
Tangerine and leafy green combos.

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VICTORIA BECKHAM is no stranger to colour. The British fashion designer has been spotted sashaying the streets of fashion capitals across the globe in a cacophony of clashing hues. From incandescent mint to vibrant vermillion, skip into summer with Victoria Beckham's best colour blocking looks.

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VICTORIA BECKHAM is no stranger to colour. The British fashion designer has been spotted sashaying the streets of fashion capitals across the globe in a cacophony of clashing hues. From incandescent mint to vibrant vermillion, skip into summer with Victoria Beckham's best colour blocking looks.

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Younger audiences buy even when they don't have the money.
Purchasing sneakers particularly.

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"Being popular" remains important for luxury brands, with 29.3 per cent of post-00s participants ranking it as the third characteristic they associate with luxury goods. Most, however, are more likely to be influenced in their purchases by their real-life social circle than by traditional media like magazines, with 34.1 per cent of post-00s consumers saying they learned about luxury goods from "discussing with friends and people around me". For luxury brands, this means it is essential to go beyond advertising campaigns with celebrities to establish a direct and trustworthy relationship with consumers, in the hope that they will introduce their products organically to more people around them.

Some have also come to see luxury purchases as an investment, bringing them to value some heritage brands over others according to their "longevity" factor. Moon, a Fujianese customer born in 1991 who spent over RMB 200,000 ($22,000) on an Hermès Constance bag in crocodile skin, says she prefers "conservative" luxury products "that can be used for a long time". "I did spend over RMB 200,000, but I consider it a bargain. I could pay the same amount for five Chanel bags, but I will probably not want to use any of them by the time I turn 50," she says.

Shoes, cosmetics and streetwear prevail

While handbags are still the most frequent luxury purchase for post-80s and post-90s consumers, the post-00s group is mostly spending on cosmetics and shoes. The proportion of consumers in this segment who favours cosmetics and shoes is 13.6 percentage points higher than that of the post-80s and 8.2 percentage points higher than that of the post-90s. According to the survey, post-00s consumers see shoes, much more than handbags, as a signifier of status.

The penchant for shoes has also been driven by the increasing popularity of streetwear in the country, which has made "sneakerheads" a fully recognised group. "I buy luxury goods mostly for my parents or the elders. If I want to buy something for myself, then I'll choose sneakers," say Li Yihan, a 23-year-old respondent from Hangzhou, who is a recognised sneakerhead among his circle of friends and has a collection of limited-edition sneakers.

"Luxury goods need to be disenchanted: without street culture, they are nothing at all," says Qian.

Overconsumption is on the rise

Older generations of Chinese luxury consumers are more likely to start purchasing expensive products after they have accumulated a certain amount of wealth. Today's young consumers are different - sometimes they may buy things they can't afford yet.

As much as 75.6 per cent of post-00s consumers said that they relied on their parents' support to purchase luxury goods instead of only their own resources. This is the case of a post-95 male customer, who said that, without his parents support, he would only be able to spend one-third of what he usually spends on luxury. Many are also willing to take loans to purchase the luxury goods they long for, exacerbating problems of overconsumption and debt for younger generations in the country.

A post-90s consumer surnamed Zhang, who has been holding on to a financial sales job for five years, has a six-digit debt due to overconsumption of luxury goods. He is not alone. He knows at least three other young people who are taking loans from financial organisations for the same reason.

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More on this topic:
Brands eye China's virtual idols China's live streaming boom Decoding China's Hanfu revival

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Three key trends of China's young luxury consumers

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"Being popular" remains important for luxury brands, with 29.3 per cent of post-00s participants ranking it as the third characteristic they associate with luxury goods. Most, however, are more likely to be influenced in their purchases by their real-life social circle than by traditional media like magazines, with 34.1 per cent of post-00s consumers saying they learned about luxury goods from "discussing with friends and people around me".

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Victoria Beckham although does wear heels she describes how she can't be bothered to wear them when not working.
“Mixing sportswear with ready-to-wear pieces is a real art”(Newbold, 2020)

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"I'm a minimalist," Victoria Beckham told British Vogue upon the launch of her third Reebok collection. It's a statement seemingly at odds with the Stabilo-highlighter Rapide trainers in the edit, which have cemented her status as Reebok's most visible ambassador on her recent school runs. No matter: "Mixing sportswear with ready-to-wear pieces is a real art," she explained of teaming those punchy kicks with biscuit, black and cream knits and leggings. It's a balancing act that was once inconceivable for Beckham, who saved athleisure for rehearsals and trainers for well, never.

Cast your mind back to when Victoria Adams, sorry Posh Spice, fell for football hero David Beckham in 1997. The only thing that happened to her heels upon their marriage in 1999 was this: they got higher. Known for her vertiginous footwear, as much as her poker face and highlighted hair (extensions), Beckham was one of the original footballers' wives, famous for getting the paparazzi snapping as they glamazoned their way through stadiums. "I just can't concentrate in flats," she famously said in 2008. "I'd love to go to the gym, but I just can't get my head around the footwear."

Indeed, sport was anti-Beckham's branding, and the closest she got to being photographed in a pair of sneakers was at a Dodgers game in 2007, when she laced up a pair of box-fresh, optic-white Dries Van Noten wedges to receive baseball batting tips during a photo op. It was peak Posh, despite the fact the Spice Girls band was fizzling out after a hiatus from 2001 to 2007, when Beckham also moved to California to support her husband's football career.

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From WAG To Workout Queen, Victoria Beckham's Life In Trainers

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Victoria Beckham's life in trainers is as enthralling as her Posh Spice days from the box-fresh, optic-white Dries Van Noten wedges Victoria Beckham wore at a 2007 Dodgers game, to her Adidas Originals phase in 2016, and her collaboration with Reebok.

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Visit Victoria Beckham and discover our range of timeless shoes today. Pointed court shoes, leather heels and more footwear icons will complete every look.

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This shows some of the best retail concept experiences with restaurants, underwater tunnels, conference rooms etc.

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We've turned our attention to the world's most luxurious retail spaces for best-in-class examples of premium store design, and exemplary customer service. From household labels (Louis Vuitton, Dior) to disruptive young upstarts (Shinola Detroit, Mast Brothers) these retail spaces are redefining what it means to create a 'luxury' customer experience.
Peruse our top 50 luxury retail list (in no particular order) offering sensory welcomes and relaxing in-store gardens; jaw-dropping design to custom-stocked changing rooms.

A shining star in the Louis Vuitton retail portfolio, Maison Louis Vuitton London was masterminded by cult architect Peter Marino and opened in 2010. Imbued with luxury materials such as silk wallpaper, bamboo wood and a dramatic glass staircase, the Maison is a true monument to the brand which unfolds over three floors. The space has hosted artworks by the likes of Anish Kapoor, Richard Prince and Takashi Murakami and the second floor is completely dedicated to a private client suite.

Often described as "the most expensive store in the world", the Rodeo Drive menswear boutique has dressed Presidents and Hollywood Royalty, dignitaries and other designers. The 'by appointment' showroom services each customer individually and features clothing, accessories, fragrances and even 'drivable art' aka - automotives!

French design house agnes b takes its successful Parisian gallery concept (Galerie du Jour) to 50 Howard Street New York. This time it combines a committed calendar of exhibitions with a shoppable boutique and bookshop creating a snapshot of the designer's critical and creative eye.

4. Tesla (Global)

Tesla spaces worldwide not only feature the latest models and concept models from the electric car leader, but also a design studio station detailing the components and finishes available and a merchandise section. More than 3 million people around the world visit Tesla retail locations each year, so the focus is on educating them on the vehicles in a low-pressure way. The specialists are even happy to chat about electric vehicle tech in general, not just Tesla products. The stores are intentionally different to your traditional dealership to emphasise that the cars are different.

Described as the 'spiritual home' of Alfred Dunhill, the Grade II listed building is a tribute to the elegance, service and attention to detail of times past. Gentlemen can select from over 300 cloths for suits, 450 cloths for shirts and have their purchases crafted bespoke on site. There's an on-site barber for the cleanest-cut wet shave, a screening room and a Cellar Bar serving signature drinks and food.

Nespresso is rolling out a new concept for its premium coffee capsule range. The latest store is in the Liverpool One mall in the UK and hinges around three key pillars. One is the "sensorial welcome", the second is the "discovery at the atelier table", the third is the "sustainability and circularity experience" which emphasises the eco-friendly store design and pod recycling. There's also the chance to join in-house experts to learn more about the provenance of the coffee available.

The leather goods and design brand Shinola Detroit has recently opened a 2,651 sq ft store in Brooklyn. It stocks a toolkit for the modern Brooklynite - watches, leather bags and accessories, audio and hi-fi, stationery and bikes. It has a monogramming station for personalising leather goods and a watch customisation bar. The Smile to Go Cafe stocks a handy menu of coffees and sandwiches for New Yorkers on the run.

Well known for its intriguing and unorthodox material and form combinations, Maison Margiela's Milan store in Via Saint' Andrea was one of the first incarnations following Creative Director, John Galliano's appointment. In collaboration with Milanese design studio Wood-Skin, the space boasts striking features such as a black and white malleable tiled curtain and a small in-store garden enclave.

Designed with long-time collaborator OMA/ AMO, New York's Prada Epicenter is a boutique, a public space, a gallery, a performance space and a laboratory exploring the architectural firm's ongoing research into shopping culture and futures. The 'store' is a place to be explored, touched, experienced and is constantly evolving.

The mega-concept store designed by Belgian creative Arne Quinze on the Rue Sevigne creates a dreamscape for shoppers to explore, wander and wonder. The clothing is embodied inside a store-wide installation where animations run across 100+ embedded screens.

This is a store that takes the art of scent seriously. The latest iteration conceived by Jakob + MacFarlane displays bottles on honeycomb structures and mirrors creating an endless fragrant universe. Each space contains a smelling booth for an optimum olfactory inhalation; refrigeration units to conserve the original scent as much as possible; and perfumer portrait galleries bringing the 'noses' behind the creations to life.

Re-defining luxury through bare-minimalism, 3.1 Phillip Lim's latest store in Downtown Los Angeles is a lofty 5,000 sq ft space that creates airy, transformable spaces with low-commitment free-standing partition walls and transparent strip curtains. The founders describe the space as 'curated' rather than 'lifestyle', with handpicked exhibitions and partnerships.

The first word in confectionary, the Dubai City Walk hosts Le Chocolat, closer to a fashion boutique than a chocolate shop. A mannequin crafted entirely out of chocolate greets shoppers at the entrance before they select from gourmet cocoa truffles and bon bons for customisation.

Isabel Marant stores tell a consistent story across every retail outlet. The latest Miami store in the heart of the Design District carries a unique Parisienne signature designed by French architect Laurent Deroo.

A dream department store for children, Level Kids is home to 200 brands across toys, kidswear, shoes and accessories for little shoppers aged 0-12. Think Stella McCartney Kids and Burberry Kids alongside a cafe, a mini-spa, a photo studio, an aquarium and a VIC (Very Important Children's) area.

16. Maxfield (Los Angeles)

Maxfield is a cult luxury boutique spanning both curated and vintage designer collections. It hosts a roaming line-up of blockbuster exhibitions and exclusive collections (think Alessandro Michele for Gucci) and a sharp edit of fashion, jewellery, watches, furniture, books and gifts.

17. Hermes (London)

Overlooking Cadogan Square Gardens, this flagship effortless straddles the Hermes brand of whimsy whilst being sympathetic to the horticultural surroundings. Rooms are open and bright, with different material and colour finishes in each space. Hermes leather pieces are on display as examples of the le sur-mesure (bespoke) services available at the store.

A skip and a jump from the Piazza San Marco is Dolce & Gabbana embodied in all its sexy, sumptuous Italian glory. No two Dolce stores are ever the same. Designed by Eric Carlson each space is given a unique, localised personality. The Venetian store is supremely opulent with marble columns, terrazzo flooring and a trophy Murano glass chandelier.

Balenciaga as we know it has been transformed by creative director Demna Gvasalia. Its flagship on Avenue Montaigne disrupts 'luxury' with a shabby chic 2.0 aesthetic where children's drawings and crayon-doodles offset sparsely distributed haute couture.

A veritable playground of luxury flagships, we've called out the Dior store within luxury mall, Ginza Six. Over five, decadent levels there is an exhaustive range of womenswear, menswear and MAISON, as well as a whole floor dedicated to VIP's and a cafe serving exclusive desserts in collaboration with Pierre Herme. It also features a striking 'sail' inspired glass facade designed by aforementioned architect Peter Marino. It also has an ongoing roster of events and in-store 'tours'.

With spaces in both Vancouver and New York City, Lululemon Labs are design concept spaces for the brand. They feature in-house designers and a sampling room who respond to the personality of its host city with limited edition, luxury designs only available in that store. On entering the store, you may find yourself assisted by a brand manager, photographer or accessories curator who 'work the floor' to get direct feedback from customers.

Space NK's Regent Street store is a testing centre for new products and ranges. Customers get first look previews of new launches and the 'curating' team's most exciting new discoveries. They can pre-order popular products ahead of launch and an on-site beauty school ensures that all employees are trained in the same way for a consistent experience.

Browns is arguably one of the pioneers of the multi-brand store concept. It's been transported from West London to Shoreditch for a new generation following its acquisition by Far Fetch. Housed in a former printing factory, the space has a flexible set up thanks to a series of colourful sculptures that can be moved around the space. It was designed by the Far Fetch Store of the Future Team who will be running various trials to explore how tech can better serve customers.

The home of the Swarovski, Innsbruck is the glittering jewel in the crystal empire. Customers can explore spaces replete with enchanting installations by world-renowned artists and designers such as Manish Arora, Thomas Feuerstein and Jean Paul Gaultier. Naturally, it stocks an exceptional range of jewellery and a bar for post-retail therapy.

Arguably this is luxury for the masses, but with smartphones over £1,000 on offer, Apple justified the cut of this list. The Regent Street store rolls out 'The Avenue', a global concept of natural trees to calm and contrast with the tech. The customer service has become a blueprint and benchmark for retailers worldwide.

On the subject of sparklers, Vashi's new concept store in London's Piccadilly invites customers to design their own bespoke jewellery. State-of-the-art lasers, chemicals and flames form metal right there on-site in the store's underground 'diamond lab'. Consumers select a design, create a digital moodboard and then watch the 'alchemists' create the diamond setting in front of their eyes.

27. Le Labo (New York)

Elizabeth Street, NoLIta hosts the luxury fragrance brand's flagship store. In store, fragrances are compounded-to-order, made on the spot. Each order is also personalised with the customer's name on the bottle and the box.

Luxury is embodied in the Hermes boutique Paris, housed in a former 1930s swimming pool. A discrete portico, leads to a voluminous space with a series of ashwood huts or pavilions, each holding a different collection. The space becomes a surreal organic universe that customers traverse to explore different stories within.

Burberry's flagship on London's Regent Street was one of the first brands to truly integrate futuristic technology with luxury fashion. Traditional British heritage and style is brought to life with multimedia screen content, catwalks streaming on film and RFID smart to create a spectacular, seamless shopping experience.

London is home to the world's first Tom Ford grooming store. Tying into the democratising of men's 'beauty', the futuristic store includes a Tom Ford 'voice over' taking customers through the designer's unique scents. The spaceship-esque grooming room is open for expert services that can be booked in advance online. Think beard trims to express facials to hot towel wet shaves.

We could have selected any one of Gentle Monster's stores, but the Singapore space stands out for its spectacular narratives that weave throughout installations, art pieces and extraordinary window displays. Product is artfully woven amongst the displays as customers navigate the immersive merchandise.

This New York chocolatier was founded by brothers Rick and Michael Mast in Brooklyn, 2007. They pride themselves on 'obsessive' attention to detail, innovative flavours and brilliant craftsmanship. All this can be experienced through public and private tours at their Brooklyn flagship where guides will take you through the bean-to-bar process from sourcing to packaging.

Earlier this year, Lacoste rolled out a new global concept at Westfield London, one of the brand's fastest growing markets. The store features The Polo Wall showcasing the iconic item; digital content supports the collections throughout providing product details and history. The store makes use of Westfield's atrium spaces with exhibitions. It opened with "L fr Legend, L for Lacoste" in celebration of its sponsorship of Novak Djokavic.

Neo² is designed as a multisensory shopping experience for fans of the Montblanc brand. The store is divided into four speciality categories - writing instruments, watches, jewellery and leather goods with specially designed material spaces to match. Think white lacquer and fine metals to offset the distinct writing instruments. It also has limited rare finds for true collectors.

35. Sonos (London)

Following a successful Sonos Studio pop-up, the audio giant has opened a flagship store in London. It features two floors of sonic immersion including two house-shaped 'listening' rooms with various materials and surfaces to test acoustics. It's brought to life with artwork from local artists like Neil Raitt and Camille Walala. Technology is in-built into the whole space and customers can select their own music to be played in the space.

Outside the Champs-Elysee store, Singapore boasts the largest Louis Vuitton boutique in the world. The store is housed in a Crystal Pavilion floating on the Marina Bay. Customers enter the store through an underwater tunnel before shopping the complete selection of LV merchandise, books and art. A mezzanine level sea-view Travel Room extends to an outdoor loggia reminiscent of a luxury yacht. Visitors can access the Island Maison via an outdoor bridge, by boat or even by an ascending 'travelator' from the Marina Bay Sands shopping mall.

37. Coach (New York)

The flagship of this loved American handbag brand puts its treasured items at the heart of the action. Not only does it include an area for made-to-order handbags, but the second floor of the store is completely dedicated to a workshop space where visitors can experience full-time craftspeople personalising items, conducting repairs and creating new pieces.

If you liked the Dolce & Gabbana Venice store, you'll love the The Bulgari Temple store, Rome. Designed for the brand's 130th anniversary, the space is inspired by its Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman roots. The materials and luxury finishes of some of the world's finest jewellery is imbued in a rich tactile space with one ripple in the past, one in the present.

39. The Row (New York)

The Olsen Twins' new store is an extension of their 'own homes', a classic Brownstone dressed with perfect details from the just-so placed orchid to original Basquiat canvases and antique chair. It's a space designed for exploring and shopping through touch whether it's the luxury materials or tactile interiors.

One of the oldest perfume stores in the world, Guerlain reopened its oldest retailer in early 2016. A true tribute to fragrance, the four-level store has a fragrance gallery, a luxury store and a restaurant inspired by the scents and flavours of the olfactory universe of Guerlain.

A true pilgrimage for wine lovers, Hedonism has 6,500 wines and 3,000 spirits on its inventory. The expert buyers have sourced every single bottle from every region of the world with a focus on the provenance of each bottle. Visitors to the store can also sample 50 different wines via one of the clever Enomatic wine dispensers. There are regular tastings with winemakers and distillers offering an insight into the provenance, production and expertise behind each bottle. With no customer service stone left unturned, there is an area for kids, an overseas delivery service and a sourcing service if you really can't find what you're looking for.

Luxury is...no merchandise? Luxury American department store Nordstrom has opened a services-only store in Los Angeles. Services include click-and-collect and product tailoring and alterations (even for non-Nordstrom product). It also hosts a bar and nail salon. A true omnichannel experience, shoppers can select their favourite looks online before they are couriered from the local Nordstrom, ready and waiting at the changing rooms.

Not to be confused with the luxury car brand, Bentleys is a true treasure trove of antique leather accessories, silverware, travel goods and luggage. Whether it's a well-travelled Louis Vuitton trunk or a fine piece of Edwardian silver, the team have painstakingly unearthed historical gems and sourced pieces for luxury yachts, libraries and tailors' showrooms. The pieces lean towards 'gentlemen's finery' and can be searched in depth online. With advanced notice, the piece can be ready for you to inspect on arrival.

J.W.Anderson Workshop in Shoreditch, London is an embodiment of the designers influences and reference points, told through an ongoing programme of installations, exhibitions and events. The programme is surprising and irregular - it may be a week long fanzine project or a longer photographic exhibition celebrating a partnership. The space is designed to operate as a creative platform for Anderson and his collaborators.

Ace and Tate are working with local artists and creatives to create a playful identity in each of its stores. The energetic, 'eye-popping' brights, in the Dutch tradition are part of a wider brand mission to reinvent the eyewear store with stand-out frame design, lifestyle-led interiors and cutting-edge ambassadors.

Great novels, sketches, thoughts and musings were drafted and crafted in cafes, little wonder then that Moleskine have opened a new concept space designed to nurture creativity, notebook-in-hand. Part cafe, art gallery, store and library the cafe will also host a programme of talks, breakfast learning sessions and exhibitions.

Interior design brand Normann Copenhagen creates retail theatre with each of its concept showrooms. The latest iteration is inspired by the 'runway' with a molten gold catwalk, VIP area, backstage passes and product displayed on clothing racks.

Earlier this year, premium beauty brand Neom Organics launched wellbeing Schools at its standalone UK stores. Sales assistants aka Neomologists offer a 30-minute consultation to advise on 'wellbeing needs' before prescribing the correct 'class'. Classes include Sleep School, Energy School, De-Stress School and Happiness School. Here luxury is very much a take-care service, rather than a take-away product.

You can't blink and miss the Evance Watch store in Tokyo with its high-rise facade and giant watch graphics. Inside, products sparkle from glossy white cabinets and spotlighting. The second floor features the highest grade watches with private booths for one-on-one service.

A new salon concept for London, Salon64 is a lifestyle space to socialise, work, and of course attend to your beauty needs. Styling chairs surround a distinctive fire pit feature, each equipped with unfolding tops that double up as both work stations and drinks tables - all whilst your hair is cut, coloured and styled with the most premium products. An onsite bar serves eco-friendly coffee whilst you have a pampering nail treatment, and 20 coffees will even earn you a free blow dry.

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50 Best Luxury Retail Stores - Insider Trends

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We've turned our attention to the world's most luxurious retail spaces for best-in-class examples of premium store design, and exemplary customer service. From household labels (Louis Vuitton, Dior) to disruptive young upstarts (Shinola Detroit, Mast Brothers) these retail spaces are redefining what it means to create a 'luxury' customer experience.

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Lanvin displayed the campaign on different Chinese social media channels including Weibo and Xiaohongshu to maximise impact, while its prominence on WeChat coincided with Lanvin's first use of WeChat Channels - the app's short-video feature. On 25 January, the brand posted its first short video on WeChat, featuring Cheng Yi greeting his fans with Lanvin's CNY message, followed by similar videos by the other celebrities. On its official account, Lanvin published five regular posts to further promote CNY products, encouraging interested readers to place orders on the mini-program store.

Also likely to have contributed to Lanvin's search popularity is local street fashion media Nowre's endorsement of its chunky sneakers Lanvin Curb (pictured above) from the Autumn/Winter 2020 show. Published on 2 February, the report notes that Lanvin's chunky sneakers have become new favourites of fashionistas and trendsetters since their launch in September.

Moschino

Moschino came in second place in percentage growth of WeChat searches closely behind Lanvin. While Lanvin relied on Chinese celebrities to generate media buzz, Moschino built around a CNY narrative based on its Year of the Ox capsule collection and an associated ox cartoon character.

On WeChat, the Italian brand released its first-ever mini game, a simplified version of Super Mario with the Moschino ox as a main character running on the "Mooschino" Runway. The game was introduced on 19 January in a regular WeChat post. Readers land on the mini game page by following a link provided in the post. Personal data, including name, mobile number and email address, are requested before granting access. Once inside, Moschino's creative director Jeremy Scott greets Chinese players in his virtual cartoon figure. Players complete three rounds of games (or runways) in Los Angeles, New York and Milan. The top 30 players are awarded with an exclusive edition of a Moschino Mahjong set, and others have the chance to collect shopping coupons.

"The ultimate goal of the Moschino CNY mini game was to direct online traffic to offline during the Chinese New Year," says Chenyin Pan, general manager of Fireworks/Adiacent China, an agency that helped develop the game. "Users can collect shopping coupons through the game and use them in Moschino stores in China, helping the brand to increase foot traffic and generate sales."

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The best luxury brand campaigns for Chinese New Year

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Lanvin displayed the campaign on different Chinese social media channels including Weibo and Xiaohongshu to maximise impact, while its prominence on WeChat coincided with Lanvin's first use of WeChat Channels - the app's short-video feature. On 25 January, the brand posted its first short video on WeChat, featuring Cheng Yi greeting his fans with Lanvin's CNY message, followed by similar videos by the other celebrities.

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China's most-important festival of the year is just around the corner, and to celebrate, more than 130 luxury brands have launched new products on Tmall Luxury Pavilion ahead of the crucial shopping holiday.

Chinese New Year celebrations have taken on an added significance as consumers are eager to put 2020 in the rearview mirror and start afresh, per Alibaba Group's dedicated platform for high-end brands. This has fueled a surge in spending, from new clothes to gifts for loved ones, in the world's fastest-growing luxury goods market. And with international travel still out of the question for most, people will likely indulge in spending sprees locally and digitally instead.

Here's a glimpse at what the world of luxury has been doing online to usher in the Year of the Ox.

Gucci 's latest campaign served up a dose of nostalgia, especially for generations of consumers who grew up watching Japanese manga and anime. The playful collection combined celebration of Doraemon's 50th anniversary with Chinese New Year, featuring the beloved robotic cat diguised as an ox - complete with hooves and horns - standing proudly over the Italian fashion house's classic monogram.

The British luxury brand also paid homage to the holiday with a limited-edition, ox-inspired range, comprising a refreshed take on its signature trench coats, shirts, footwear and accessories, including a horn-adorned baseball cap. Burberry also released a short film, titled, "A New Awakening," which celebrated the arrival of spring and new beginnings.

The storied jeweler crafted new creations specifically for Chinese New Year for the first time this year. This includes a Trinity necklace embellished with a red gemstone and a Ballon Blue de Cartier timepiece that's paired with a red strap. It also featured other products that come in an auspicious color, such as a red-cord Trinity bracelet - a nod to the red-string bracelets that symbolize blessings and love in Chinese culture.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN
The Swiss luxury watchmaker expanded its métiers d'art collection with two new timepieces that took cues from China's traditional paper-cutting techniques. The watches, which come in pink gold and platinum, are limited to just 12 pieces each. At the center of the dial is an ox, surrounded by motifs from classic iconography.

The Italian fashion house went all out this this year with its first-ever gamified feature to engage Chinese shoppers, as well as a 16-piece limited-edition collection, including everything from dresses and jackets to a bright-red handbag with nose ring and horns. The products are emblazoned with a cartoon ox that was reinterpreted from Moschino's design archives.

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
DVF launched dedicated products for Chinese New Year, including a new, red-colored version of the designer's legendary wrap dress inspired by China's traditional qipao.

RALPH LAUREN
Ralph Lauren teamed up with Hong Kong-based streetwear label Clot to give the company's classics an east-meets-west twist, including reworking its polo and chambray work shirts with frog-button closures often found in traditional Chinese garments.

MULBERRY
Mulberry launched limited-edition, eco-friendly Portobello Totes exclusively on Tmall Luxury Pavilion. The totes comes in two colors - blue and red - and feature a new print, inspired by Chinese knots that represent good fortune for the new year. It also made small leather accessories inspired by the country's traditional knotting techniques.

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
The Italian leather goods maker took to bold splashes of red for its CNY 2021 line. The brand's Viva Bow shoulder bag, flats and silk scarves come in a new print that draws on themes and elements, such as pagodas, lotus flowers, bamboos and auspicious animals.

CHLOÉ
Chloé marked CNY by launching special-edition shirts, jewelry and bags, decorated with ox-themed pins. The collection includes revamped versions of the French designer brand's Daria Mini and Drew handbags, an all-red Fredy bottle bag and an adorable AirPods case with ox horns.
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Luxury Brands Going the 'Ox-tra' Mile for Chinese New Year | Alizila

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China's most-important festival of the year is just around the corner, and to celebrate, more than 130 luxury brands have launched new products on Tmall Luxury Pavilion ahead of the crucial shopping holiday. Chinese New Year celebrations have taken on an added significance as consumers are eager to put 2020 in the rearview mirror and start afresh, per Alibaba Group's dedicated platform for high-end brands.

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In July 2020, we introduced our new Thomas Burberry Summer Monogram collection, designed by Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Tisci, through a unique campaign starring Kendall Jenner.

An ode to the fashion house's founder, Thomas Burberry, the bold interlocking TB initials - created by Riccardo and Peter Saville in 2018 - is refreshed in a larger scale and colour palette of dark beige, azure blue, graphite and cobalt blue with orange accents.

The Thomas Burberry Summer Monogram campaign captures a journey from reality to fantasy, blending the rawness of real-life capture with the fantasy of CGI technology. Building on the house's longstanding leadership in digital innovation, the campaign video is set in a dreamlike CGI geometric world inspired by skateparks and swimming pools - embodying the free spirit and optimism of summer.

To bring this campaign to life, Riccardo called upon a cast of iconic British creatives including photographer Nick Knight, art director Peter Saville and stylist Katy England.
2018
In July 2018, our Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Tisci revealed the brand's new graphic identity, designed in collaboration with the legendary British art director and graphic designer Peter Saville.

Inspired by an original drawing from our archives, the Thomas Burberry monogram ('TB') is used on its own and as a repetitive print. It celebrates the heritage of our fashion house in a return to the spirit of our founder, whose initials are referenced in the design.

In September 2018, the Thomas Burberry monogram was brought to life in the Thomas Burberry Bear, which has appeared in New York, Shanghai and London. Many iconic landmarks and major Burberry stores across the world have also been wrapped in the new monogram. It is a powerful new language.

Riccardo Tisci has defined a new language for the brand and new house codes which we are now establishing.

Our monogram in Beijing, China.

Monogram in Hong Kong.

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In July 2020, we introduced our new Thomas Burberry Summer Monogram collection, designed by Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Tisci, through a unique campaign starring Kendall Jenner. An ode to the fashion house's founder, Thomas Burberry, the bold interlocking TB initials - created by Riccardo and Peter Saville in 2018 - is refreshed in a larger scale and colour palette of dark beige, azure blue, graphite and cobalt blue with orange accents.

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Fashion, like most businesses, is feeling the economic blow of the pandemic. Every week, it seems, a new store closes or another business files for bankruptcy. But the world keeps turning, and in spite of everything, new and innovative retail locations are also opening up.

On Friday, Burberry unveiled a shiny new store in Mainland China - its 63rd in the region. Located in the booming tech hub of Shenzhen, this is luxury fashion's first-ever "social retail" store, according to the brand.

In partnership with Tencent, which owns the Chinese messaging app WeChat and the popular video game Fortnite, the space will integrate social media and gaming with the shopping experience in ways that go far beyond your average dressing-room selfie. Using Burberry's new WeChat mini platform, customers can not only book appointments, reserve fitting rooms, or make a reservation at the store's café with the app but also accrue "social currency." Think of it like a credit card rewards program, only on social media: The more you use it, and share content, the more rewards you unlock.

Each customer is given a cute little Bambi-like avatar that evolves as you use the platform. All products are labeled with QR codes that, when scanned, reveal additional content. And customers also have the opportunity to unlock special Thomas Café menu items (like the dinosaur fries at In-N-Out), plus an exclusive, velvet rope space in the store called the Trench Experience.

"When it came to innovating around social and retail, China was the obvious place to go as home to some of the most digitally savvy luxury customers," Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti said in a statement. It's also where people, specifically young people, are spending money right now. In Shenzhen, a city of 12 million people, the average age is under 30.

Burberry creative director Riccardi Tisci is particularly skilled at communicating with young, tech-savvy customers, but he also felt strongly about preserving the organic nature of shopping with this store as well, especially when it came to the interior design. "I am fascinated by the balance between nature and technology, and the energy that connects the two," he said. "This store explores this relationship, blending the digital and the physical realms in an exciting new concept."

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Is 'Social Retail' the Future of Shopping?

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Fashion, like most businesses, is feeling the economic blow of the pandemic. Every week, it seems, a new store closes or another business files for bankruptcy. But the world keeps turning, and in spite of everything, new and innovative retail locations are also opening up.

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VB used messenger to connect with fashion fans.

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VB used messenger to connect with fashion fans.

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The Messenger bot was able to communicate with thousands of people at once. Using Victoria Beckhams style of messaging it interacted with fans.
"The brand then began pushing exclusive product drops, allowing fans to see and purchase within Messenger. The team also shared behind-the-scenes videos of Victoria herself, and an exclusive invitation to watch the show at London Fashion Week." (Facebook for Business, 2018)

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Always looking for new ways to engage with its audience, Victoria Beckham teamed up with its agency Byte to create a unique experience for fans using a bot for Messenger. Through a multi-phase campaign, the bot communicated on behalf of the brand with thousands of people at once. Working closely with Victoria herself, the team used her own words to create an automated script that allowed people to have a direct conversation with the bot.

Driving awareness in Messenger
To reach people on the Victoria Beckham Facebook Page, the bot sent a simple teaser message to fans within Messenger letting them opt in to get further information in real time. The brand then began pushing exclusive product drops, allowing fans to see and purchase within Messenger. The team also shared behind-the-scenes videos of Victoria herself, and an exclusive invitation to watch the show at London Fashion Week.

Engaging beyond the catwalk
Once the capsule collection debuted at London Fashion Week, the Victoria Beckham team sent messages giving a round-up of the collection, and asked fans for their thoughts on what they saw. Not only were fans deeply involved throughout the whole experience with a brand they love, but Victoria Beckham got real-time feedback about her collection.

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Always looking for new ways to engage with its audience, Victoria Beckham teamed up with its agency Byte to create a unique experience for fans using a bot for Messenger. Through a multi-phase campaign, the bot communicated on behalf of the brand with thousands of people at once.

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Emerging foggy-eyed after a year spent indoors, you don't have to look far to notice-mushrooms are sprouting everywhere. Whether it's a reishi-infused serum to calm dry skin, lion's mane drops under the tongue to boost immunity or chaga coffee to curb quarantine fatigue-the humble fungus has never been so fashionable. The mushroom market is anticipated to reach a value of over $50 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research, as people increasingly turn to nature for solutions to our late-stage pandemic needs. While some are ingesting mushrooms to support their bodies, others are wearing mushrooms to support the planet-literally.

Today marks the launch of Adidas' Stan Smith Mylo -the first shoe of its kind to be made with a mushroom-based material. Keeping in line with their sustainable ethos, Adidas has chosen their most famed shoe to make an environmental statement; the innovative renewable material was used to create the classic three stripes, heel tab overlay and signature branding the shoe is known for.

It's the latest use of Mylo, a mushroom-based material developed by biotechnology company Bolt Threads. Grown in a lab designed to replicate the forest floor, Mylo is developed from mycelium-the underground roots of mushrooms-to create a foamy mat that can then be finished in a variety of patterns, colors and textures, according to Jamie Bainbridge, the vice president of product development at Bolt Threads. The result is a flexible, breathable fabric that feels remarkably similar to animal leather.

The successful shoe application of the mushroom leather is largely thanks to the Mylo consortium: a partnership established in October of last year between Bolt Threads and Adidas, Stella McCartney, Lululemon and Kering (the French luxury group behind Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci). "It's been a very unusual experiment, to gather four partners and say, 'come along with us on a journey of development,'" Bainbridge tells Forbes. "The great thing about it, is that if I need to understand how this material will be used in shoe-making, I have a partner who makes shoes who I can call and we talk about the specifications of the material."

By having the brands just a phone call away, Bolt Threads has been able develop the new Stan Smith specifically for the needs of Adidas' clientele. "The needs of a handbag are very different from the needs of a shoe," Bainbridge tells Forbes. "We're supposed to take 10,000 steps a day-that means each one of your shoes has been flexed 10,000 times in a day."

It's this collaborative process that is enabling Mylo to turn science into fashion. They've been doing it with Stella McCartney since 2017, when they first began developing the mushroom-based Falabella bag, which premiered a year later at the V&A Fashioned from Nature exhibition in London. Last month Stella McCartney released the world's first garment made of Mylo: a sensual-yet-athletic black top and utilitarian trouser, featuring the mushroom leather laid on recycled nylon scuba. The luxury house known for its planet-friendly approach is setting the stage for other fashion brands to follow suit. Hermès recently released a bag made from reishi fine mycelium while Allbirds has announced plans to develop a new shoe using 'leather' derived from rubber tree sap.

While there has been a "flurry of activity in the alternative leather space," according to Bainbridge, up until recently, plant-based leathers have largely been limited to the world of high-end fashion. The biggest hurdle to making mushroom material mainstream? Bringing the product to scale. "Every time you go up in scale, you have big equipment changes, and that changes the proportions of the mixture, it changes everything about the dynamics of the material," says Bainbridge. "You basically learn to make it over again at each scale."

Having committed partners on board seems to be a key ingredient to bringing mushroom leather to the masses. "Now we have a production facility, we're getting to the point where we have large-scale production very soon," says Bainbridge. The vice president is optimistic that the Adidas launch marks the beginning of that expansion, "This product that we're revealing to the public is going to set the stage for taking it into a commercial product, Adidas is very clear that they will not show a product that they don't have a line of sight for making in the near future," Bainbridge says.

But even if major retailers can create fabric made of fungi, will consumers buy it? "I've spent a career developing materials and I've never seen a material with this much pull, I've never seen anything like it," says Bainbridge. Amidst a fashion industry increasingly concerned with its environmental footprint, it's no surprise mushroom leather would draw interest. Compared to animal leathers, which consume significant amounts of natural resources in the year they take to produce, Mylo is produced in two weeks. And while there are plenty of non-animal leather alternatives available, most are made of plastic-mycelium-based textiles involve regenerative growing methods and contain less petrochemicals than their synthetic counterparts.

"The planet can't go on the way it has been," Bainbridge tells Forbes. "You're seeing it in every subject matter around sustainability-whether it's climate change or carbon footprint-the public is gaining an understanding that they've got to change their ways." If there was ever a moment for mushroom leather to take off, it would be now, as consumers become increasingly conscious about their impact. "There's an understanding the world has gained in the last year of being locked up that perhaps we can't go about business as usual," says Bainbridge.

But mushrooms are not just peaking interest as a material source, they're popping up in designs too. From button mushroom Chanel earrings to soft-edged fungi-shaped lamps to Bella Hadid's mushroom-engraved leather bag, mushrooms have become the go-to motif of the past year. "Fungi are having a moment, there's popular culture around it," says Bainbridge.

After a year spent indoors, it makes sense that people are flocking to this symbol of nature. "We are at a moment of deep climate crisis and are very separated from our relationship to nature," says Francesca Gavin, curator of Mushrooms: The Art, Design and Future of Fungi, which exhibited early last year at the Somerset House in London. When asked if the trend is explained by a romanticization of nature, Bainbridge agrees, "It's staggering to watch what has happened to people's thinking around being outside, it's a whole new awareness for a lot of people."

Feeling powerless in the face of the pandemic, it's no surprise people are embracing one of nature's most resilient and self-sustaining organisms; one that symbolizes immortality. "Without fungi all ecosystems would die," Gavin tells Forbes. "Fungi provide a beautiful example of the fascinating importance of nature for human life to flourish."

But perhaps the fungi frenzy is about more than connecting to nature, and represents a larger desire to find comfort in our shared humanity. "Whether it's trying to survive the pandemic together, seeing nature through a new lens, I think we're all a little more connected these days," says Bainbridge. Gavin echos this statement, "Mushrooms provide a contemporary metaphor for new ways of thinking and living in a more positive way with nature, they show how living in symbiosis with the world around us is the only route for survival."

For fashion designers and sustainable textile producers that connection means embracing the presence of competition. Aside from Bolt Threads, Ecovative and MycoWorks are producing mycelium-based leathers too. But Bainbridge sees their fellow mushroom material-makers as united in the pursuit of a greener planet, "We're glad to see others playing in the space too, there's room for a lot of people, it makes each one of us stronger."

... Read More

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Fungi Fashion Is Booming As Adidas Launches New Mushroom Leather Shoe

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Emerging foggy-eyed after a year spent indoors, you don't have to look far to notice-mushrooms are sprouting everywhere. Whether it's a reishi-infused serum to calm dry skin, lion's mane drops under the tongue to boost immunity or chaga coffee to curb quarantine fatigue-the humble fungus has never been so fashionable.

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OUR MATERIAL PARTNERSHIP WITH NATURE

SLOW COOKED SOLES

Our soles start off as liquid rubber, which is poured into a mould sitting in a 60°C water bath. This process turns the soles from a liquid into a solid form.

After being cooled the soles are placed on trays in an oven, and cooked for a week to expel the excess water. And this is the slow cooking magic which creates the trademark Lactae Hevea alveolar microstructure of networked air bubbles.

Creating the most comfortable shoes in the world takes time. It's a process which can't be hurried and you feet will thank you for over the years to come.

ORGANIC COTTON

Our GOTs Organic Cotton looks after the soil, the air and the people crucial to its production. And whilst not perfect, it's a reasonable starting point for us in a journey to directly producing our own raw materials

Fast and cheap cotton passes the cost onto the farmers health, our environment, soil fertility, biodiversity and the water table.

Plus it's easy to forget that the skin is the largest organ of your body. So treat yourself well and be aware of the chemicals present in the material.

Cotton production has an impact on our world at large, as well as within the communities in which it is grown.

ORGANIC-TANNED LEATHER

In world drowning in plastic we have chosen to use a natural waste product (leather) from the meat industry instead of coating organic materials in plastic.

Right now there isn't a leather substitute which is fully biodegradable into organic matter, and most are a complicated mixture of plastic polymers and organics which are impossible to reuse or recycle.

We are working with materials experts to create a plant-based leather replacement, as right now we are not convinced the current available materials pass our compostable criteria in terms of plastic coatings and environmental biodegradability.

All of the current leather replacements that are marketed as "biodegradable" break down into microplastics, or contain a high organic content encased in a plasticised matrix to allow it to be workable in production.

Fundamentally we are committed to using materials which will not be still hanging around in 500 years.

The leather of the future could well not ever have seen a living animal, instead it could be from Modern Meadow that grows leather like beer, using yeast which instead of producing alcohol, eats sugar and produces the building blocks of leather.

Our leather is tanned in the most sustainable metal free method and contains no added toxic coatings or fixatives. This isn't just a choice for the environment but also for the people who produce it. Cheap leather costs lives.

THREADS AND GLUE

Standard shoe thread is reinforced with PU (plastic). Meaning we had to make our own to ensure it complied with our biodegradable plastic-free philosophy.

Creating a thread which would run through machines designed for plastic-based thread is one of our proudest moments. Proving yet again that nature has it all worked out.

Similarly with our glue, which is inspired by the Ancient Egyptians who were first recorded as using tree resin as glue. We're using an incredibly strong and flexible conifer glue which is free from plastic and animal products. So you too can walk like an Egyptian.

NANO QUARTZ PROTECTION

Our nano quartz (sand) bonds to the fibres at the microscopic level using quantum physics to create an almost permanent adhesive.

This coating on our suede and organic canvas allows the individual threads to breathe whilst preventing staining and water ingress.

And the best bit? It is 100% natural and sustainable.

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Materials | All Natural Zero Plastic Shoes

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Skip to content SLOW COOKED SOLES Our soles start off as liquid rubber, which is poured into a mould sitting in a 60°C water bath. This process turns the soles from a liquid into a solid form. After being cooled the soles are placed on trays in an oven, and cooked for a week to expel the excess water.

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Adidas

When it comes to mainstream sportswear brands, Adidas is easily the most vocal about its sustainability efforts - and environmental organization Parley for the Oceans has been its biggest collaborator. The two brands teamed up for the first time in 2015 with a sneaker using yarn made from recycled ocean plastic and illegal deep-sea gill nets. They officially launched products to the public in 2016.

In 2017 and 2018 respectively, Adidas sold 1 million and 5 million pairs of sneakers made with Parley's recycled ocean plastic - and the goal for 2019 is a whopping 11 million pairs.

Today, you'll find Parley's recycled materials on everything from running sneakers like the Alphabounce+ Run (pictured above) and Ultra Boost to outdoor shoes like the Terrex Two.
Read more: Adidas sold 1 million pairs of sneakers made from recycled ocean waste in 2017

While recycled knits account for a big part of the sustainable sneakers market, Tread by Everlane is for those who still appreciate quality leather. With 94.2% non-virgin plastic soles, leather sourced from the world's cleanest tannery, and laces and linings made from recycled plastic bottles, The Trainer is touted (by its maker, mind you) as the world's lowest-impact sneakers.

Even if you aren't a particularly conscious consumer (although you should be), Tread by Everlane has great appeal. Its style lends itself well to minimalists and lovers of that cut-and-sewn look found on retro running sneakers.
Read more: We tried Everlane's low-impact unisex sneakers - here are our thoughts

When Reebok first launched the Cotton + Corn NPC UK sneaker, it featured leather accents on the heel tab, but after receiving kickback from Peta, the brand took the initiative to make the shoe vegan. The updated sneaker features a 100% cotton upper, a sole derived from corn, and insoles made from castor bean oil. Even the packaging is 100% recycled.

Founded in 2019, Nothing New is a sneaker startup that aims to positively impact the planet and educate the people that live on it. Unlike most brands on this list that are simply making strides to improve their eco-friendliness, sustainability is at the very core of the brand.

As the name suggests, Nothing New sneakers are made with only recycled materials. The upper is 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, while its other components are made from recycled cotton, fishing nets, rubber, and cork.

Beyond the production process, Nothing New offers $20 discounts on new pairs to those who send back their used sneakers. Depending on the condition of the sneakers, Nothing New will clean and donate them or break them down and put the materials back into its recycled supply chain.
Read more: T his sneaker startup is helping to change industry sustainability standards by using 100% recycled materials

The Chuck Taylor All-Star is cemented in footwear as one of, if not the most timeless sneaker on the planet, but Converse has proven that it's able to stay in touch with modern demands. Using 100% recycled plastic bottles to make up its canvas upper, the Renew Collection is the latest example of its commitment to produce more carefully.

The process starts with plastic bottles sourced by US-based recycling company First Mile. The plastic is then ground up into flakes, melted, rolled into bales, spun into yarn, and weaved into canvas.

The best part about the Converse Renew collection is that shoes are fully customizable and are available in sizes from toddlers to adults.

Over the last five decades, Nike has continually pushed boundaries in sportswear innovation. While performance has been at the forefront of its designs, sustainability has also been a major factor in recent years. Even though sustainability isn't heavily incorporated into the brand's marketing (compared to Adidas Parley or Allbirds), the brand's work has not gone unnoticed.

In 2018, Nike was recognized by Textile Exchange as using the most recycled polyester in the industry for the sixth year in a row, and from 2010-2018, the brand transformed 6.4 billion plastic water bottles into recycled footwear or apparel.

Nike's signature Flyknit material, which can be found on footwear throughout the brand's catalog, is made in-part with recycled plastic, but the Swoosh is doing more than sustainable kits. This past Earth Day, Nike also launched sneakers made from Flyleather, a new material made from at least 50% recycled leather fiber. Although there haven't been many other sneakers to release with Flyleather yet, you can expect the material to be included in more future designs.

As the brainchild of New Zealand native Tim Brown and San Francisco-based renewables expert Joey Zwillinger, Allbirds is the wildly popular sneaker startup you've seen all throughout Silicon Valley and New York City. In just four years, the brand reached a $77.5 million valuation - all thanks to its sustainable footwear.

Love them or hate them, all of Allbirds' designs are undeniably unique and unmatched in comfort. The brand's shoes are made with merino wool or eucalyptus trees for the uppers and sugar cane for the SweetFoam soles. They even made the patent on their SweetFoam material public so that other brands could utilize it as a sustainable alternative. Recycled plastic and castor bean oil also make their way into the inner-workings of the shoes. Allbirds even uses 90% post-consumer recycled cardboard for packaging that serves as a shoe box, shopping bag, and mailer all in one.

We've reviewed everything from the signature Wool Runners to the newer Tree Toppers, and found them to be incredibly comfortable.
Read more: Allbirds, the company behind 'the world's most comfortable shoes' also makes a kids' version

Founded in 2014 by Ryan Babenzien and footwear designer Jon Buscemi, Greats began as an affordable alternative to the luxury sneaker market. The brand's signature style, The Greats Royale, features premium leather, is manufactured in Italy, and only costs $179 - which far less than comparable high-end sneakers.

In efforts to be more eco-friendly, Greats redesigned the silhouette with a recycled plastic knit upper. Seven plastic bottles go into making each pair of Royale Knit sneakers, and in the initial production run alone, Greats removed 75,000 bottles from the ocean.

In addition to the recycled plastic uppers, Greats uses recycled materials to produce the shoe boxes and packaging.

Founded in 2016, Rothy's took over social media and the streets of New York and San Francisco with its recycled plastic flats for women. With such a heavy emphasis on sustainability, it was only right the brand start making other styles including sneakers.

Aptly named "The Sneaker," Rothy's recycled plastic sneaker features a Vans-inspired slip-on look with a recycled plastic upper. Other eco-friendly elements of the shoe include recycled foam insoles, vegan, outsoles made from recyclable, carbon-free rubber and TPU, and vegan and non-toxic adhesives.

To date, Rothy's has repurposed more than 35 million plastic water bottles in its footwear. For now, the brand only makes footwear for women and kids, so if you're a guy, you'll have to check out one of the other brands on this list.
Read more: Rothy's made a sneaker from recycled plastic - here's what they're like to wear

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9 footwear brands that make sustainable sneakers from recycled and renewable materials

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When it comes to mainstream sportswear brands, Adidas is easily the most vocal about its sustainability efforts - and environmental organization Parley for the Oceans has been its biggest collaborator. The two brands teamed up for the first time in 2015 with a sneaker using yarn made from recycled ocean plastic and illegal deep-sea gill nets.

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Grapes, Mangos, Pineapples and Mushrooms

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In this post on sustainable materials for shoes, we will list sustainable materials that are used in the production of footwear and sneakers. The full list of types of fabric and sustainable clothing fabric, is discussed in this post on 19 Best sustainable fabrics you should know.

Our planet has been used as a giant garbage bin for too long. The fashion industry needs to be put on a sustainable and socially responsible footing, and thankfully we do have choices.

Why Choose Sustainable Materials for Shoes?

Did you know that the average pair of sneakers is made up of 65 components and every single pair, produces more than 13 kg of carbon dioxide emissions. It is therefore imperative to find more sustainable materials for footwear.

There are lots of considerations to weigh up when shopping for new footwear. Apart from it being comfortable, a very important question to ask is, are they sustainably made?

When we look at sustainable materials for shoes, we also need to look at:

how the crop was grown,

the way in which materials are created, and

the production processes that are used,

As these all have an impact on the environment, and thus the sustainability. Using recycled materials is far more sustainable, than creating virgin materials.

Making a pair of sneakers or shoes contributes to water consumption, destruction of the rain forest, greenhouse gas emissions, micro plastic pollution and huge amounts of landfill waste. Let's list sustainable materials that are available for use in footwear.

Sustainable Materials List

Leather has traditionally been used for footwear and increasingly over the past few decades, we have seen a huge increase in the use of petroleum based synthetic vegan leather. Neither of these are sustainable. The use of chemicals in processing materials, always has a negative effect on the environment, and thus affect the sustainability of the product.

Plant fibers: cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo, ramie, coconut, rubber, cork, nettle.

Animal fibers: wool, silk and leather

Mineral fibers: these come from geological processes like asbestos, ceramic (glass fiber) and metal (aluminum) fibers. These fibers are mainly used in the building and construction industry, so we will not look at them here.

Man made or Artificial fibers: These are produced from natural raw materials, but are made with chemical processes that have a varying impact on the environment.

viscose or rayon, lyocell, modal, cupro

seaweed fabric

agricultural waste products such as: pinatex from pineapple, apple, orange, desserto from cacti, mango, grape leather, coffee, mushroom leather

Synthetic fibers: These do not exist in nature and are all derived from oil, so are the least sustainable. Virgin plastic like polyester, nylon, polyurethane, acrylic etc. are not sustainable materials as they are made with petroleum. Recycled plastics like recycled nylon and recycled polyester, are on the sustainable materials list. This is because it is made in a closed loop and preventing plastic waste going into landfill, and polluting our water ways and oceans.

Certain fibers like hemp and wool, and of course recycled plastic and leather, can also be used as a sustainable clothing fabric. Here we will concentrate on those used for footwear and list sustainable materials for shoes.

1. Cork Leather

Cork leather is made from the bark of cork oak trees. The cork tree, Quercus Suber, is where cork is harvested from, and is actually a collection of dead cells that comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. Cork is harvested without any harm to the tree and is a naturally renewable material, as the cork grows back again after each harvest.

The first cork harvest takes place when the trees are at least 25 years old. The second harvest takes place nine years later, and is the first usable cork harvest, as the first harvest is not usable. After that, harvesting takes places every nine years. Harvesting of the cork bark actually prolong the lifespan of the tree by up to three hundred years.

Cork is eco-friendly and is a completely natural, recurring and easily replenishable material. Cork comes from a sustainable and renewable source and can be recycled. It is biodegradable and at the end of its life cycle, it will break down into the environment.

It is used in shoes and handbags, as well as flooring and furniture. This plant based vegan leather is soft and stylish and has a special feel. It is low maintenance, slow burning, light (cork can float) and elastic. The insulating and hypoallergenic properties means it doesn't absorb dust, so no problems for allergy and asthma sufferers.

Learn more about the use of cork in shoes in this post on the Ultimate guide to plastic free vegan shoes. Cork leather is also discussed in this post on vegan leather vs real leather.

2. Wool

Inspired by natural materials and the abundance of sheep in New Zealand, a revolutionary wool fabric that is specifically made for footwear, was developed by Allbirds. The wool fabric is made from Merino wool and 60% less energy is used in the wool process, than materials used in typical synthetic shoes.

Merino wool is breathable and let your feet feeling ventilated. This allows you to wear wool shoes without socks. Merino wool also has anti-bacterial properties, so your feet stay healthy, without your shoes developing any odors.

Sneakers made from sustainable wool is produced in New Zealand by Allbirds. They work with the leading organization, ZQ Merino, to ensure that wool is produced to high standards of farming, land management and animal welfare. The wool sneakers are machine washable on a low cycle, to remove dirt and sanitize them.

3. Hemp

When I list sustainable materials, hemp will always be on the sustainable materials list. Hemp is a sustainable plant and grows easily without any chemicals like pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. It is mostly organic, due to the way that help is grown and produced, so leaves a small carbon footprint.

Hemp shoes are eco friendly and breathable and becomes softer with wear, so breaks in well when it is used in footwear. Hemp is hypoallergenic, so will not irritate your skin, and as it is thermo regulating, your feet will not sweat.

The natural anti-bacterial properties of hemp means that it does not hang on to odors like many synthetic materials, thus making it one of the ideal sustainable materials for footwear.

Shoes made from hemp are durable, as hemp fibers are extremely strong. Because hemp is a natural fiber, it will eventually decompose, therefore leaving a very small carbon footprint compared with synthetic vegan leather.

The benefits and properties of hemp for footwear, are also discussed in this Ultimate Guide to the best hemp shoes.

4. Natural Rubber

Natural rubber is made from latex, that is obtained from plants and predominantly the rubber tree and is eco friendly. Harvesting the latex and using natural rubber has a low environmental impact and after tapping, the tree heals naturally.

The rubber tree is an ecological, sustainable crop, and helps to maintain the global carbon balance in the atmosphere. More than half the rubber that is harvested, is used in the automotive industry, but rubber is also used in the footwear industry. The most popular use of natural rubber in footwear, is for the soles of shoes, but it is also used to make wellington boots and flip-flops. You can read more about it in this post on Best Natural Rubber flip-flop sandals.

Natural rubber is biodegradable and can be recycled at the end of its life.

5. Recycled plastics

It is no longer necessary to use Polyurethane, an unsustainable plastic derived from petrochemicals, in footwear, as recycled plastic can now replace it. The normal procedure for recycling PET plastic bottles, it to collect plastic waste from our streets, beaches, waterways and oceans.

The bottles are then cleaned, shredded and melted. The melted liquid is pushed through spinnerets and converted to yarn. It is then ready to be used for weaving or knitting the uppers for shoes and sneakers.

Vivaia is a brand that produces knitted uppers for their shoes from recycled plastic.

Recycling reduces the amount of plastic trash and also gives the non-biodegradable plastic a second life. This is far better than using virgin plastic like polyurethane. By repurposing plastic waste, we have less plastic pollution.

Uppers made from recycled plastic canvas are eco friendly, breathable and flexible.

Look out for the best sneakers made of recycled plastic here and also the best 7 flip-flop sandals made from recycled materials. Recycled plastic is one of the best new sustainable materials for shoes.

Recycled plastic is also used to make swimwear and outdoor clothing like windbreaker jackets.

6. Natural Leather

Because of the chemicals used in the tanning process, natural leather is not on the sustainable materials list when it comes to sustainable materials for footwear. So one has to look for vegetable tanned leather to make sure that it is sustainable. But there are sustainable and cruelty-free replacements for natural leather.

Replacing animal leather is possible and there are several possibilities, including fish skin leather, leather made from apple skin, grape leather and mushroom leather, and others that are less common like mangoes and cactus leaves.

7. Fish skin leather

Leather can be made from almost any skin and that includes making fish skin leather. Fish skin leather is made from skins of non-endangered fish species including salmon, shark, carp, bass, sturgeon and catfish, with salmon being the most common fish that is used for leather made from fish skins.

The fish leather industry is still small scale and many make use of a circular economy. It means that many of them are quite secretive about the processes and materials that they use. Both washable salmon leather and vegetable tanned leather are produced.

Although fish skin leather is not vegan, it is sustainable. Salmon skin leather is more eco friendly than traditional leather.

This is where you can read more about the production of fish skin leather.

8. Desserto Cactus Leather

Leather made from cactus is the latest eco friendly vegan leather fabric. The leaves of the nopal cactus, also known as a prickly pear plant, is used to make the leather. When I list sustainable materials for shoes, cactus leather is definitely very close to the top in terms of sustainability and being eco friendly.

Cactus leather is organic, soft, durable, breathable, elastic and partially biodegradable.

The cactus plant requires almost no water and grows abundantly throughout Mexico, so it is a stable, abundant supply of raw material. Desserto is a Mexican brand, started by two entrepreneurs, that is using nopal cactus leaves to turn it into organic, natural, cruelty-free leather.

Cacti are grown organically and as it is a native crop, the biodiversity of the area is matched, and blend naturally with the wild fauna and flora.

Harvesting of mature cactus leaves are done every six to eight months. The plant are not harmed when the leaves are cut. The leaves are dried in the sun for approximately three days, so no additional drying process is required.

It contains no toxic chemicals, phthalates or PVC. Desserto is the first leather made from cactus and the material has the potential to create a sustainable vegan leather market. Nothing goes to waste as the remaining organic cactus material that is not used for making leather, is sold to the local food industry or exported.

Read more about Desserto and cactus leather in this post on 5 Innovative textile solutions for vegans.

9. Pineapple leather

Pinatex is a natural fruit fiber leather alternative that was developed over a period of several years and is the name given to pineapple leather. Pineapple fiber is obtained from the leaves of the pineapple plant, after the pineapples have been harvested. The leaves go through a process of decortication to extract the fibers.

The fibers are degummed and goes through an industrial process to become a non-woven mesh that forms the basis of pinatex. Pinatex is breathable and strong, yet soft and light.

So what is an existing byproduct of the pineapple harvest, is then converted into vegan leather. Pineapple fiber fabrics are also discussed in this post on Innovative Textile Solutions.

10. Mushroom Leather

A vegetable leather, called Muskin, has been developed from wild mushrooms. Muskin is completely made from the cap of Phellinus ellipsoideus, a gigantic, inedible mushroom species which is native to subtropical forests. These mushrooms feed on tree trunks, making them putrefy. By removing them from the trees, it is also helping the trees.

Mushrooms are harvested by hand and dried for up to a year. It is then peeled and hand processed. Although it is an elaborate process, no chemicals are used during the processing, making it nature friendly.

Muskin looks very similar to animal leather, but it is a vegan product which is organic, gluten free and chemical free.

11. Vegea Grape Leather

Grape or vine leather is a vegan leather that is produced using the waste materials from the wine industry. Vegea, coming from VEG for vegan, and GEA for Mother Earth, is using leftovers from the wine making industry, to create a vegan leather.

All the parts of the grape waste, including grape skins, seeds and stalks are used. No toxic solvents, heavy metals or dangerous chemicals and harmful substances, are used during the production process.

The resulting bio material is suitable for use in the fashion, furniture, automotive, transportation and also the packaging industry. Vegea grape leather has a high vegetable and recycled raw material content, such as vegetable oils and natural fibers from the agricultural industry. No chemicals or water is required to produce it and it is Made in Italy.

Vegea grape leather is also discussed in this post on 5 Innovative Textiles Solutions for Vegans.

12. Mango Fruit Leather

Fruitleather, a young Dutch company based in Rotterdam, are using discarded mangoes to transform it into a leather-type vegan material. A mango puree is obtained from the fruit, which is then baked in the oven, to produce small sheets of 40 cm x 60 cm.

The mango fruit leather is completely natural, although there is an option to have a polyester backing. Different leather textures can be obtained by embossing the sheets. When it comes to sustainable materials for footwear, mango leather is quite unique and you can read more about it in this post on 5 Innovative Textiles Solutions for Vegans.

13. Frumat Apple Leather

Apple leather is made from a byproduct of the apple juice industry. Apple cores and apple peels, which is an agricultural waste product, is used to make the vegan leather.

Frumat apple leather is a combination of 50% dried apple powder and 50% polyurethane. So although the apple is coming from a natural renewable source, polyurethane is a petroleum based plastic, thus reducing the sustainability of Frumat apple leather.

When it comes to sustainable materials for shoes, this is low on my sustainable materials list. This post on 5 Innovative Textiles Solutions for Vegans further discusses the applications of apple leather.

14. Coffee

A Japanese footwear brand, Cchilu (pronounced Chee-Loo) has developed a green technology called XpreSole, to make shoes from spent coffee grounds (SCGs). Every major component in the shoe is made from coffee grounds, incorporating sustainable materials for footwear.

Used coffee grounds are melted and mixed with recycled plastic bottles. This is then turned into a yarn that is used in the woven upper and insole. Coffee is also used in the outsoles.

Shoes are water repellent and five cups of recycled coffee is used to create each pair of XpreSole shoes. By using the coffee fabric, the amount of petroleum based materials are reduced by 30%.

Read more about other fabrics made with coffee grounds and using sustainable technology, in this post.

15. Coconut Coir Fiber

When I list sustainable materials, coconut has to be on there. Coir coconut fiber is a natural cellulose fiber which is obtained from coconut husk. It is the fibrous material that is found between the outer coat of a coconut and the hard internal shell.

Coconut fiber is eco friendly and comes from a natural and renewable source, and is one of the latest sustainable materials for shoes.

Coconut coir is often used in the midsole of shoes. Mixed with natural latex it mimics the feeling of having a soft cushion under your foot. Coconut coir midsoles and insoles are lightweight and comfortable.

Flip flops and other sandals are also made from coconut fiber.

The fibers are 100% biodegradable and is hard wearing and durable. Coconut coir fiber naturally absorbs odors and can minimize bad smells without additional treatments and chemicals.

Coir is used in horticulture as a growing medium, as geotextiles, and as carpets and basket liners.

Final Thoughts on Sustainable Materials for Shoes

There are companies that are passionate about preserving our planet for us and for future generations. Fortunately we have a new generation of designers that are actively looking for sustainable materials for footwear, and practices and innovative textiles that respect the planet.

If you have any questions about sustainable materials for shoes or know about a fiber that could be included on this sustainable materials list, then please leave your comment below and I will get back to you.

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15 Best Sustainable Materials for Shoes | Eco World

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Sustainable materials for footwear include recycled plastic, natural fibers like cork, coir and hemp and leather from food waste and plants like Desserto cactus

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VB said "I just can’t do heels anymore. To have the opportunity to challenge the traditional notions of fitness wear within a fashion context is something I have always wanted to do."(Grazia, 2017)

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With Burberry monogram - can use sizing measurements.

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Retail sales value of luggage market in China from 2013 to 2018 with forecasts until 2023(in billion U.S. dollars)

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Retail sales value of luggage market in China from 2013 to 2018 with forecasts until 2023(in billion U.S. dollars)

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"The timeline shows the retail sales value of the Chinese luggage market from 2013 to 2018 and provides a forecast from 2019 to 2023. In 2018, the retail sales value of the luggage market in China was approximately 2.1 billion U.S. dollars."(Statista, 2013)

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They buy fashion and accessories mainly.

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Japan is not only one of the world's largest e-commerce markets, but it's also one that is growing fast. The country's attractiveness for global online retailers derives from its highly developed economy, primarily urban population, and single language culture. Easy delivery and convenience are aided by Japan's small country size and highly developed distribution channels. While the Japanese e-commerce landscape is dominated by domestic online stores, such as Rakuten or Kakaku, local branches of major international e-commerce retailers like Amazon or Yahoo are greatly contributing to the rising popularity of online shopping among Japanese consumers.

According to the Statista Digital Market Outlook, the most popular items to buy online are clothing and accessories - like in many markets - but also toys, DIY and hobby-related products. Consumer spending on these types of products is expected to reach $19 billion in 2020, while spending on apparel is expected to surpass $21 billion. With an above-average growth rate of almost 50 percent, food bought online has experienced strong growth in the country in the last couple of years and personal care product are also expected to catch up more in the e-commerce market in Japan in line with the local trend to maximizing convenience in all aspects of everyday life.

Description

This chart shows the value of e-commerce consumer expenditure in Japan in 2020, by category (billion U.S. dollars).

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Infographic: What the Japanese Shop For Online

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Japan is not only one of the world's largest e-commerce markets, but it's also one that is growing fast. The country's attractiveness for global online retailers derives from its highly developed economy, primarily urban population, and single language culture. Easy delivery and convenience are aided by Japan's small country size and highly developed distribution channels.

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"Many Japanese employees receive annual bonuses of nearly $3,000 during the summer months, resulting in higher spending in luxury goods, leisure, and travel.
Many brands opt for seasonal advertising to drive sales by encouraging consumers to consider their products."(Lingo, 2018). For example Cherry Blossom season.

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First and foremost, Japanese consumers prioritize brand trust, reputation, quality, and value over price. So taking these into account as you build your Japanese marketing strategy is key.

Many Western brands have already seen great success marketing in Japan by adapting to what appeals most to Japanese consumers.

WHAT ARE JAPANESE CONSUMERS LOOKING FOR?

Unlike in the US or UK, quality, value, and brand recognition outweigh affordability in the minds of Japanese consumers. Here are four behaviors to consider if you want to succeed in the Japanese market:

1. SPACE SAVING

It's common for people in Japan to consider all their options before making a purchase.

When you're marketing to Japanese consumers, you'll need to reach them at each relevant point in the customer journey and convince them that your brand is the most worthy investment.

2. COST CONSCIOUS

Spending on home improvements, TVs, and luxury goods is still high. With a careful buying decision process and less money to spend, Japanese consumers would rather purchase fewer, higher quality products. Shopping around, comparing products online, and saving money by going out less are key factors in their shopping behavior.

3. LUXURY CENTERED

With the Japanese consumer's desire for quality comes the desire for luxury goods. Japan is one of the largest luxury markets in the world and a highly lucrative target market for luxury brands.

, Salvatore Ferragamo , and earn a quarter of their global revenue in this market alone. Louis Vuitton , meanwhile, earns half its global profits from its 60 stores in the Japanese market.

4. REPUTATION FOCUSED

MARKETING TO JAPANESE CONSUMERS

When marketing to Japanese consumers, emphasize the quality and value of your brand. Here are three things to keep in mind as you spread your brand message.

1. ADVERTISING

They were also more likely to rate advertising as eye-catching than Americans - and, unlike many Western cultures, don't consider online ads to be distracting. This is good news for marketers since, with proper consideration of Japanese consumer behavior, online and offline advertising will likely produce results.

2. LANGUAGE AND LOCALIZATION

To connect with consumers, you need to speak their language. In Japan, in-language content is a legal requirement - even foreign advertisements must contain some Japanese.

The best approach is to strategically localize content that's relevant to your Japanese target market. Doing this will quickly build trust, engagement, and brand loyalty. You can even adapt your product or service for regional preference to establish more of a personal, authentic connection with Japanese consumers.

KitKat

KitKat also created over 300 limited-edition varieties (like wasabi and melon). Some of these are seasonal, but others are unique to specific Japanese regions. They're based on the fruits and food from specific areas and aren't necessarily found elsewhere.

KitKat's limited-edition strategy builds hype for the brand. Its regional localization, meanwhile, establishes an emotional connection with Japanese consumers. The result has made KitKat one of Japan's favorite products.

Diesel

Clothing brand Diesel is another great example. Their Japanese content strategy is independent from its global content. But it still remains true to its "Only the Brave" slogan. For example, the global "Make Love Not Walls" campaign was a barbed jab at US policies of exclusion. In Japan, however, the LGBT+ community is not widely accepted. So the campaign here focused on overcoming barriers to expressing love.

So to break into the Japanese market, don't cut corners when it comes to localization. Speaking your audience's language is essential to establishing your brand.

3. HOLIDAYS AND SEASONS

Many Japanese employees receive annual bonuses of nearly $3,000 during the summer months, resulting in higher spending in luxury goods, leisure, and travel.

Christmas, New Year's Day, and White Day (a second Valentine's Day in March) are other important spending holidays in Japan. Similarly, spirits are high during cherry blossom season. Many brands opt for seasonal advertising to drive sales by encouraging consumers to consider their products.

For example, Starbucks releases a range of limited-edition Sakura (cherry blossom) products for the season, which vary from year to year. These products are now highly anticipated and create valuable buzz for the brand.

Understanding your audience and being familiar with seasonal trends are key to marketing in Japan. Consider which annual events are most relevant to your consumers, and build marketing campaigns around them. This can be a great way of integrating your brand into Japanese culture and ensuring longevity in the market.

FINAL THOUGHT

When marketing to Japanese consumers, it's crucial to first understand buying behavior and cultural preferences most relevant to your brand, products, and marketing goals. By speaking their language and building a specific and targeted marketing strategy, you can drive brand awareness, growth, and loyalty in the Japanese market.

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Marketing to Japanese Consumers: A How-To Guide | Wordbank

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First and foremost, Japanese consumers prioritize brand trust, reputation, quality, and value over price. So taking these into account as you build your Japanese marketing strategy is key. Many Western brands have already seen great success marketing in Japan by adapting to what appeals most to Japanese consumers.

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"Japan is the second largest luxury market in the world – behind the United States and ahead of mainland China – with 3.6 trillion yen (about US$33 billion) spent each year in luxury goods."

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This post is a summary of a quite detailed, excellent post from Infocubic Japan, "Info Cubic ─ Online marketing specialists for Japan and beyond" a company I encourage you to check out. The whole post can be read in full here, complete with a large list of source links to read even more!

Japan is the second largest luxury market in the world - behind the United States and ahead of mainland China - with 3.6 trillion yen (about US$33 billion) spent each year in luxury goods.

Luxury labels, built on exclusivity, used to mean that having an online presence was not necessary; not the case anymore

digital channels must used by companies to get leverage in the market (search engines, social media, email, websites and mobile apps etc.)

Japan's luxury industry

GFC then disasters in Tōhoku and Fukushima, luxury spending in Japan shrank by over 1 trillion yen ($10.6 billion) by 2012

report by McKinsey & Company: Japanese luxury market... to maintain positive growth

82% of luxury executives surveyed responded that their sales outlook for 2017 is significantly better than 2016.

by 2020, it is anticipated that the market will grow by a moderate rate of 3% to 4% per year

Japanese department stores are still the main venue of purchase for Japanese luxury consumers

70% of people polled buy in Department store representing 50% overall revenue

Younger generation is buying brands like Céline, Balenciaga, and Gucci

Older generation are purchasing from brands like Hermès and Chanel, which are perceived as "very reliable" and "have a heritage."

Digital marketing in the luxury industry

a renewed interest in Japan in the past year or so due to recent market growth

Japan accounts for 11% of global luxury spending

Luxe Digital recently published a report suggesting that digital influences at least 80% of all luxury sales

Digital marketing techniques that are currently trending in the luxury industry:

Content is King

Storytelling, being able to tell the story behind the brand, explaining the values that define it: Luxury goods as much about image, style, and intangibles than about the actual quality of the product

Create contents that are aspirational and appeal to the customer's desire to display their status

A luxury brand gives their customers an opportunity to showcase a lifestyle and a value system

Successful digital marketing campaigns
Burberry: social media campaigns and creative videos that combine history, fashion, and the appeal of a glamorous lifestyle. YouTube - 99 million viewers, 317,000 subscribers. Recent ad received 12 million views within a month (holiday campaign tribute for the movie Billy Elliot - Celebrating 15 years of Billy Elliot).

Social Media Marketing

Visual social networks like Pinterest provide a huge opportunity for luxury brands

Photographs are one of the best media for marketing luxury products

Chanel: one of the most 'pinned' brands on Pinterest - over 1,244 pins of Chanel products pinned per day

Boost SEO

A well-executed SEO strategy is one of the most lucrative digital marketing investments that a luxury company can do.

Google is one of the most significant channels for luxury

A large proportion of luxury brands have begun investing in SEO strategies

Tiffany: bought into SEO, have firm, successful strategies which have led to them dominating the search results

This Summary was written by Jason Ball, a "Fixer" and people Connector, in Tokyo

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Understanding New Trends and Opportunities in Japan's Luxury Industry [Summary] - Business in Japan™

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This post is a summary of a quite detailed, excellent post from Infocubic Japan, "Info Cubic ─ Online marketing specialists for Japan and beyond" a company I encourage you to check out. The whole post can be read in full here, complete with a large list of source links to read even more!

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Not a lot of brands in Japan operate online- this was a disadvantage when Covid hit.

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LONDON, United Kingdom - Japanese culture evokes either futuristic efficiency or an admirably stubborn sense of traditionalism. When it comes to the local retail scene, it's definitely the latter.

At just 8.7 percent, Japan's e-commerce penetration lags far behind China, the UK and South Korea at 35.3 percent, 22.3 percent and 22.2 percent respectively, eMarketer observed last year.

"A lot of people think Japan is 'advanced,' but we aren't there yet in comparison to other countries, especially when you talk about high-end e-commerce," said Seiko Mbako, co-founder of Tokyo-based consultancy Awa'Tori.

Amid the current coronavirus crisis, Japan's resistance to online sales channels spells trouble for international fashion brands who now find themselves unable to leverage e-commerce to the extent that they need. Luxury players are far more dependent on physical retail in Japan than they are elsewhere.

In-store spending has largely ground to a halt since the Japanese government on April 16 announced a nationwide, month-long state of emergency that was extended this week. Though Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration stopped short of imposing a full lockdown, street traffic dropped between 50 and 80 percent in major urban districts last weekend according to data from mobile phone operator NTT Docomo.

Drawing on previous crises in Japan like the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Credit Suisse Analyst Takahiro Kazahaya noted in a recent report that Covid-19 is finally set to spur an uptick in e-commerce's market share in the country. But it will also be an overdue reckoning for brands and retailers in a luxury market that global research firm Gartner estimates is worth $24 billion and has been slow to shift sales online.
Luxury's Digital Delay
China has understandably dominated the spotlight when it comes to Asian luxury consumption because of its unrivalled scale, growth and dynamism, but Japan remains a critically important market. Last year, Japan made up 13 percent of Hermès' global revenues - a remarkably high proportion for just one country when you compare the brand's revenues from the entire western hemisphere (including the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil combined) which totalled just 18 percent.

To understand just how critical the Japanese market is for luxury conglomerates, consider that almost a quarter of all LVMH's physical stores across the Asian region (including those in China and India) are located in the country. For Kering, Japan's importance - and its need for a distinctive approach - is underscored by the fact it remains the only country that the group consistently breaks out in its earnings report; the breakdown of the rest of the world is done by region.

Luxury players are far more dependent on physical retail in Japan than they are elsewhere.

As the coronavirus crisis exposes how over-reliant many luxury players have become on China, it makes sense for brands to direct some of their attention toward other smaller, high growth emerging markets around the world. At the same time, brands need to invest and strategise carefully to maintain much-needed revenue streams from old reliable mature markets such as Japan.

When one looks beyond brands' own e-commerce sites - which 88 percent of luxury players operate in Japan, according to Gartner data - multi-brand e-commerce lags behind most other markets. No online luxury destination - global or local - has yet to claim a clear market leader position.

The likes of Net-a-Porter, and MatchesFashion do operate in the market. "In Japan, [when] we launched our localised website last year, order numbers increased year-on-year throughout [the first quarter]," MatchesFashion's Head of Brand & Communications Jason Lam told BoF.

However, awareness remains low, said Mbako, who often gets confused reactions from consumers when she mentions these big global e-tailers. "In Japanese we call it tententen, meaning people [react by staying completely silent because they don't recognise the names I'm saying]."

According to Gartner, the homegrown frontrunner is multi-brand marketplace Zozotown, but adoption has only been high among accessible luxury brands - 91 percent of them sell on the site and no pure luxury brands have followed suit. The platforms is, however "planning to include luxury brands as part of future product expansions," a company spokesperson told BoF - something global brands should keep an eye on.

Meanwhile, mass e-tailers like Rakuten, Amazon Japan and Yahoo Japan have yet to link up with many top brands or successfully launch high-end platforms - something China's Alibaba-owned Tmall has succeeded at with its now three-year-old invite-only Luxury Pavilion, which stocks the likes of and Bottega Veneta.

Rakuten, which launched its Brand Avenue portal in 2012 and last fall signed on as Tokyo Fashion Week's new title sponsor, has yet to pull a major premium brand. When asked about plans to enter the high-end segment, a Rakuten spokesperson said that the firm didn't have any concrete plans to share.

"Rakuten and Amazon have tried to build their identity as an e-commerce site for high-end fashion, but they haven't given it their 100 percent," said Mbako.
An Age-Old Story
Although the outlook for Japan's social distancing measures remains unclear, brick-and-mortar-dependent luxury brands will be impacted regardless because footfall has not been high since the local outbreak began to increase in severity.

Any hit that luxury brands take in Japan will be partly down to underinvestment in digital channels in recent years, suggest analysts like Yo Douglas.

"Over the past four years that we've been observing the luxury sector's e-commerce utilisation in Japan, we haven't seen significant development either by brands or e-tailers," said Douglas, Gartner's senior specialist for research and advisory in the APAC region. Douglas compares this with the Chinese market, where brands and retailers have made leaps and bounds with brands aggressively adopting new direct-to-consumer channels and retailers revamping the online experience.

Japan's rapidly ageing population has been one reason for the glacial pace of growth for its e-commerce industry. According to a 2019 Morgan Stanley report, over 28 percent of Japan's population is aged 65 or older. Moreover, the firm cited older generations' reluctance to shop on mobile phones as a reason that mobile commerce accounts for just under a quarter of completed e-commerce sales in the country.

Another challenge will be Japan's slow adoption of cash-free payments. "Cash really rules the culture and market here, and I think that's reflected in people's distrust of [certain] technological advances," said Joanna Kawecki, Tokyo-based co-founder of culture and design magazine Champ.

Any hit that luxury brands take in Japan will be partly down to underinvestment in digital channels.

Covid-19 could also be the tipping point for Japan's adoption of cash-free transactions, said Tatsunori Kuniyoshi, analyst at Euromonitor International. "[The] Japanese government is eagerly promoting non-cash payment methods by providing incentive to both retailers and consumers... this movement is likely to [accelerate] thanks to the fact that these non-cash payment methods such as QR codes are considered as an option to prevent infection."

The current crisis will push consumers of all ages to adopt new technologies and this juncture could serve as a valuable opportunity for luxury brands to make long overdue investments - studies have found that so-called "silver shoppers" display stronger brand loyalty and favour repeat purchases.

Luxury brands catering to older shoppers should cater to their needs digitally too. In its report, Morgan Stanley encouraged companies to invest in building an accessible and user-friendly user interface (or partnering with a local on-brand retail platform) and ensuring their e-commerce experience is compatible with a largely single-language nation.
Retail's Reality Check
In recent years, many of Japan's esteemed century-old department store giants have survived in part thanks to inbound tourists' luxury spending - especially the Chinese.

"As the traditional department store's strategy is to provide unique and specialised shopping experience through well-designed physical outlets, for a long time it seemed to be okay to place less focus on online shopping," Euromonitor's Kuniyoshi said. But with stores shuttered and travel at a virtual standstill that could persist beyond the second half of 2020, outmoded business models have come into sharper focus.

"Department stores will be most negatively affected by the crisis because they still heavily rely on in-store sales," said Gartner's Douglas. "The majority of their customers are over 40 and they're less attracted to online shopping."

In its annual report for the fiscal year ended February 29 2020, J. Front Retailing (the owner of department stores Ginza Six and Parco) forecasted 165 billion yen (around $1.5 billion) and 3.3 billion yen ($30.9 million) declines in its gross sales and operating profit respectively due to Covid-19. The report stated that major challenges - like the vulnerability of its business model, a weakening middle class and shrinking apparel market following a nationwide tax hike - were exacerbated by the pandemic but made no explicit reference to e-commerce.

Even groups with online channels aren't safe. "According to some data we've seen, traffic to [Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings'] e-commerce platform... hasn't increased in the past three months," Douglas added.

As the crisis forces department stores to explore new business models, it will only become more important for luxury brands to diversify their retail channels in the market. Though tourism flows and spending will eventually recover for the department stores that survive the fallout, brands at the forefront of digitisation will be better equipped to make the most of a rebound.
The Race to Get in Line
Ultimately, Japanese shoppers' high awareness of luxury brands and appreciation of experiential retail signal the market's largely untapped potential when it comes to digital and online-to-offline (O2O) offerings. Furthermore, the country's sophisticated logistics infrastructure means that brands can count on efficient systems for delivery while brick-and-mortar recovers from the pandemic.

For agile and resilient businesses, Covid-19 could be the wake-up call that brings about a long-overdue digital transformation. Luxury brands looking to tap into this need to act now.

While local online multi-brand channels remain sparse, players could shift their focus to mobile giant Line, a Japanese mobile app not dissimilar to China's WeChat. This year, the country's leading communications app - which has 164 million monthly average users across its top markets Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia - plans to merge with Z Holdings, the owner of Yahoo Shopping and QR code payment app PayPay.

This could speed up development across the platform's existing e-commerce capabilities, which haven't yet been embraced by luxury players. "This [merger] gives Line a very good position to become a hub for multiple online services... covering all aspect of consumer's daily life," said Euromonitor's Kuniyoshi.

In other words, Line is set to follow further in WeChat's footsteps to become a super-app by developing an all-encompassing digital ecosystem, which it has so far been comparatively slow to do. This will bode well for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton with established followings on the app.

Gartner's Douglas added that though Line launched a "mini app" function (its answer to WeChat mini programs) this year allowing brands to introduce digital membership cards and make in-store appointments, the response from luxury players has been muted.

By staying abreast of new e-commerce functionality developments that emerges out of the upcoming merger, companies could build e-commerce infrastructure on top of their existing communities. In the meantime, shifting spending from now-redundant activations like digital events towards a wider range of marketing functionalities on the app will keep them top-of-mind and likely to benefit from a rebound in demand further down the road.
We're tracking the latest on the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the global fashion business. Visit our live blog for everything you need to know. Related Articles Why Japan's E-Commerce Giant Is Doubling Down on Fashion Survival Mode for Japan's Department Stores The BoF Podcast: Luca Solca on 'The Worst Year in the History of Modern Luxury'

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Luxury Brands Never Embraced E-Commerce in Japan. Now, They're Regretting It.

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LONDON, United Kingdom - Japanese culture evokes either futuristic efficiency or an admirably stubborn sense of traditionalism. When it comes to the local retail scene, it's definitely the latter. At just 8.7 percent, Japan's e-commerce penetration lags far behind China, the UK and South Korea at 35.3 percent, 22.3 percent and 22.2 percent respectively, eMarketer observed last year.

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Japanese market growth.

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TOKYO, Japan - Japan's luxury-goods market is growing steadily again, about five years after it was knocked off course. The global financial crisis in 2011, followed by the Tōhoku and Fukushima catastrophes, hurt consumer confidence, causing luxury spending in Japan to shrink by over 1 trillion yen ($10.6 billion) in 2012, and saw the world's third-largest economy to fall into years of tepid growth and deflation.

Today, Japan is looking very different. According to a new report by McKinsey & shared exclusively with BoF, Japanese consumers are now spending 3.6 trillion yen (about $33 billion) each year on luxury goods. Business leaders are also feeling more optimistic, with over half of local luxury executives surveyed by McKinsey viewing Japan, which accounts for as much as 30 to 40 percent of some global brands' profitability, as a growth engine and profit generator.

The country is back on track, thanks in part to prime minister Shinzō Abe's economic strategy known as "Abenomics." The policy, which launched in 2013, helped propel the Japanese economy into a cycle of rising wages, spending and inflation. Recent figures showed that GDP grew 1.4 percent between July and September 2017, driven by stronger global demand for Japanese exports, putting the country on course for its seventh consecutive quarter of growth.

As unemployment falls and household wages increase, boosting the spending power of the nation's consumers, the outlook continues to be optimistic for next year, with the Bank of Japan forecasting GDP to rise 1.4 percent in 2018.
Fewer Status Symbols
Japan is the second-largest luxury market in the world - behind the United States, but still ahead of China - and is estimated to grow between 3 and 4 percent over the next three years. The younger generation are purchasing brands like Céline, Balenciaga and , which are coveted across the world. Those from the older generation are making statutory purchases from brands like Hermès and , which are seen as "very reliable" and "have a heritage," said Benjamin Durand-Servoingt, McKinsey's associate partner and co-author of the report.

However, Durand-Servoingt warns that individual expression remains key, with affordable luxury price points and accessories leading the way. "[Millennials] won't wear one single luxury brand but [they will] mix it up with more discreet or lesser-known labels." While Japanese Millennials are more optimistic about their spending, their priority is expressing their personal style - and the styles certainly are numerous, from the doll-like kawaii to the avant-garde cuts of fashion-forward designers.
Department Stores: Down but Not Out
Japanese department stores have been struggling, experiencing a 4 percent decline each year between 2010 and 2016, but they remain the primary place of purchase for Japanese luxury shoppers. Among the consumers surveyed in the report, 70 percent still buy luxury products in a department store. The difference now is that department stores have to compete alongside brands' free-standing stores, duty-free stores, outlets and online stores.

Department stores still hold great significance for older shoppers who continue to do the majority of their shopping there, but future growth will come from other younger-oriented shopping channels," said Durand-Servoingt. Home to the latest affordable luxury brands, "fashion buildings" - multi-storey shopping centres, often located within or close to train stations - account for 15 percent of luxury consumer shopping and is growing at 7 percent each year.

Fashion buildings and select stores have also embraced another trend that is shaping the Japanese luxury market: experiential shopping. Recently opened shopping malls like Ginza Six in Tokyo or Doton in Osaka are highly experiential places. "Consumers, especially the younger generation, put more emphasis on the place they shop, rather than the brand they buy," said Durand-Servoingt.

To develop online luxury consumption, brands need to provide the right offers online and educate consumers.

Tapping Inbound Tourism
Tourism is contributing to Japan's positive outlook, with Chinese tourists estimated to account for 7 to 10 percent of the Japanese luxury market, thanks to a favourable weak yen and higher prices for luxury goods in China, fuelling "daigou" shoppers who return to the country with luxury goods to sell. In the wake of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, tourists are expected to further boost the market - especially if the Japanese government takes key measures to improve the nation's attractiveness, according to the report.

However, Durand-Servoingt noted that there is still too much focus on Tokyo, which accounts for roughly one third of the Japanese luxury market and was driving 40 to 45 percent of the last three to four years of market growth. "In another report that McKinsey published, we encourage the government to unleash [the country's] tourism potential by developing other cities beyond Tokyo and Kyoto, and looking towards regions like Yokohama," he said.

Osaka and the surrounding Kansai region has also recently emerged as a popular tourist destination. Almost 10 million overseas travellers visited the city in 2016 - a 363 percent jump over five years - and the boom is boosting the local economy. Duty-free sales at department stores in the region were up almost 60 percent in the first eight months of 2017 from the same period a year earlier.
Digital Gains Importance
With only 7 percent penetration, online luxury sales are less developed than in neighbouring countries like China or Korea. Many brands are reluctant to sell online, partly because physical retail remains a popular form of luxury shopping. Japanese shoppers appreciate the personal treatment they receive in store, where staff kindness and service quality stand out as a key factor for their visit. This is particularly important in Japanese culture, where a drive to focus on the task at hand - and do it well - is practised by many Japanese.

Still, "the digital journey is important. Luxury shoppers of all ages like to familiarise themselves [online] to prepare for their shopping journey and what brands and products they will purchase," said Durand-Servoingt.

There is also an absence of dedicated luxury e-commerce sites in both English and Japanese languages, and a limited presence from key local players like department stores and global e-commerce sites, although platforms like Net-a-Porter have an increasing presence. "Consumers are less used to purchasing luxury online. To develop online luxury consumption, you need the brands and key players to provide the right offers online and educate them. Once they start to do that, they will shop more luxury items online and that will drive the online luxury sector."
Related Articles: In Japan, Luxury Flourishes While Economy Flounders Who's Driving Japanese Style? In Japan, Tapping the World's Best Vintage

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TOKYO, Japan - Japan's luxury-goods market is growing steadily again, about five years after it was knocked off course. The global financial crisis in 2011, followed by the Tōhoku and Fukushima catastrophes, hurt consumer confidence, causing luxury spending in Japan to shrink by over 1 trillion yen ($10.6 billion) in 2012, and saw the world's third-largest economy to fall into years of tepid growth and deflation.

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Luxury Footwear - Japan | Statista Market Forecast

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Japan: Revenue in the Luxury Footwear segment amounts to US$3,611m in 2021. The market is expected to grow annually by 3.60% (CAGR 2021-2025). Luxury Footwear includes leather footwear, athletic footwear and sneakers as well as textile footwear, sandals and other shoes.

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by McKinsey

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Women protested against rules of wearing heels in the work place.

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To walk into the footwear department of a shopping mall in Tokyo is to become aware of two things: Japanese customers like comfort. They are also really into sneakers - at least for now.

Athletic footwear - both the stylish and performance kind - dominates the sector in the country, with giants like Nike and Adidas leading the throng. Following closely behind are domestic brands such as Asics and Mizuno, which shoppers tend to prefer when it comes to actually hitting the gym or jogging, according to Kaori Kawabata, an analyst for sports footwear at The NPD Group Inc., a market research company with offices in Japan. "Local labels are seen as quality, more appropriate choices for exercising," she said. ""Which is why they still perform well, despite the big influx of Western companies we've seen in recent years. People trust them."

Coming third in the sector are walking shoes - footwear that's casual and easy to move in. "Japanese people tend to have very long commutes and have to use busy public transportation, which requires standing and walking for a long time. Because of that, there is a high demand for shoes that are walkable and comfortable all day long, yet are still visually appealing," said Wakana Morlan, strategist at cross‐cultural consulting, branding and marketing agency Btrax, which focuses on the Japanese market.

The shift to casual footwear is fairly recent. Over the years, Japan's rather formal office culture paved the way for workshops and manufacturers that mostly focused on handmade, bespoke shoes for formal occasions. It also sparked a controversy just a week ago, as more than 26,000 women signed a petition protesting wardrobe restrictions by Japanese companies, particularly their rules requiring high heels in the office.

CREDIT: Jae C Hong/Shutterstock

While that demand for formal footwear created opportunities for highly-skilled shoemakers - even leading to the opening of a school where the craft is taught - it didn't do much for leisurewear, until the sneaker boom of the last five years.

"As pop culture from the West has seeped through Japan and our codes of societal conduct have become slightly more relaxed, low-key shoes have started seeing a surge in popularity," Kawabata said. "The trend isn't as strong as South Korea, where it's acceptable to dress casually in the office, but it's grown."

Between 2014 and 2016, the Japanese sneaker market rose from US$1.3 billion to US$1.65 billion a year, with Nike taking the largest chunk of the segment, according to NPD Group. Kicks made up roughly 30% of the total footwear sector.

While sneakers remain a favorite among shoppers - particularly younger generations - the hype around some styles, such as Air Maxes, Asics Gel-Kayanos and the like, has cooling off a bit. "Over the last two years, the market has been really flat," Kawabata said. "The sneaker obsession is not as strong as it used to be. Same for performing shoes. We've actually seen almost negative growth since 2017."

But comfort still leads. For Morlan, sneakers remain the stars of the show, just as in the rest of the world. "Kicks are still big in Japan," she said. "[In the last few seasons] there are even been niche made-in-Japan sneaker brands popping up - Moonstar, Blueover, Spring Move, just to name a few."

CREDIT: Onnie Koski/Shutterstock

CREDIT: Onnie Koski/Shutterstock

Alongside these indie kicks, other local labels with an eye for wearability and functionality have also emerged in the market - and become widely sought-after both in Asia and abroad. Suicoke, which makes practical outdoor footwear, is one of them.

"The speedy growth of the footwear industry has made Japanese buyers more interested in exploring different sides of the sector that may not have been as popular in past," said a designer behind the notoriously anonymous brand. "That has opened up chances for a brand like ours."

Sellenatala, a women's brand that, among other things, crafts boots made of water-repellent leather to fight off Japan's frequent rains, has also been riding the small-but-ascending wave of interest around made-in-Japan names. "The niche sector is, well, still niche, but we're building it," said designer Ikue Enomoto. "More people are trying to see meaning, value and stories in what they purchase, while seeking comfort."

That's seems to be the defining trait of the sector as a whole: Fot makes blocky, short heels, mules and flats. Famzon does removable heels. Shoes Like Pottery is all about soft, flexible soles that are baked inside a kiln to vulcanize them.

It might be a while before these names enter the mainstream, though. According to Kawabata, when it comes to shopping habits, Japanese consumers are still relatively 'traditional,' preferring in-store retail experiences over online, and classic advertising over social media - both of which might prove challenging for cash-strapped, indie ventures.

However, Kawabata sees it as a good thing: "Compared with China and South East Asia, Japanese consumers are not so influenced by KOLs [key opinion leaders] and social media figures when it comes to footwear," she said. "They don't care much for that. It's about believing in the product."

For now, Western brands still rule the game, but Morlan believes things are changing. "There is a good amount of people who specifically look for Japanese shoemakers because they understand their lifestyles and needs for comfort," she said. "Western names can't match that."
Check out a video about how to keep sneakers clean all summer:

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Why the Japanese Market Is Rebelling Against Formal Shoes

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To walk into the footwear department of a shopping mall in Tokyo is to become aware of two things: Japanese customers like comfort. They are also really into sneakers - at least for now. Athletic footwear - both the stylish and performance kind - dominates the sector in the country, with giants like Nike and Adidas leading the throng.

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In the world of streetwear, Japan looms large on a cultural level. Japanese designers like Hiroshi Fujiwara and Nigo are revered by sneakerheads. Japanese culture and design sensibility are apparent in Adidas' collaborations with Pharrell and the many collaborations between streetwear and Japanese artists like Takashi Murakami. While China has been the main focus of Asian expansion, Japan's booming sneaker market is making it an attractive alternative for sneaker brands.

The latest is Sneakersnstuff, a sneaker retailer founded in Sweden and with a presence in Europe and the U.S., which opened its first Japanese store in Tokyo over the weekend.

"We started in 1999, and ever since, we have looked to Tokyo for inspiration, both for sneakers and retail in general," said Sneakersnstuff co-founder Erik Fagerlind. "We have been coming to Tokyo a few times a year. When we decided we wanted to expand globally, we [focused on] New York and Tokyo, because those are the two cities that have always inspired us the most. However, being located in Sweden, we needed to grow and mature as a company within Europe before we were ready to take the step and open in Tokyo."

This is the company's seventh store after Stockholm, London, Berlin, Paris, New York and Los Angeles, and its first in Asia. It will feature an attached cafe, run jointly by Sneakersnstuff and Japanese coffee chain Camelback, where the retailer will host events and exhibitions, similar to the bar attached to its NYC store.

Fagerlind said his overall vision for the company's expansion does not include hundreds of stores in every market. Instead, the ultimate plan is for between 10 and 12 stores in strategic cities around the world. Sneakersnstuff is reportedly expected to bring in $100 million this year. Last year, it set up a holding company with partner FSN Capital called SNS Holdings to better manage the company's expansions in the U.S. and Asia.

Fagerlind said the popularity of sneakers in Japan made it easy to expand there since the brands Sneakersnstuff sells are interested in growing their presence there, as well. Two of the biggest sneaker brands and Sneakersnstuff's biggest partners, Nike and Adidas, have both expressed interest in having a greater presence in Japan.

Nike called out its recent ambitions in Japan as a driver of its 36% digital growth in earnings for the third quarter of this year. Earlier this year, Nike launched both its regular mobile app and the streetwear-specific SNKRS app in Japan.

"The SNKRS app and Nike app are both resonating strongly with the highly discerning running customer in Japan," said Nike CEO Mark Parker in an earnings call in March. There's a significant overlap between streetwear and running styles, with some of the more popular streetwear sneaker models in recent years like the Nike Epic React Flyknit and any of Adidas' many shoes with Boost sole technology being crossovers between the two worlds.

"We've since become the No. 1 running company in Japan," Parker said.

Most of the excitement around Asia in the fashion world has been focused on China. Brands across the luxury spectrum like China while athletic and sneaker brands like GOAT have Burberry and built up entire sections of their business devoted to China, like GOAT's dedicated Chinese mobile app. Gucci have invested more heavily in

Japan, comparatively, is less exciting than China in terms of growth. While China has seen immense growth in the past few years, with apparel retail sales growing from $260 billion to $320 billion between 2015 and 2019, according to Statista, Japan's apparel market size has stayed relatively stagnant but still impressively large - hovering around at around $66 billion per year for the same four years.

But Japan's sneaker market has been booming. According to NPD Group, between 2014 and 2016, sneaker sales in Japan rose from $1.3 billion to nearly $1.7 billion, making up almost a third of the entire Japanese footwear sector.

Like other brands have done with China and the Middle East, Fagerlind said working with local partners was key to Sneakersnstuff setting up shop in Japan.

"We worked with Japanese consultants both from straight business point of view but also, and perhaps even more importantly, from a cultural point of view," Fagerlind said. "We have a tremendous respect for Tokyo as a city, so it is very important for us that we get this right and in a very respectful way."

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Japan presents a growing alternative to China for sneaker brands looking to expand - Glossy

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In the world of streetwear, Japan looms large on a cultural level. Japanese designers like Hiroshi Fujiwara and Nigo are revered by sneakerheads. Japanese culture and design sensibility are apparent in Adidas' collaborations with Pharrell and the many collaborations between streetwear and Japanese artists like Takashi Murakami.

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By Melissa Francis Tokyoesque are experts in Europe-Japan relations and provide clients with unique cultural insights that can be used to accelerate business growth across the globe. In this post, in light of the upcoming major sports events taking place in Japan (Rugby World Cup 2019 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games), we provide our insights on the Japanese sportswear market, and present where opportunities for foreign brands.
It's true that sports such as bseball have long been popular in Japan, but this has generally been more in terms of spectatorship than physical participation. With the exception of extra-curricular activities at schools, and professional teams, sports that focus on individual goals maintain their position as being most popular among everyday citizens.

A 2016 national sports participation survey released by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation found that strolling, walking, calisthenics and weight training were the most preferred activities. At first, these might seem to be one symptom of an ageing Japan, but in fact participation in these types of exercise are consistent across all age groups and genders. On the other hand, the survey tells us that teenagers are more likely to play team sports like baseball, volleyball and soccer than other demographics.

According to a survey by Yano Research, the domestic leisurewear market in Japan was valued at $4.2 billion USD in 2018, whilst the outdoor wear market was worth more than double that at $9.7 billion USD. This represents a 110% year-on-year growth from the same period in 2017. More specifically, sports apparel as a wider category was worth an estimated $5.2 billion USD in 2018.

If we explore the local sports footwear sector, we can see that it's one third of the size of the market in South Korea, and a quarter of the size of the market in China. In value terms, sports footwear in Japan is worth around $3.5 billion USD (23% of which is for casual wear only, and the remaining 77% of which is sports shoes for taking part in sports activities).

Manufacturers specialised in sportswear in Japan have been trying to increase market share by focusing on lifestyle wear instead of functional sportswear with performance-enhancing features, as sports fashion experiences an upturn in popularity among local consumers. This is markedly different from NPD Japan's figures which look at sports shoes only. These numbers tell us that local consumers are likely to be more discerning when it comes to making decisions around footwear purchases compared with other types of sports clothing.

The Yano Research report also echoes the sentiment that Japanese enthusiasm around sports is expected to surge between 2019 and 2020, in large part owing to the international sporting events due to take place. Naturally, as we've seen with previous Olympic and Paralympic Games, many people will be inspired to take up or increase their participation in physical activities. Therefore, ensuring that there is wide availability to suit varying requirements and levels of professional use will be key.

Sports mix (スポーツミックス)

Sports mix is a style that incorporates sports apparel with other types of clothing as part of a fashion coordination. This was most popular for a few years up until around 2017. Although it can still be seen across Japan, it's perhaps not as extensive nowadays. In terms of most attractive foreign brands, Adidas and Nike have remained firm favourites when it comes to putting together fashionable sports coordinations.

The Sports mix trend has now been replaced with, or rather morphed into, athleisure (a portmanteau of 'athletic' and 'leisure').

Athleisure (アスレジャー)

The athleisure style was originally a concept born in the US and has gained a surge of popularity having been championed by the likes of influencers such as Kendall Jenner and yoga wear brand lululemon. It is a unisex trend, but especially favoured by female demographics in Japan. Like sports mix, athleisure is laid-back and casual look, but the key difference between them is that athleisure incorporates a higher proportion of sports apparel. If the concept behind sports mix was simply to accessorise regular clothes with one or two items of sports apparel, then athleisure is the inverse and focuses on presenting more of a sporty look with more subtle undertones of regular leisurewear.

Still, if we compare the value of the athleisure market in Japan's sportswear market with that of China or South Korea, it remains marginal despite the increase in popularity. lululemon found success in Japan by replicating its strategy in the US and using professional athletes and yoga instructors as brand ambassadors instead of celebrities to market products. During 2018, lululemon's operating margin was 5% higher than Nike's at 17%.

Mama Coordination (ママコーデ)

Within the remit of sportswear in Japan, there is a trend among Japanese mothers in their 20s and 30s in which outfits are put together with the idea of being stylish yet practical. This trend doesn't revolve solely around sportswear, but sneakers are one of the central aspects of this concept. It certainly makes sense to choose clothing that allows for greater flexibility. Unlike sports mix and athleisure though, mama coordination focuses more on positioning sports shoes and accessories as the crux of the style, rather than gravitating towards sports-branded tops and trousers. Converse, Nike, and New Balance are three of the most popular choices so far in 2019.

By value, Nike, Adidas and Under Armour are the top-performing sports clothing brands in the Japanese market, followed by domestic brand ASICS. So, there is a clear lean towards international names, albeit those that are renowned worldwide. These brands may be dominating the market, but there are niches that foreign brands can penetrate that will encourage more people to take up new sports, or to boost their current performance.

One ranking, based on a total of 30.2 million customer reviews, positions the following brands in the top five as of May 2019:

NERGY Japan

NERGY Japan is a dedicated sports fashion outlet that represents an active and comfortable lifestyle. The brand's social media posts label coordinations with hashtags like #スポーツミックス ( sports mix), #ナイキ女子 (Nike Women), and #スポーツ女子 (Sports Women). The official website states, 'the fusion of refined fashion and sport in line with the lifestyles of Japanese women is the new standard for women today.' NERGY Japan also provides style coordination recommendations for combining their items with those of other brands, including Nike.

Pearly Gates

Pearly Gates is a fashionable golf wear brand run by TSI Groove & Sports Co. It's currently celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019. The brand also offers a selection of other visually bold designs in the leisurewear category. Golf is a fairly popular recreational sport in Japan, not only among company executives but equally among groups of young Japanese women. Pearly Gates has also found a solid consumer base in Hong Kong and China.

ABC Mart

Japanese shoe retailer ABC Mart announced in 2017 that it would focus on athleisure options for customers by opening fifty new dedicated stores throughout the country before 2020, which demonstrated a significant demand for athleisure stores that aren't combined with regular sportswear ranges. The new stores are called ABC-Mart SPORTS and as of May 2019, there are a total of twenty-one locations across Japan, which puts them almost halfway towards the original goal.

UNIQLO

Around the same time, globally renowned retailer UNIQLO opened a dedicated sports fashion store called ' UNIQLO MOVE ' in Shibuya, Tokyo. The offering seeks to support the movements of everyday life, help people stay active and comfortable, and encourage them to 'live more positively'.

A large proportion of Japanese men purchasing clothes for running are opting for the shorts and leggings combination. There has definitely been a move towards fashionable items that are also functional. Again, Nike and Adidas are two brands that are mentioned often within this scene as they have released various leggings suitable for city running. There are a number of Japanese websites that offer specific recommendations on how to successfully coordinate a fashionable sports look. These types of step-by-step guides are often welcomed as they provide solid starting points from which to develop a unique style.

With summer almost in full swing, one thing to note is that in Japan, people tend to be averse to being exposed to even the smallest amount of UV rays, so they will often wear more layers in order to avoid tanning or sunburn. For this reason, as well as for fashion purposes, sunglasses, leggings and baseball caps remain popular sports attire.

As with anything, in order to get a more nuanced picture of what's going on from a cultural perspective, sportswear brands would benefit most from exploring this concept through in-depth qualitative research. Understanding what really makes this segment of Japan's consumer market tick can make a huge difference to engagement levels.

After all, it's the small things as well as the ability to tap into growing trends and paying attention to detail that can have the greatest impact in Japan. Given the trend towards fashionable sportswear, it would be important to place an emphasis on how clothing can enhance overall lifestyle. Which emotional benefits can you associate with your offering?

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Sportswear trends in Japan: Functional or Fashion Statement?

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By Melissa Francis Tokyoesque are experts in Europe-Japan relations and provide clients with unique cultural insights that can be used to accelerate business growth across the globe. In this post, in light of the upcoming major sports events taking place in Japan (Rugby World Cup 2019 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games), we provide our insights on the Japanese sportswear market, and present where opportunities for foreign brands.

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The Tokyo Olympics are once again just around the corner.

After a yearlong postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Games are set to kick off later this summer in Tokyo, despite the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and lingering concerns in Japan. Though the Olympics will be taking place in 2021 due to the postponement, they will continue to be officially branded as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Here's everything else you need to know about when the Olympics will start, the schedule for this year's premier events and how you can watch Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and the rest of Team USA's stars compete for gold.

Are the Olympics still happening?

Yes. Although much of Japan is under a state of emergency due to COVID-19, and polls indicate that the majority of the Japanese public would prefer that the Games be canceled, organizers continue to say the event will go on as scheduled this summer.

The International Olympic Committee has said it is now in the "operational phase" of planning, which means it is beginning to make final preparations on the ground for the hosting of the Games. And Dick Pound, the IOC's longest-serving member, told The London Evening Standard in late May that only "Armageddon" could stop the Tokyo Olympics from being held at this point.

When do the Olympics start?

The Tokyo Olympics will begin on Friday, July 23, with the opening ceremony at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium.

The opening ceremony will take place at 8 p.m. local time in Japan, which will be 7 a.m. ET in the United States. NBC will broadcast the entire opening ceremony live, with coverage slated to begin at 6:55 a.m. ET.

What is the Olympics schedule?

The bulk of the Summer Olympics will span a total of 17 days, from the opening ceremony on July 23 to the closing ceremony on Sunday, August 8. (A handful of baseball, softball and soccer games are slated to be held on July 21 and July 22.)

In total, the Tokyo Games will feature 339 events across 33 sports.

Some of the most popular events will open competition right after the opening ceremony. Swimming races will run from July 24 through August 1. Gymnastics team finals will occur on July 26 (men) and July 27 (women), with all-around competition and individual events to follow. And track and field competition will start July 30.

Will there be fans at the Olympics?

At this point, it seems unlikely.

Olympic organizers announced this spring that international fans would not be allowed to attend the Tokyo Games this summer, while leaving open the possibility that a number of Japanese spectators might still be able to come. But given the situation with COVID-19 in Japan, organizers may decide to hold the Olympics behind closed doors.

An official decision on local fans is expected in June.

"There are many people who are saying that for the Olympic Games we have to run without spectators, although other sports are accepting spectators," said Seiko Hashimoto, the president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

"So we need to keep that in mind. We need to avoid that the local medical services are affected. We need to take those things into consideration before agreeing on the spectator count."

What are the new sports at the Olympics?

There will be six new sports at the Tokyo Olympics, four of which will be making their Olympic debut: Karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.

The other two sports, baseball and softball, are returning to the Olympic program after previously being cut.

There will also be several new events in existing sports, such as 3-on-3 basketball and mixed-gender relays in swimming and track and field, among other sports.
Contributing: The Associated Press

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When do the 2021 Olympics start? What new events will there be in Tokyo? Here's what you need to know about Summer Olympics

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The Tokyo Olympics are once again just around the corner. After a yearlong postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Games are set to kick off later this summer in Tokyo, despite the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and lingering concerns in Japan.

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This shows that Victoria B has done sportswear before and it has worked.

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Welcome to the official Victoria Beckham website. Explore the site, discover the latest collections for clothes, accessories, shoes and eyewear.

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"Sportswear and Victoria Beckham might not feel like a natural pairing, given the designer’s famed predisposition for heels, but her new collaboration with Reebok proves that she’s as adept at dressing women for the gym as she is for every other area of their lives.
“I’ve had a reputation for always wearing heels, but actually I work out every day, and when I’m working in the studio and office I’m often in a pair of trainers,” she told us."(Alexander, 2019)

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Gucci Jeweled sneakers

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Gucci All Over Monogram Print Rainbow Street Style in Harajuku w/ Gucci Jeweled Sneakers

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Mako's look features a rainbow print Gucci monogram top and matching Gucci monogram shorts, a Gucci undershirt, a matching rainbow bag by Gucci, big sunglasses, Japanese nail art, and Gucci socks with Gucci jeweled sneakers.

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Examples of Gucci and Balenciaga.

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The luxury footwear market in China reaps the benefits of the overall luxury industry's success

As an important category in luxury, the footwear market in China is closely associated with the performance of the overall China luxury market. Despite some slowdown in previous years, the luxury market in China still appears to be very prominent due to increasing disposable income per capita and increasing sales channels. Chinese consumers have revealed strong purchasing power in the globe when it comes to luxury purchasing. The global sales value of luxury products in 2017 amounted to 262 billion Euro, 32% of which was from Chinese consumers, making China the largest luxury consumption market. McKinsey 2017 Chinese Luxury Consumer Report estimated that the Chinese consumers' share of the global luxury market is going to reach 44% by 2025. There is no doubt that the stronger purchasing power is a driving force for the luxury footwear consumption.

According to Bain & Company's report on 2017 China luxury market, the total luxury market in China reached 142 billion RMB in 2017 with a YoY growth rate of 20%, which is the fastest growth in China since 2011. The top three categories contributing to the rapid growth are 1) cosmetics, fragrance and personal care, 2) jewelry, and 3) women's wear, followed by footwear with CAGR of 21%. The growth indicates a relatively good performance for luxury footwear market in China, which is also reflected by increasing search volume of relative key words on the search engine. 2017 Baidu Luxury Industry Report reveals the daily PV (page view) of luxury footwear in last year was 364,000 with 20% YoY growth, demonstrating increasing demand for footwear.

Online sales channels are offering new opportunities for luxury footwear in China

Online share of sales is very small but increasing

As for the sales channels of luxury brands, the traditional offline sales channel is still the mainstream, but the online share of sales has been increasing which offers new opportunities for luxury brands. In 2017, the CAGR of online sales (43%) highly exceeds that of offline sales (19%), but the proportion of online sales only accounts for 8%. However, it still indicates a significant growth for online channel development due to the change in consumer behavior and online channel building. Online consumption is an inevitable trend and is expected to keep increasing. By 2021, online sales share is expected to reach 13%.

Just as other luxury products, footwear selling will also be facing new opportunities due to the development of e-commerce, especially in China where e-commerce has been rising rapidly. According to Euromonitor International, early in 2015, China became the largest e-commerce market for footwear and apparel, accounting for 21% of the total e-commerce market for apparel and footwear around the globe. Additionally, its growth was also the fastest, with a leading YoY growth rate of 41%. As for luxury footwear and apparel specifically, although the online share of sales is small, it's the leading category in terms of consumers' preference for online shopping. According to Secoo/Deloitte: 2017 China Luxury E-Commerce White Book, online sales of footwear and apparel takes up 9%, ranking the second place after sales of alcohol. Baidu Luxury Industry Report suggests that the mobile search on footwear accounts for 82%. The use of mobile phones is game-changing in terms of the digital strategy. Despite the large share of mobile search hasn't successfully converted to online shopping, it suggests a large potential for luxury footwear brands.

Brands' official websites are visited more than WeChat stores

China has a unique digital landscape for international luxury brands. 2017 China Luxury E-Commerce White Book by Secoo/Deloitte suggests that sales on brand's official websites take up the largest proportion (43%) and that sales on WeChat stores started to rise with 5% proportion in 2017. Other e-commerce platforms together contribute to 20% sales in 2017.

Online channel usage of luxury fashion brands, data gathered by Euromonitor International, graph made by Daxue ConsultingBain & Company has categorized four main online channels for luxury distribution in China, namely brand's official websites, official flagship stores, luxury verticals, and luxury outlets. Official flagship stores are usually on Tmall and WeChat where the platforms' large traffic can be leveraged and the stores are highly controlled by brands. Luxury verticals include Tmall Shepin (天猫奢品) and JD Toplife, which are built by e-commerce platforms that specifically target luxury brands. Luxury outlets like Vipshop (唯品会) specially provide discounted luxury products. According to the study conducted by Bain & Company, when asked about the purchasing channels, 70% respondents mentioned brands' official websites, 42% mentioned flagship stores on WeChat and Tmall, 30% mentioned outlets and 21% mentioned luxury verticals.

The reason that brands' official websites are used the most is high owing to product authenticity, exclusive shopping experience and post-sale service provided by the official website. Besides, it's noticeably that WeChat stores have been rising for luxury purchasing. WeChat's functions of WeChat stores and mini-programs have made purchasing easier by enabling seamless reading, purchasing and payment. Given the rising online shopping landscape in China, it is crucial for luxury footwear to seize the chance and capture the online market. Chinese luxury consumers show a tendency of becoming younger. Millennials and generation Z are expected to become the main luxury consumer groups in the next 10 years. Since they have higher acceptability and usage of online purchasing, online channels are inevitably becoming increasingly important for luxury brands. Therefore, luxury footwear brands in China need to leverage online channels to realize the large market potential.

Sneakerisation of the luxury footwear market in China is driven by consumers' preference for street styles and casual wear

Sneakers have become a fad in luxury fashion as many luxury houses have launched sneakers in the past few seasons, including Balenciaga, Gucci, Louise Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, etc. The sneaker fever also has come to China which is driven by consumers' increasing preference for street styles and casual wear. According to 2017 Baidu Luxury Industry Report, the top five rising shoe styles searched by users in the last year include chunky sneakers, also known as "ugly Dad shoes" (老爹鞋), socks shoes, socks boots, flat mules, and flats with pearls. The top two trends are both sneakers, suggesting a leading position for sneakers in the luxury market nowadays.

More specifically, there are several reasons leading to the sneaker trend. Firstly, street culture has become an increasingly important element that influences consumers' dressing styles. As the boundary between traditional wearing and street styles becomes blurry, more and more consumers have developed a preference for street styles and casual wear. According to a report on China footwear market by Zhi Yan, the sneaker fever in China started in 2014. It is expected that sports style shoes and clothing will reach 246.7 billion RMB by 2020. Sales volume of sneakers will increase by 3% in 2020. Luxury brands closely follow the trend to meet the demands. Secondly, sneakers have always been playing a significant role among young consumers. Therefore, compared to traditional luxury products, sneakers can be better gateway products to luxury spending as well as a breakthrough point for luxury brands. Luxury brands are willing to build a close relationship with millennials by catering to their demands for sneakers. Thirdly, owing to the substantial change in consumption behavior subject to social media, celebrity effect has a big impact on luxury consumption. Baidu Luxury Industry Report shows the search volume of celebrities' same style products had an explosive growth by 206% and shoes are the main category influenced by celebrities. The top rising shoe styles are very common to be witnessed being worn by celebrities in China, which strongly drives the attention and consumption of these styles.

Keeping up with Sneakerisation: luxury brands show an active digital engagement in China

According to 2017 Baidu Luxury Industry Report, 94% of search content on luxury footwear were generic words, but the search increase of brand-related words (YoY growth rate of 26%) exceeds that of generic words, which suggests a stronger awareness and desire for brands. Therefore, based on the foremost footwear trends in China and the unique Chinese digital landscape, this section will look at several leading players' digital performance to provide insights of the luxury footwear market in China.

The case study of Balenciaga

Balenciaga has successfully led the trends of chunky shoes and sock shoes
Chunky shoe trend has swept over the globe including China, led by Balenciaga Triple S. Since its debut in 2017 F/W Paris fashion week, the thick-cushioned dad shoes have caught consumers' eye by its bold colors and maximal design. Before this, Balenciaga Speed trainer that has ribbed double-knit jersey socks and a wavy rubber sole also became a hit in the sock shoe trend since it was launched in 2016. Ugly sneakers and sock sneakers fads are joined by many players, but Balenciaga has always been able to take the trend to the extreme by its star products. Both chunky shoes and sock shoes have gone viral on the Internet in China.

Baidu index of "Balenciaga" shows that the search index was very small before 2017. But it started to increase significantly since 2017, which is positively correlated with the significant sneaker trends led by the brands. However, the peak of the index falls between 22nd to 28th of April, which is due to a negative buzz caused by an incident happened in Paris where Balenciaga was accused of discriminating Chinese people.
Balenciaga doesn't perform very actively on China's social media, but it was aimed at China's e-commerce platforms
The posts of Balenciaga on Weibo and WeChat stopped on April 26th, 2018 with a statement responding to the incident that took place at a department store of Balenciaga in Paris where a few Chinee customers were involved. Balenciaga was accused of discriminating Chinese people and caused a negative buzz on social media. The statement is considered not sincere and the negative comments on Balenciaga still continue on social media. Even before the incident, Balenciaga didn't seem to put much effort in terms of promoting its products on social media, including its signature Triple S. It has only 120,000 followers on Weibo, which is not a big number for luxury brands on China's social media. There were only two posts regarding the Triple S, which are basic information with basic pictures about the new launch.

However, despite Balenciaga has given up the social media engagement in China, for now, it has aimed at China's e-commerce channels. Currently, Balenciaga has established its store that sells shoes on three platforms, namely its official website, Secoo (寺库) and JD Toplife. Secoo is a leading luxury vertical that provides an integrated O2O shopping experience. JD Toplife is launched by JD, aiming to build an exclusive luxury vertical platform by providing premium service in sales, customer experience, and logistics management. Balenciaga just entered JD Toplife a few days ago, marking a significant step of Balenciaga's e-commerce strategy in China. It's the first time Balenciaga builds an official flagship store on a third-party retail platform. On JD Toplife, Balenciaga will provide a 24/7 service and support more local payment methods. In terms of the shipping, JD Toplife will provide a very premium service called "京尊达". This cooperation with JD Toplife will further drive the sales of Balenciaga products, including footwear.

The case study of Gucci

Gucci is in the lead in the white sneaker trend
With a focus on delivering teen spirit, Gucci Ace has taken the white sneaker trend to a new level because of its novel design. Gucci Ace dominated the social media feeds and celebrities' style photos in 2017, becoming one of the most popular white sneakers. Ace shoes convey the characteristics of youth, energy and individuality by embroidering Gucci's signature colors and animal patterns. Gucci recently also embraced the chunky sneaker trend by launching Rhyton sneakers which also features classic Gucci elements with a throwback feel. It is worth noting that Baidu index of "Gucci shoes" also suggests significant growth in recent two years.

Gucci's social media performance is very active in terms of promoting shoes
Gucci has a very active performance on social media to promote its shoes. Gucci on Weibo has more than 1.2 million followers, which is a big number for luxury brands. Footwear is one of the main categories pushed by Gucci as it is shown on the homepage of Gucci Weibo. By clicking the picture, readers can enter the shoe category on its official website and make purchases. What's more, Gucci promotes its shoes on Weibo by heavy use of celebrity endorsement. Gucci chooses celebrities who have similar characteristics with the shoes, and the endorsement advertises the products directly to their fans who want to act like the celebrities. While Gucci on WeChat adopts a story-telling way to promote the shoes instead of just posting a basic introduction. The articles pushing shoes focus on conveying the artistry of the products by introducing the design concepts, explaining cultural connotations and exhibiting creative works with artists. Also, plenty of pictures and videos are used to convey the message. The active performance on social media is very effective in terms of drawing readers' attention. Comments below the article show that readers are actively expressing their support and affection toward Gucci shoes and the brand ambassador Li Yuchun (李宇春).
Gucci has leveraged several e-commerce platforms in China for its footwear distribution
In terms of the online sales channels, Gucci shoes can be purchased from several e-commerce platforms besides its official website, including Secoo, Tmall Shepin, and JD Self-run. Additionally, Gucci also cooperated with Gogoboi, one of the top KOLs in China's fashion industry, to establish its presence on WeChat mini program. Bu Da Jing Xuan (不大精选) is a luxury store launched by Gogoboi and sells luxury products recommended by Gogoboi, thus the store has a strong individual character. Gucci is one of the first luxury brands that leverage the platform of WeChat which has powerful social functions as well as payment functions.

Sportswear brands are also in the luxury competition

When luxury houses are seeking the growth of footwear by creating exclusive sneakers at a high price, on the other hand, traditional sportswear brands are also in the competition by launching high-end sneakers that have a similar price with luxury brands' sneakers. "The luxury consumers and sportswear consumers can be the same group of people. Luxury consumers can be the consumers of Nike and Adidas and vice versa." Said Claudia D'Arpizio from Bain & Company. Therefore, luxury brands are also facing direct competition from sportswear brands in the luxury footwear market.
High-end sneakers by Nike and Adidas are usually around $400, but some popular styles can reach $3000 in the resale market. Limited editions and collaborations can even exceed $10,000. Footwear brands often work with celebrities or luxury brands, such as Adidas Yeezy, Air Vapormax Off White, Chanel X Adidas Originals NMD Hu, which are also sought after in the China market. For example, Adidas' Yeezy is a kind of casual shoes with a unique look and is endorsed by Kanye Omari West, the world-famous singer. Yeezy combines Primeknite and Boost technology of Adidas which make it extremely comfortable. Yeezy also has various styles to meet the changing fashion. After it became popular aboard, celebrities and fashion icons in China soon seized this fashion and made Yeezy pursued by their followers and fans. Social media is game changing for the Yeezy hype, especially when consumers are young. Baidu index also suggests significant popularity of Yeezy by search index.

Conclusion and implications

The trends in the luxury footwear market are strongly driven by the young consumers' preference for streetwear and the consumption behavior influenced by digital platforms, including social media and e-commerce channels. According to Bain & Company, millennials have become the main driving force for the luxury market in both China and abroad. Millennials show a preference for casual styles and street styles, which becomes increasingly important in the luxury industry. Especially for footwear, sneakers have become an important individual category for luxury brands to connect with their young consumers. Social media contribute a lot to the sneaker hype as those luxury sneaker consumers are young and closely following celebrities' styles. When luxury brands are reaching for their sneaker consumers in China, they need to leverage the digital platforms in China, including the e-commerce platforms. Online channels share of the market is still very small in China, but it has a large potential driven by millennials who are digital savvy. More and more luxury brands have attached importance to the e-commerce channels in China. Given the unique e-commerce landscape in China, it is necessary for luxury brands to provide better service through online channels in order to cater to young consumers. Besides the official website, other verticals such as JD Toplife and WeChat are also rising to provide more localized solutions. To sum up, the footwear market has become a significant category in the China luxury market, but there's still a large space to grow. The sneaker fad has brought new opportunities for luxury brands as well as sportswear brands to develop a digital strategy and capture the young consumer market.
Daxue Consulting can help get your luxury shoe brand into the Chinese market
Daxue Consulting has carried out projects with premium products and has experience with product launches and market entry procedures like brand naming and competitor analysis. To know more about the luxury footwear market in China, do not hesitate to contact our project managers at dx@daxueconsulting.com.

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The luxury footwear market in China. Modern digital opportunities

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As an important category in luxury, the footwear market in China is closely associated with the performance of the overall China luxury market. Despite some slowdown in previous years, the luxury market in China still appears to be very prominent due to increasing disposable income per capita and increasing sales channels.

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Gucci released shoes to fit the 'ugly shoe' trend.

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Gucci released shoes to fit the 'ugly shoe' trend.

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Do you have a spare £1000 lying around? Then Gucci has the shoes for you. Gucci's Flashtrek Sneakers (£1080) are now available for preorder, and we can't look away. We've discussed the "ugly" shoe trend ad nauseam here at Who What Wear-even dating back to 2016 -but Gucci has truly outdone itself with these spectacularly over-the-top versions.

Boasting removable crystals straps (well, a girl needs choice), the sneakers are a combination of several different trends. "Bejeweled straps race over and around a riot-of-colours sneaker amped up on a sculpted, mega-chunky flared sole," the product description reads. It's definite that they will make their way onto the street style scene, and we're pretty certain there will be copycats aplenty to hit the high street. This upcoming autumn is nothing if not very sparkly, after all. Scroll down to see the head-turning shoes, as well as Gucci's other new sneaker releases.

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You Just Need to See Gucci's Insane New Sneakers Up Close

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Do you have a spare £1000 lying around? Then Gucci has the shoes for you. Gucci's Flashtrek Sneakers (£1080) are now available for preorder, and we can't look away. We've discussed the "ugly" shoe trend ad nauseam here at Who What Wear-even dating back to 2016 -but Gucci has truly outdone itself with these spectacularly over-the-top versions.

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Sanyo-Shokai pivots from Burberry to Mackintosh and continues the valuable Black Label and Blue Label lines

by Gerhard Fasol, All Rights Reserved. 18 August 2015

Burberry Japan - the start of a relationship: Sanyo Shokai started importing Burberry coats to Japan in 1965, and in 1970 partnered with trading company Mitsui to design, make and sell apparel, coats, suits and other fashion items under the Burberry brand under license from the London based Burberry company. According to trade sources, Mitsui licensed the Burberry brand from Burberry, and Mitsui then sub-licensed to Sanyo Shokai.

Sanyo Shokai independently developed the Burberry brand business in Japan, creating many products under the Burberry brand in Japan which did not exist anywhere else in the world. In particular Sanyo Shokai created the Burberry Blue Label brand for young ladies and the Burberry Black Label for young men. These products were developed by Sanyo Shokai specially for the needs of Japanese customers, and marketed and sold under the Burberry brand locally in Japan, but were not officially exported to other countries. Of course, tourists coming to Japan could buy these Burberry-Japan products and take them home, and still today there is a secondary online market for these Japan-only Burberry products, including Blue Label and Black Label.

A brand-disconnect was created between Burberry-Japan and the rest of the world of Burberry, which by Burberry, and fashion world insiders was considered as the "Burberry Japan problem". However, the "Japan problem" yielded excellent sales and profits for Sanyo Shokai, and excellent license/royalty fee payments from Sanyo Shokai to Burberry, which made it hard for Burberry to consider other options in Japan.

Starting with the appointment of Rose Marie Bravo in 1997, who hired creative director Roberto Menichetti, Burberry changed the brand strategy, aiming to transform Burberry from a premium apparel brand to a luxury brand. Burberry's Japan business became a problem in this transformation, since Burberry's Japan business was not Burberry's business at all, but Sanyo Shokai's, and therefore was independently run by Sanyo Shokai with its own Japan-only products and sub-brands Burberry Blue Label and Burberry Black Label.

Burberry decided to carry out the transformation from the indirect license model, to the direct business model in Japan. Burberry's license to Sanyo Shokai was meant to expire in 2020, but Burberry brought the termination of the license contract forward to June 2015.

Burberry's challenge is now to build a different luxury Burberry business in Japan under the same brand name, while Sanyo Shokai's challenge is to manage the pivot from the Burberry brand to the Mackintosh London brand as smoothly as possible: to move as many customers directly over from the Burberry brand to the Mackintosh brand and other brands used by Sanyo Shokai. Sanyo Shokai has the advantage that Sanyo Shokai keep almost all the former Burberry store locations and refurbishes them over summer 2015 into Macintosh and other Sanyo Shokai stores.

Burberry had to give up the 300-500 Burberry branded stores in Japan which it had no direct control over, most of which Sanyo Shokai will now transform into Mackintosh London and Mackintosh Philosophy stores. In addition, Sanyo Shokai will develop two sub-brands following on from Burberry Blue Label and Burberry Black Label, now under the "Crestbridge" brand:

Sanyo Shokai has until June 2016 to sell its existing Burberry licensed products.

Why did Burberry and Sanyo-Shokai not decide on a less disruptive split? Read our analysis here.

Burberry goes direct in Japan

With the expiry of the license agreement with Sanyo Shokai and Mitsui Trading company, Burberry operates the Burberry business in Japan direct. There is an approx. 1 year transition period where Sanyo Shokai seems to be permitted to sell remaining stocks which are still left from the validity period of the license.

Burberry is now building business in Japan both via its new flagship store in Tokyo Omotesando, other direct stores and indirect stores, and Burberry is also building direct online business via the internet and mobile phones/smartphones.

Burberry Japan luxury non-apparel joint venture

While the apparel license was terminated in June 2015, on 18 November 2008, Burberry, Sanyo Shokai and Mitsui entered into a luxury non-apparel joint venture for Japan operational for the Spring/Summer season 2010.

Burberry (バーバリー)

Burberry was founded by Thomas Burberry, designer of the famous Burberry trench coat in 1856 in London.

Today Burberry Group plc is a public company, traded on the London Stock Exchange:

Annual revenues: UKL 2.523 billion (US$ 10.4 billion) (year to March 31, 2015)

Annual net income: UKL 341.1 million (US$ 531 million) (year to March 31, 2015)

Market Cap: UKL 6.67 billion (US$ 10.4 billion) (August 18, 2015)

Burberry Blue Label was a sub-brand developed by Sanyo Shokai for women. Currently Burberry Blue Label products are traded online second-hand in Japan, and Sanyo Shokai is continuing the Blue Label Brand without the "Burberry" brand.

With the termination of the Burberry license, Sanyo Shokai pivoted this sub-brand to Blue Label Crestbridge.

Contemporary British

Progressive Preppy

Cute essence

Fine quality

Japan x British. British fashion born in Japan

Creative Director is: Yasuhiro Mihara (三原 康裕)

Burberry Black Label was a sub-brand developed by Sanyo Shokai for men. Currently Burberry Black Label products are traded online second-hand in Japan, and Sanyo Shokai is continuing the Black Label Brand without the "Burberry" brand.

With the termination of the Burberry license, Sanyo Shokai pivoted this sub-brand to Black Label Crestbridge .

Contemporary British

British trad

Clean

Catchy & humour

Fine quality

Japan x British. British Fashion born in Japan

Creative Director is: Yasuhiro Mihara (三原 康裕)

Mackintosh (マッキントッシュ): reinventing the Scottish rubber raincoat brand via Japan

The Mackintosh is a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric invented by Charles Macintosh and first sold in 1824 (note that the inventor is named Macintosh, while his invention is today known as Mackintosh, with an added "k").

The company was founded in Glasgow, Scotland around 1846. The company went through ups and downs, management buy-outs, and in the 1970s was mainly producing uniforms for British Rail and the London Metropolitan Police. British Rail and the Police procurement were looking for cheaper options, so Mackintosh had to reinvent its business leading to the reinvention of Mackintosh as a fashion brand.

In 2007 the Osaka firm Yagi Tsusho (八木通商株式会社) acquired the company and the brand Mackintosh, and created a new flagship store in Mount Street in London's Mayfair.

The Mackintosh brand as a fashion label was created via Japan, as described by The Scotsman.

Sanyo Shokai reached a licensing and business development partnership with Yaki Tusho regarding the Mackintosh London brand.

Sanyo Shokai's strategy is to replace the lost Burberry license by the Mackintosh London brand. Sanyo Shokai opened the first Mackintosh London store in Yokohama in July 2015, and plans to open 263 Mackintosh London stores in Japan.

Sanyo Shokai plans a price range of YEN 120,000 - 160,000 for coats and suits. Most Mackintosh London stores will be Sanyo Shokai stores, which were operating under the Burberry brand previously, continuing business at the same locations with the same staff, converting from the Burberry to the Mackintosh brand identity, including the luxury floors in the main Japanese department stores. Sanyo Shokai plans to have converted approx. 170 stores in summer 2015.

Sanyo Shokai is now developing two sub-brands:

Sanyo Shokai (株式会社三陽商会)

Sanyo Shokai (株式会社三陽商会) was founded on May 11, 1943, and after an IPO in July 1971 is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Code 8011. Sanyo Shokai employs about 1300 people.

Annual revenues: YEN 109 billion (US$ 0.9 billion) (year to Dec 31, 2014)

Annual net income: YEN 6.4 billion (US$ 51 million) (year to Dec 31, 2014)

Market Cap: YEN 54 billion (US$ 0.4 billion) (August 18, 2015)

Sanyo Shokai's "Sanyo Ginza Tower" after conversation from Burberry branding to Black Label by Crestbridge, Blue Label by Crestbridge, and other Sanyo brands

Yagi Tsusho (八木通商株式会社)

Yagi Tsusho (八木通商株式会社) was founded on December 21, 1946 and is a trading, marketing and merchandizing company based in Osaka.

In 2007 Yagi Tsusho acquired the Scottish company Mackintosh.

Yagi Tsusho employs about 200 people.

Annual revenues: Annual revenues: YEN 38.8 billion (US$ 312 million) (year to March 31, 2015)

Why did Burberry and Sanyo-Shokai not decide on a less disruptive split? Read our analysis here.

We guide companies to overcome the complexities of Japan's markets - contact us:

Japan's Media Landscape - analysis

(approx. 200 pages, pdf file)

Copyright (c) 2015-2019 Eurotechnology Japan KK All Rights Reserved

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Burberry solves it's "Japan problem", at least for now

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by Gerhard Fasol, All Rights Reserved. 18 August 2015 Burberry Japan - the start of a relationship: Sanyo Shokai started importing Burberry coats to Japan in 1965, and in 1970 partnered with trading company Mitsui to design, make and sell apparel, coats, suits and other fashion items under the Burberry brand under license from the London based Burberry company.

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year of the rat created a collection on mickey mouse.

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Since his debut with in 2015, the stylist has been constantly reinventing the Italian luxury house by combining bold looks, know-how and eccentricity. January 25, 2020 marks the start of the Chinese New Year, this year under the sign of the rat, Alessandro Michele is launching a collection in homage to Walt Disney's iconic character: . This is the third time the Mickey Mouse character has appeared in a Gucci collection. The famous mouse was featured in Spring/Summer 2019 and Cruise 2020 collection of the Italian label.

What to expect?

Based on the fun spirit of the Gucci house, this unisex capsule offers everything from scarves to glasses, bags to shoes with a ready-to-wear collection also on offer. The highlight of this exclusive collection? The Mini GG Supreme canvas bag with " Mickey Mouse" print, a subtle reference to one of the fabrics used by the house in the 1980s.

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Gucci has created the cutest capsule collection for Chinese New Year

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Since his debut with in 2015, the stylist has been constantly reinventing the Italian luxury house by combining bold looks, know-how and eccentricity. January 25, 2020 marks the start of the Chinese New Year, this year under the sign of the rat, Alessandro Michele is launching a collection in homage to Walt Disney's iconic character: .

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Gucci Tokyo Print From Spring/Summer 2017 Collection

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Gucci Tokyo Print From Spring/Summer 2017 Collection

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Colorful florals in jacquard fabric material.

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Introducing the Gucci Tokyo Print from the brand's Spring/Summer 2017 Collection. The Tokyo Print features colorful florals in jacquard fabric material. This pattern is currently available on Sylvie, GG Marmont and Dionysus bags. It comes in three background colors, Red, Green and Yellow. The floral pattern are featured in multiple colors like pink, yellow, blue and red. This beautiful print is a nice break from the classic leather and edgy designs of the brand. Its feminine style is perfect to pair up with any outfit.

Gallery

[shop brand="50″ title="tokyo" rows="1″ ]

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Gucci Tokyo Print From Spring/Summer 2017 Collection

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Introducing the Gucci Tokyo Print from the brand's Spring/Summer 2017 Collection. The Tokyo Print features colorful florals in jacquard fabric material. This pattern is currently available on Sylvie, GG Marmont and Dionysus bags. It comes in three background colors, Red, Green and Yellow. The floral pattern are featured in multiple colors like pink, yellow, blue and red.

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Southeast Asia is emerging as a hub of the global sneaker trade, with Singapore at its centre

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Southeast Asia is emerging as a hub of the global sneaker trade, with Singapore at its centre

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"According to a study released by premium sneaker marketplace Ox Street, 40 per cent of global growth in the athletic footwear market is expected to come from this region. Here’s why.

Earlier this year, sneakerheads around the world gasped at the audacious S$3,500 price tag of

Dior’s hugely anticipated Air Dior sneakers, a collaboration with Nike’s Air Jordan brand. Eye-watering as that may have been (in comparison, the “Pradidas” sneaker collaboration between Prada and Adidas cost about S$700 a pair), it was only just the beginning."(Tee, 2021)

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Southeast Asia is emerging as a hub of the global sneaker trade, with Singapore at its centre

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According to a study released by premium sneaker marketplace Ox Street, 40 per cent of global growth in the athletic footwear market is expected to come from this region. Here's why.

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"Seventy-nine percent of the spending on luxury goods and services in China is done by people under 40."(Harvard Business Review, 2021)

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"Do Millennials in China also love avocado toast?"

A global executive asked me this, in earnest, a month ago.

I get questions like this because I'm the founder of a market-insights company called Young China Group. Whenever I give talks, whether it's London or Cairo or Rio, people always ask the same question: "How do the younger generations in China stack up against our own?"

The question comes up so often that I've developed an open-ended framework to answer it - one that can help make sense of the swiftly shifting tectonic plates of global consumption. It has come in handy in particular for us at Young China Group as we help global brands and investors understand young consumers in China and the West, but it is open-ended enough to be applied more broadly.

The framework involves four "orbits of inquiry" - general organizing principles, that is, that leave space for drift between points. Let's consider them one by one.

1. Generational Power
How much market impact does a youth cohort have in its country?
Different countries have different generational pecking orders. Not all global youth cohorts have as much economic clout in their own national consumer ecosystem as their peers in other countries. In most Western economies, wealth is still focused in the Boomer + age brackets, as this graph makes alarmingly clear.

We forget this in part because young people make headlines and look good in ad campaigns. Millennials and Gen Z may drive trends and make headlines in the United States, but Boomers are still the core consumers. They're the ones who move markets.

In China, by contrast, young people both make trends and move markets. Population size is a factor, naturally. Chinese youth - by which I mean people under the age of 40, loosely the equivalents of our Millennials and Gen Z-outnumber American youth five to one. But there's more to the story than that. China's young generations are the first for whom consumerism comes naturally. Born into China's modern economic era, they don't know anything else. This is in stark contrast to their parents and grandparents, most of whom grew up poor in a very different political climate, and as a result developed a famously thrifty approach to life-one akin to the approach many Americans developed during the Great Depression. China's older generations have had to learn how to be consumers, whereas its younger generations just get it.

China's older generation was defined by their ability to "eat bitter"-that is, to do hard things for long times with deeply delayed gratification. In a way, China's economic history can be summed up by this generational evolution: The older generation ate bitter yesterday so that today the younger generation can eat hot pot.

The result is a divide in generational spending power that is pretty astounding. Seventy-nine percent of the spending on luxury goods and services in China is done by people under 40. Not only that, according to both McKinsey and Bain, China will account for roughly half of all global luxury spending by 2025. Pre-Covid, China was the largest outbound travel spender in the world - and the 40-and-under population hold two-thirds of the country's passports. One-third of all study abroad students in the United States hail from China. Our universities are so dependent on the Chinese education customer, in fact, that at the beginning of the U.S.-China trade war, some of them, including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, took out substantial insurance policies against the expected decline in Chinese students.

When you want to understand same-age cohorts globally on this dimension, the basic equation is simple: Population size plus spending potential equals generational power. The variables are spending habits and intergenerational financial fluidity, about which more below.

2. Generational Distance
How broad or deep are the generation gaps in that country?
This question is critical. For example, how different are Boomers from their children in the United States, and how does that compare to the difference between comparable generations in China?

At Young China Group, we often say that while the United States and Western Europe have generation gaps, China has generation gulfs. Here's one way to look at it: When my father was debating whether or not to go to Woodstock, in 1969, my friends' parents in China were still mired in the Cultural Revolution, and China had a per capita GDP of US$100. Given the astounding amount of social and economic change that China has lived through since then, how much do you think older parents in China have in common with their adult children today?

In China, the joke goes, there's a generation gap every three years. The sheer scale and speed of change in the country during the past thirty years actually makes it impossible to capture a 20-year swath of population using a single designation such as Millennial or Boomer. When we at Young China Group parse generational cohorts, we tend to do so using 10- or even 5-year intervals. We ask questions like, "What are Post-1995s' attitudes toward the sneaker trend?"

Generational distance becomes especially important when you consider how trends move between generations, how similar or different spending and lifestyle habits are between children and their parents, and whether it even makes sense to talk generically about "the consumer" in any given country.

3. Generational Continuity
How does being their parents' children affect their worldview? In which ways are they rebelling against their parents, or following in their footsteps?
There's a reason your first therapy session begins with, "So, tell me about your mother." We inherit a tremendous amount from our parents - our worldview and moral system, our understanding of "worth" and "value," our sense of what careers to pursue, and so much more.

In the United States, Boomers often defined themselves by rebelling against the beliefs and values of their parents - they rejected authority, followed their passions, and became the Me Generation. At the time, this was radical, but American Millennials today accept it all as normal.

Things are obviously very different in China. The older generation grew up in the Maoist era, when famine was widespread, necessities were scarce, and education was discouraged. Today, as a consequence, China's Millennials and Gen Z have internalized a sense that the pursuit of luxury - even relative luxuries like big meals out and elaborate tea drinks - is a worthwhile enterprise. They indulge themselves as "foodies," they spend conspicuously on luxury goods, they study abroad. Though many would scoff at this, in a way they are living out their parents' dreams.

4. Intergenerational Financial Fluidity
How does money move between generations?
If you want to compare generational power and market impact, pay especially close attention to this question: Why is it that young people are the market movers in China? It's not that they have more money or higher-paying jobs than their peers in, say, the United States. Rather, it's that money moves far more freely between generations in China than it does in the United States.

In the United States, Boomers are still market movers because they have held on to their money. Parents are supporting their children more than they did in the past, it's true, but that support pales in comparison to what their counterparts in China and other parts of Asia are doing.

On top of that, when you compare the number of people under 40 in China (700+ million) to the total population (approaching 1.5 billion), you realize that the number is proportionately small; with a median age of 38, China is not as young as the other Asian demographic giant, India, whose median age is just under 27. As a result, the demographic picture in China looks a bit like an inverted pyramid. Due to a massive baby boom in the 1950s and 1960s, followed by the baby bust caused by China's one-child policy, launched in 1979, China has what we call the 4-2-1 crisis: four grandparents for every two parents for every one child.

That upside-down pyramid works like a funnel, and it explains how young people with a fraction of the income of their American counterparts are making such a market splash. One child is the recipient of two generations of money, love, attention, dreams - and huge amounts of pressure.

***

Many of the people I've worked with have found the framework I've presented in this article to be helpful. Building information into it, you can compare different generations within a country, or similar ones in countries across the globe. Whether you're making these comparisons for a marketing plan, or an investment strategy, or something else, the framework and its four orbits of inquiry will enable you to move beyond already thin generational stereotypes, which regularly get pulled to the breaking point when we try to stretch them uniformly across the whole globe.

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"Do Millennials in China also love avocado toast?" A global executive asked me this, in earnest, a month ago. I get questions like this because I'm the founder of a market-insights company called Young China Group.

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If you ever been to the shopping District in Ginza Japan, you can expect all of the high end designer brands to be more expensive than what you bargain for. You would think perhaps everything will be similarly priced but I can say no. In Japan including the conversion from CAD to Yen, Japan designer brands are more expensive.

check out https://torontojapan.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-backpacking-in-japan/ if you are trying to save all that money!

If you are looking for Versace, Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and more in Japan, I suggest you can look but try not to buy.

Every designer store that I went to in Ginza, a lot of the items are marked up considerably. I am sure that some bags can cost a considerable amount but the bags that I have seen in Canada is much more cheaper than in Japan. Everything is online nowadays and you can check the price for yourself. Compare it and surely the price doesn't add up.

What is Ginza Japan?

Ginza Japan is a famous shopping district that showcases all the high end brands and luxury products. It is a street that many people in Japan would recognize as a place to buy drip. So if you are looking for products to flex, I would highly suggest ginza.

There is no consistency in pricing. Perhaps it is the same in Canada, where some watches or clothing is priced at whatever the store wants. I saw a gucci watch for 90,000 Yen (1k Cad) at the gucci store and then a couple stores down, the same gucci watch was 48,000 yen. I think it was cheaper because the store was more like a gucci associate.

Why Buy Luxury Brands in Japan

I know what you are thinking, why buy a designer brand, you are just paying for the logo. Thus the logo can be priced at whatever value. It's true but with a huge materialistic market in asian culture, sometimes it is a status symbol. In Japan, they use this and raise the value of every brand to an insane amount.

It's Cheaper In Canada Literally

If you are going to buy a designer brand in Japan, I would suggest that you check if it is a Japan exclusive. Sometimes designers work with a country to develop an exclusive item. If you are from Canada, then I am sure you can find the product you are looking for, for cheap.

Conversion Rate Sucks

If you are converting CAD to Yen, the best rate you can get is around 80 yen to 1$ CAD. Honestly speaking from the conversion alone, you would spend more money on a bag in Japan, than if you would in Canada.

Not all Prices listed online will be found in Store

If you went to the store and would like something online, they would usually handle you at customer service. You would then put your order through them and they would ship it to the store. Sounds great right? Not really, sometimes shipping can take a week. If you are staying in Japan for a short period of time, then you really can't get anything online. You may have to settle for the overpriced clothing on display.

Why Buy High Luxury Items?

If you are in Japan, I would consider it a interesting fact that Japan high end brands are overpriced. Although you can consider all luxury brands overpriced, if you went to Japan just to take a look at it, you would agree too.

In Japan, there are some people who are materialistic, like anyone in any culture. You would often find them hanging around Ginza to showcase their new purchase. If you are a person who appreciates luxury brands then I would suggest Ginza Japan to anyone. But if you are looking to save money, then I would suggest saving that money and buying it in Canada.

I personally think Dior is a great brand because one of the greatest man who lived talked about it before he died. If you want to hear his story, watch this video

When it rains, it Pours Christian Dior

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Luxury Brands in Japan is More Expensive Than you Think

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If you ever been to the shopping District in Ginza Japan, you can expect all of the high end designer brands to be more expensive than what you bargain for. You would think perhaps everything will be similarly priced but I can say no.

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They prefer quality and buy for themselves rather than gifting to friends.

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Luxury brands should not overlook affluent Japanese consumers. Image credit: Fendi

While most luxury marketers keep a close eye on Chinese customers' buying habits, brands should not let Japanese luxury consumers go unnoticed, according to a new report by Agility Research.

Despite Japanese consumers spending around $33 billion annually on luxury goods, they have recently been overshadowed by Chinese affluents, especially in light of the 2011 financial crisis. Despite marketers' caution towards Japan, Agility notes the nation's shoppers are responsible for 30 to 40 percent of many brands' global profitability.

"Japan is even more important now as a big tourist destination for affluent Asians, including the affluent Chinese who shop there when they travel to Japan," said Amrita Banta, managing director at Agility Research & Strategy. "It has in recent times been overshadowed a bit by the rapidly-growing Chinese market, but is still important for luxury brands as a domestic market as well as for the tourist demand."
Traditional tastes
Luxury brands are encouraged to approach Japanese buyers differently than those in other luxury markets in Asia. As a whole, they tend to more highly value quality and take less stock in influencers than consumers in China or South Korea.

Brand loyalty, online shopping and social media have less of a hold on Japanese high-net-worth individuals than in other Asian countries, which has ripple effects for brands.

Less than 10 percent of total retail sales are made online, with Japanese consumers preferring the traditional department store experience.
Luxury shoppers in Japan prefer traditional in-store shopping experiences. Image credit: Versace
Only 11 percent of Japanese respondents admit to posting photos of luxury purchases on social media, and 10 percent have purchased a high-end item based on an influencer's recommendation. In South Korea, a similarly developed and technologically advanced luxury market, nearly a third of respondents admitted to the aforementioned behaviors.

Perhaps because of the more tenuous attachment to social media, Japanese consumers cite that a brand being "recognizable" or used by "people [they] look up to" are the least important factors when making high-end purchases.

"I think the most surprising thing is that the Japanese are very different from Chinese shoppers, who are very influenced by social media, celebrities and KOLs," Ms. Banta said.

Instead, Japanese affluents see luxury as a personal choice and experience.

While 71 percent of Chinese consumers may gift others luxury items, less than a third of Japanese shoppers do the same. The Japanese also rarely rely on personal shoppers or luxury advisors.
Japanese affluents have different priorities than Chinese consumers. Image credit: Peninsula Hotels
One sign that Japan is a more mature and confident luxury market is the emphasis on quality. More than half of those surveyed cited "higher quality" as the reason why they purchase luxury items.

Japanese affluents denote high quality based on craftsmanship, style and service.
Luxury growth in Japan
Not only is Japan's domestic luxury market strong, but its popularity among first-class tourists also presents a good opportunity for luxury brands.

Japan is the most popular travel destination among Asia's millionaires. This is the result of its strong heritage, a variety of destinations across the country and the low yen ( see story).

According to Agility, luxury hotels, restaurants and shopping malls in Tokyo and Osaka have especially benefitted from the influx of travelers.

Among the luxury brands investing in Japan is Italy's Bulgari Hotels, which has announced an upcoming Tokyo hotel. The development is near tourist destinations such as the Imperial Palace. It is also within walking distance to the Ginza and Nihombashi shopping areas ( see story).

As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics approach, this trend is sure to continue.

"I think luxury brands need to be very visible in the run up to the Olympics and be seen not only in Japan, but as luxury travelers plan for their trip and the path to purchase," Ms. Banta said.

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Luxury brands can no longer overlook Japanese consumers: Agility

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Luxury brands should not overlook affluent Japanese consumers. Image credit: Fendi While most luxury marketers keep a close eye on Chinese customers' buying habits, brands should not let Japanese luxury consumers go unnoticed, according to a new report by Agility Research.

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Currently, about 25% of Japan’s population is above 65 and this will increase to 40% by 2060.(Pang Sze-Yunn and Arivalagan, 2020)

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A new demographic dividend - the "longevity dividend" - is emerging as populations age;

Singapore, one of the most rapidly ageing populations in the world, and Japan, where around 25% of the population is older than 65, are already responding to this demographic shift and benefit from it;

From innovative retirement income and care programmes, Japan and Singapore's governments are already seeing positive results.

Demographic change has favoured economic growth in many regions around the world. In countries where working-age populations grew more rapidly than the number of consumers, income per capita experienced a boost. This was the first demographic dividend.

However, as is widely acknowledged, this first dividend is transitory because as populations age, the size of the non-working population starts to grow. Even so, the same demographic conditions that are producing an end to the first demographic dividend may yield a second - the "longevity dividend".

This second demographic dividend is characterized by an accumulation of wealth and savings as older individuals save for consumption at old age and invest in their human capital, especially in health and education. The second demographic dividend can be permanent or self-sustaining as demand for life-cycle wealth stabilizes at a higher level.

All regions in the world can reap the benefits of this longevity dividend. If countries are forward-looking and act early, the opportunities the longevity dividend provides can potentially lead to improved productivity over longer lifespans and an increase in gross national income.

How will the median age of the population in each region change by 2100? Image: Statista

Some countries in Asia, including Singapore and Japan, are responding to demographic shifts and implementing innovative policies and solutions designed to reap the benefits of the longevity dividend.

Singapore: Life-long learning and "risk-pooling"

SkillsFuture, a national programme launched in 2014, provides every Singaporean aged 25 and above with an opening credit of $500 that they may use to attend approved skills-based courses. This credit does not expire and the government will provide periodic top-ups. SkillsFuture also offers work-study programmes to strengthen industry-academia interactions for students and mid-career professionals.

How the working-age population is expected to decline in several OECD countries

Singaporean universities also support their graduates in life-long learning. Alumni of the National University of Singapore can take selected industry-relevant courses for up to 20 years from the time of matriculation; the Singapore University of Social Sciences also offers credits to alumni to offset fees on courses related to emerging skills.

Singapore employs other mechanisms such as social risk pooling. Individuals tend to have great difficulty hedging longevity risk, which includes the risk of outliving their retirement resources and catastrophic health shocks. Relying solely on individual efforts to finance old-age consumption may thus accentuate income and wealth inequalities in society.

To this end, the Central Provident Fund Lifelong Income for the Elderly (CPF LIFE) scheme provides coverage for the retirement income needs of Singaporeans. It is financed through compulsory monthly contributions to one's CPF account and provides a monthly payout during old age for as long as the policy-holder lives.

Another scheme, MediShield Life, provides life-long coverage for Singaporeans' hospitalization expenses. It is a basic health insurance plan, funded through mandatory yearly premiums, which helps pay for large hospital bills and selected costly outpatient treatments, such as dialysis and chemotherapy.

Japan: Long-Term Care Insurance and industry innovation

Japan is another rapidly ageing Asian country. Currently, about 25% of Japan's population is above 65 and this will increase to 40% by 2060. Such a demographic shift would severely strain Japan's established pension system and Japan's ageing workforce has already started to slow down the Japanese economy.

The Japanese government has taken a multi-prong approach to meet the needs of the Japanese population and boost economic growth. In 2000, Japan implemented a comprehensive Long-Term Care Insurance, known as one of the most generous and comprehensive health insurance in the world. The insurance pays for professionally designed and government-approved care plans that offer the elderly a choice of different care models, such as living in assisted-care facilities, home care and assistance with grocery shopping. The Japanese government has continued to improve care plans in 2011 by introducing more care models that integrate healthcare, preventive care and long-term care.

On the economic front, the Japanese government has also spurred the creation of the MedTech and aged-care industries by tapping into Japan's historical advantage in industrial manufacturing, design and customer service. For example, helped by state funding, Japanese firms are now investing in the design of care robots such as Paro the robotic seal, mechanical care aids for caregivers and innovative regenerative and cell therapies. Not only will these emerging technologies produce products and services that will meet the needs of Japan's ageing population and lower the cost of care, but the government's investment could also create a new growth industry for Japan.

Taking a whole-of-government and long-term perspective

Singapore and Japan are doing the right thing by looking long-term and starting early. As the examples above show, what both countries also have in common is tackling the issue holistically from different angles. Ensuring that the future elderly population has sufficient health insurance cover serves to protect the country from an excessive healthcare burden as the population ages. Both countries are also thinking ahead about the jobs and character of the economy as the population ages. Longevity will affect every aspect of a nation. Countries need to take a whole-of-government approach to make sure they are sufficiently prepared to reap a longevity dividend.

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These countries are most ready to deal with ageing populations

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The longevity dividend can potentially lead to improved productivity over longer lifespans and an increase in gross national income.

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"Luxury brands are finding success with streetwear among Chinese consumers — a move that has enabled them to charge higher prices. ... This means they release a limited number of items over a short time period, which creates scarcity and allows them to charge high prices."(Duncan, 2019)

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Luxury brands are finding success with streetwear among Chinese consumers - a move that has enabled them to charge higher prices.

Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès and Dior were among the top five brands listed under the "sneaker" hashtag on popular Chinese shopping app RED, according to Gartner L2's "Luxury China: Streetwear Insight" report last month. The only other brand among the top five was Nike.

"Luxury brands have supported their development of youth-oriented product categories like sneakers and streetwear items with innovative e-commerce models and celebrity-driven activations on relevant digital platforms," said Danielle Bailey, managing vice president for APAC Research and Advisory at Gartner L2, in a press release.

"The 'it sneaker' has emerged as a status symbol used for self-expression and is the key gateway luxury purchase for young shoppers in China."

Luxury brands have also borrowed a pricing and distribution strategy from the streetwear culture: the drop model. This means they release a limited number of items over a short time period, which creates scarcity and allows them to charge high prices.

"The drop model in streetwear is similar to what luxury does. It creates a sense of urgency to purchase," Elizabeth Flora from Gartner L2 told CNBC.

For example, luxury brand Rimowa collaborated with perhaps the most relevant streetwear brand, Off-White, in 2018 and "dropped" limited edition transparent suitcases. The collaboration had the most engagement on Weibo - China's Twitter-like platform - among all luxury collaborations, even though suitcases were selling for close to $1,700.

The streetwear culture - popularized by designers such as Virgil Abloh and Kanye West - gained popularity in 2017 and has been seeping into the luxury industry. China is a crucial market for both luxury and streetwear and in 2018, Chinese consumers - enticed by streetwear - at home and abroad spent $115 billion on luxury items, according to a report from McKinsey and Company.

However, the high prices and scarcity of these luxury items have created opportunities for counterfeits to appear on the market. Louis Vuitton has been one of the luxury brands employing the drop model as a distribution strategy. In 2018, the French fashion house was the most counterfeited luxury brand in the world and its products made up over half of the fake luxury products found on the market, according to Entrupy's "State of the Fake Report."

"Because streetwear and luxury drive demand and are scarce, they are more likely to be counterfeited," Flora said. "The most successful brands get counterfeited the most (so) brands need to be really proactive."

The luxury market in China is still thriving despite high prices and issues with counterfeiting. By 2025, Chinese consumers will account for 40% of global spending on luxury brands, according to McKinsey & Company's China Luxury report.

But as younger consumers begin to make up more of luxury purchases, luxury fashion houses will have to keep evolving to maintain success in this market.

"It's really important to be able to cater to the younger generations," Flora said. "Luxury shoppers skew much younger in China. They're following their own sets of fashion trends and celebrities so brands need to incorporate those into their digital marketing strategies."

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Why luxury goods are so expensive in China

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Luxury brands are finding success with streetwear among Chinese consumers - a move that has enabled them to charge higher prices. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès and Dior were among the top five brands listed under the "sneaker" hashtag on popular Chinese shopping app RED, according to Gartner L2's "Luxury China: Streetwear Insight" report last month.

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How chinese consumers spend during holidays

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How chinese consumers spend during holidays

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BEIJING - Chinese tourists shopped more in their home country during the latest "Golden Week" holiday, as the coronavirus pandemic kept millions from traveling overseas.

From Oct. 1 to 8, duty-free sales in the tropical island province of Hainan more than doubled from last year - soaring by nearly 150% - to 1.04 billion yuan ($155 million), according to the local customs agency. Tourist visits rose more than 40% to 146,800, the agency added.

Chinese shoppers also bought more foreign goods online. Total sales on Tmall Global, Alibaba's primary e-commerce platform for overseas brands looking to reach China, rose by 79% during the first seven days of the month compared to a year ago, according to the company, which did not disclose a monetary figure.

China's Ministry of Commerce said average daily sales for retail and food and beverages was 4.9% higher than last year's Golden Week holidays, for total sales of 1.6 trillion yuan from Oct. 1 to 8.

This year, the week-long holidays included both the celebration of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival and the commemoration of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. It is the last public holiday of the year for a country in which most workers have few personal vacation days.

The data shows consumers in the world's second-largest economy clearly still have cash to spend, even if China as a whole is still recovering from the economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. In the first half of last year, official reports said Chinese tourists spent $127.5 billion overseas.

Most Chinese tourists come from China's middle class, who are less affected than low-income groups by the pandemic and are now spending a lot on luxury products, said Jianguang Shen, chief economist at JD Digits, which was spun off from Chinese e-commerce company JD.com. He was formerly the chief economist at Mizuho Securities Asia.

It's clear that consumption, especially service consumption, is on the mend.

Chief China economist, Macquarie

The growth in domestic demand is contributing to rising prices for many products, such as hotel stays, kitchen appliances, musical instruments and car accessories, he said. "The price increase is very obvious," Shen said in Mandarin, according to a CNBC translation.

Trip.com, whose brands include travel booking site Ctrip, said that the gross merchandise value (GMV) of hotel bookings more than doubled in October from a month ago, with four-star and five-star hotels accounting for nearly half of reservations. More people also chose longer vacations - the number of hotel guests staying for seven straight days during Golden Week rose by 70% from a month ago.

"It's clear that consumption, especially service consumption, is on the mend," Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie, said in a note Friday.

"The message from the 'golden week' is important because the recovery in the coming months has to be driven by consumption," Hu said. "The V-shaped recovery so far has been largely driven by property, infrastructure and exports, which are 50% of the economy."

"Given the recent policy turns, their growth rates might peak soon, or have already peaked. It's encouraging that the other half of the economy, including consumption and manufacturing investment, is catching up," he said in the note.

Hu expects that retail sales could rise 3% to 4% in October from a year ago.

The nearly 5% growth in retail sales during the holiday season this year, as reported by the Commerce Ministry, was slower than the 8.5% pace during the holiday in 2019, which recorded total sales of 1.52 trillion yuan.

And the increase in spending did not necessarily help all online shopping platforms equally.

Daily active users for group-buying site Pinduoduo rose during the holiday from the average seen in September, according to CNBC analysis of data from app developer services company Aurora Mobile. The analysis showed growth for short-video and livestreaming apps Kuaishou and Douyin, which include e-commerce functions.

On the other hand, the data showed average daily active users on JD.com and Alibaba's Taobao and Tmall e-commerce sites declined slightly during the holiday from last month's average.

The major challenge for China's economic recovery from the coronavirus' shock remains ensuring employment and expectations of future income.

Even as overall economic growth rebounded, the portion of Chinese internet users earning 2,000 yuan ($294) or less a month increased to 43.2% in June, up from 39% in March, according to CNBC's analysis of data released late last month by government agency China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). Those earning 1,000 yuan or less a month accounted for 21% of internet users in June, mildly higher than March.

The share of users in the highest-earning segment of 8,000 yuan ($1,176) a month or more in income declined from 13.3% in March to 11.5% in June.

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Chinese shoppers spend big during the Golden Week holidays - a sign consumption is on the mend

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BEIJING - Chinese tourists shopped more in their home country during the latest "Golden Week" holiday, as the coronavirus pandemic kept millions from traveling overseas. From Oct. 1 to 8, duty-free sales in the tropical island province of Hainan more than doubled from last year - soaring by nearly 150% - to 1.04 billion yuan ($155 million), according to the local customs agency.

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Becoming a piece of art.

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Christian, aged 10, has 20 pairs of high-end sneakers in his closet at his home in the suburbs of New York. Maxance, who just turned 14, asked his parents for an 800 USD pair of Adidas shoes for his birthday. He did not get them.

"We live in a world where sneakers are basically works of art," the teenager said.

The world is also one in which luxury sneakers -- often limited-edition collaborations between the big names in sportswear and fashion labels, rappers or famous athletes -- have become coveted accessory for everyone from tween boys to middle-aged men.

Some pairs fetch tens of thousands of dollars -- the super-rare Derek Jeter Air Jordan 11, named for the New York Yankees superstar, were going for about 50,000 USD in recent weeks. Only five pairs were released.

Such shoes are bought second- or third-hand, mainly on the internet but also in chic boutiques or pop-up stores, packaged in plastic wrap to protect them.

New York is one of the capitals of this flourishing high-end sneaker culture, though the trade in trainers is hardly new. It began in the 1990s -- when Nike made it big with the first Air Jordans, made for the legendary basketball star Michael Jordan, those shoes quickly became must-have collector's items.

Then in the 2000s, the market grew as the internet boomed, especially on auction sites like eBay.

Just part of the market?

Today, boosted by celebrities, social media influencers and the mainstream influence of rap culture, the sneaker biz has gone global. It's particularly big in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Since 2016, it even has its own "stock exchange" -- the StockX website. Matt Powell, a sports industry analyst for the NPD Group, says the actual size of the luxury sneaker market is hard to estimate, but one thing is clear -- "that market has had nice growth."

Even if it's centered on a few key industry players, the market is fed by a mass of small-time vendors -- many of them sneaker addicts themselves looking for a quick way to make extra cash.

"Estimates of the resale market is that it's at one billion dollars," Powell says, explaining that it's still a "pretty small sliver" of the overall athletic shoe market, which hit 38 billion USD in the United States in 2017, and 100 billion USD worldwide.

But for John McPheters, the president and co-founder of Stadium Goods -- mainly a web business, but which opened what has become one of New York's most popular sneaker stores in Soho in late 2015 -- these estimates are way too low.

Stadium Goods sold more than 100 million USD in shoes last year, McPheters says. And sales have at least doubled this year, in what he says is a healthier market now that certificates of authenticity have become the norm. "What we are doing today is really just scratching the surface of what is going to be an even bigger business in the years to come," the 38-year-old says.

What about women?

The future plans of McPheters and Stadium Goods are a good indication of the luxury sneaker market's potential and worldwide appeal. While internet sales account for 90 percent of the firm's total for now, they plan to open several more actual stores in the US and abroad. China is its largest market outside the US, followed by Britain and Canada, McPheters explains.

Thanks to a partnership with Britain-based online fashion platform FarFetch, Stadium Goods is hoping to soon break into the Russian market. Matt Troisi, 29, is a regular customer at Stadium Goods -- he owns about 300 pairs of sneakers -- and an experienced buyer and seller online. He is convinced the market is huge and about to explode.

Troisi says he earns 25,000-35,000 USD a year in the sneaker trade -- about half of what he makes as a manager for the Tao restaurant group, where he rubs shoulders with celebrities who help him get access to limited-edition treasures.

"Men -- sometimes we don't have the best fashion. We don't really know what the cool stuff is," Troisi says. "We can wear all black and have no style whatsoever in clothing and just throw on a cool pair of sneakers and that's your outfit!" he adds with a laugh. On his feet? A pair of Nikes marking the 1969 Moon landing that are worth about 1,000 USD.

McPheters says one key to the future growth of the luxury kicks business will be to attract more women. "That's one of the problems in the industry, one of the areas brands need to focus on," he says.

"For a long time, brands have tried to entice female sneakerheads with pink laces, and 'feminine' colors while in reality, women want the exact same products as men do," he adds.

"Over the next few months, we're working on some innovative ways to better present our products with women in mind."(AFP)

Photo: Don Emmert / AFP

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Luxury sneakers: high style and a booming market

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Christian, aged 10, has 20 pairs of high-end sneakers in his closet at his home in the suburbs of New York. Maxance, who just turned 14, asked his parents for an 800 USD pair of Adidas shoes for his birthday. He did not get them.

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"According to Nielsen's survey, 61% of Chinese consumers decide to purchase premium products for their superior quality, while the global average rate is 49%. The top five premium products that Chinese consumers are most willing to buy are personal electronics, apparel, cosmetics, cars and jewelry."(Daxueconsulting.com, 2020)

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Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are those born between 1981 and 1996. There are more than 350 million Chinese millennials, making over 25 percent of the entire population. They are more educated than previous generations, with 25 percent of them holding a bachelor's degree or higher. A report in 2019 showed that young adults aged between 16 and 35 are earning an average monthly wage of 7,342 Chinese yuan (US $1,018).

They were born in a period of exponential economic growth, have witnessed the unprecedented advancement of technology, and are living in a time of endless opportunities and optimism. For this reason and others, they are the main drivers of the country's surge in consumption. According to China Daily, those under the age of 35 account for 65 percent of total consumption growth. This spending is projected to increase by 11 percent annually until 2021.

A population witnessing the booming Stay-at-home Economy (宅经济), thriving under COVID-19

Chinese millennials are the population that witnessed how technology changed their everyday life and the economy. In June 2019, the popularization rate of the Internet in China was 99.1%, compared to 5.3% in 2003. Notably, from March 2019 to March 2020, there has been an increase of 6.06 million monthly active mobile Internet users, aged below 24. The age group of 25-40 spend the most time on mobile Internet, with over 160 hours per person per month.

Data source: QuestMobile, Population of Chinese internet users
This nationwide accessibility to the Internet made stay-at-home economy both a lifestyle and a trend for developing business in China, especially since the COVID-19 outbreak in the beginning of 2020. The stay-at-home economy is a series of consumption and commercial activities carried out by people at home, such as online shopping, entertainment, work, education and fitness.

According a report by QuestMobile, the mobile internet industries that most successfully thrive since the epidemic are: short video apps, e-commerce, news and information, remote working apps, e-government and education.

Education industry attracts the most of new users

Schools switched to online learning during the COVID-19 outbreak, and there has been a significant increase in reliance on education apps. The number of hours spent on education and learning apps in March in 2020 more than doubled from last year.

Data source: QuestMobile, Time spend on education apps monthly per person
Driven by tough competition for good schools and jobs, as well as technological advances in virtual learning, China's online education market is expected to more than triple to 696 billion yuan ($99.3 billion) in 2023 from 203 billion yuan in 2019, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan.

Millennials increasingly rely on mobile e-commerce

The high demand for shopping without leaving home has made the mobile shopping industry one of the most competitive industries during COVID-19, although China's e-commerce ecosystem was robust to begin with. From March 2019 to March 2020, there has been an increase of 35% in number of hours spent on mobile shopping apps per person per month. The top three apps with the largest user size is Taobao, Pinduoduo (拼多多) and JD (京东).

Data source: QuestMobile, Time spend on mobile shopping apps monthly per person
Among the categories of e-commerce, fresh food e-commerce has emerged as a popular market with high demand and a bright prospect. It is predicted that the market size of fresh food e-commerce will reach 300 billion in 2020. 55.7% of the users are people aged 25-34, which roughly fall into the category of millennials.

Post-'95s seek convenience and most frequently order food online

But young people in China demand more than having their raw ingredients delivered. The online food delivery market has been expanding year by year, despite at a slower growth rate. According to a prediction by Ali research in 2019, the total sales of the Internet food delivery market in China will reach 934 billion RMB in 2021.

The post-'95s generation are the dominant consumer group for the online food delivery service. They occupied 41.8% of the entire consumer group in 2019, compared to 35.6% in 2018. There has also been a significant increase in breakfast orders among the post-'90s and post-'95s, indicating that they value efficiency in terms of what to eat before starting a busy day at work.

Chinese millennials pursue a healthy lifestyle

Interestingly, despite an increasing reliance on the less healthy delivery food due to a tight modern life schedule, young people in China has demonstrated increasing willingness to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Following the topic of food delivery apps, salad or light food (轻食) became one of the most popular choices for white-collar young people to order from Eleme (饿了么), one of the two most popular food delivery apps in China. According to Ali Research, YOY growth of the number of people ordering salad on the app in 2019 was nearly 40% compared to 2018. Most consumptions of salad take place in Tier-1 cities and new tier-1 cities, where Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou ranked top three.

What's more, a vegetarian diet is increasingly common in China. In 2019, 20% more people ordered vegetarian food on the app compared to 2018.

Impact of COVID-19 on Chinese millennial health consumption

COVID-19 has emphasized the importance of staying fit and healthy. People's online shopping behaviors have reflected their changing attitudes towards health and fitness since the COVID-19 outbreak.

During the initial recovery phase, demand for dairy, vegetables, and eggs was 25-30 percent higher than it was before the crisis. Supermarket and convenience store data shows that, aside from fresh food, popular items during and after the peak of the crisis included grains, ready-to-cook meals, packaged food, and snacks. Other than the realization of eating healthy as a precautionary measure against the virus and a way to stay fit, this could also be due to the psychological need that people feel to stock up food in preparations for longer periods of staying in.

COVID-19 has also boosted people's consumptions for fitness devices. On Alibaba business platforms, including Taobao, Tmall, Eleme (饿了么), etc., sales of rowing machine grew by 1.4 times in February 2020, compared to the same time in 2019. Other fitness devices such as jump ropes and yoga mats all grew by over 50%. Therefore, it seems as if people are indeed upgrading health consumptions to another level in response to this epidemic.

Online vs. offline shopping

The online retail market in China has been undoubtedly the largest in the world. In 2019, online retail sales are expected to swell to $1.5 trillion, representing a quarter of China's total retail sales volume, and more than the retail sales of the ten next largest markets in the world  combined.

Nonetheless, Chinese consumers never really abandoned the offline shopping experiences, but relied on physical retail stores even more. This is due to the irreplaceable nature of the offline stores, which, for example, allows consumers to test and try the product and to interact with the store event and salesperson directly.

As a result, increasingly, Chinese consumers are combining their experience shopping at physical retail stores with their online buying decisions. Also, the proportion of consumers saying they use their mobile phones to research products while shopping in a store, what is often referred to as the "showroom effect," has more than doubled to 63 percent in just the past two years. The blending of online and offline channels is known as new retail, or omni-channel in China.

Data source: McKinsey China Digital Consumer Trends 2019, Omni-channel Influence on purchasing decisions
This change in Chinese consumers' shopping mode suggests that they seek better rational purchase decisions more than ever before.

The next pocket of premium and luxury products: Small-town Youth (小镇青年)

As online shopping became accessible to most cities in China, brands are actively reaching out to young people from lower tier cities. According to QuestMobile, in 2019, post-'90s living in tier 3 and below cities have reached a population of 200 million, and they contribute even more than those in bigger cities in terms of monthly usage of Internet per person. Research also showed that young consumers in China's lower-tier cities are almost as likely to shop online as their top-tier-city dwelling counterparts.

In addition, the option of shopping online provided small-town youth accessibility to premium and luxury brands, which, in most cases, have yet to enter their cities. In fact, in some product categories, the online purchasing rate of small-town youth can be even higher than consumers in higher tier cities.

Data released by Tmall following the "618" shopping holiday event in 2019 showed a 50 percent increase in young luxury shoppers aged below 25, with 70 percent of them living in tier 3 and below cities.

Data source: McKinsey China Digital Consumer Trends 2019, Luxury online retail adoption
The small-town youths' strong purchasing power of luxury products should inspire brands to provide then with better tailored products and in-store shopping experiences, further deepening their penetration in lower tires markets.

In terms of online shopping behaviors of small-town youth, during huge online promotion events like Double 11, they are less price-sensitive than those in tier 1 and 2 cities. Their buying decisions are also more susceptible to social engagement such as referral programs or endorsement by KOLs/KOCs and product exclusivity.

Source: McKinsey China Digital Consumer Trends 2019, Top buying factors for Double 11
Generation Y and Z account for most of the Luxury good consumptions, no longer valuing just brands

Research showed that China delivered more than half the global growth in luxury spending between 2012-18, and is expected to deliver 65 percent of the world's additional spending heading into 2025. In 2018, China's post-80s accounted for more than half the total spending on luxury. The post-'90s consumers spend 25,000 RMB a year on luxury goods, already as much as their parents' generations. This observation reflects young people's increasing disposable income, optimism about the future and the pursuit for a more premium lifestyle.

Although young Chinese consumers often view high-end brands as representations of higher social statues, brand becomes less of an important factor to the younger generations compared to the older ones. This is because the social nature of luxury consumption accelerates sophistication: younger consumers have started to put more emphasis on design, fabric, and the production process.

Source: McKinsey Luxury Report 2019, Top reason for last luxury purchase by generation
Young consumers prefer foreign luxury brands, particularly those from France and Italy. However, compared to older generations that have few interests in Chinese luxury brands, one in ten post-'90s consumers said they would opt for a high-end Chinese brand. Chinese brands are starting to gain more reputation and popularity.

Social media commerce

Chinese millennials are residents of the social media world. Browsing social media accounts for 2/3 of the total online time spent by Chinese people.

S ource: Mckinsey & Company, Social media & content account for 2/3 of total online time spent
Increasingly, brands convert awareness they generate on social media into purchases. This method is known as social commerce in China. 50 percent of respondents to a survey on social media commerce said they had become aware of a product on a social platform. Awareness is converting into sales: 25 percent of respondents said they had made a purchase directly through a social channel, an extraordinary increase of 3.6 times from just two years ago.

Notably, social platforms drive impulse shopping and create incremental demand. Social interactions on social media motivated 40 percent of respondents to buy a product they had not originally intended to purchase. The most notable social commerce platform in China is Xiaohongshu.

Chinese Millennials' purchase premium products from overseas retailers

Chinese consumers are increasingly willing to pay for innovation, high quality and an upgraded lifestyle. Prices are no longer the primary factor for them when purchasing premium products. According to Nielsen's survey, 61% of Chinese consumers decide to purchase premium products for their superior quality, while the global average rate is 49%. The top five premium products that Chinese consumers are most willing to buy are personal electronics, apparel, cosmetics, cars and jewelry.

Online overseas retailers have become an important channel for Chinese consumers to buy premium products. According to Nielsen research, 49% of Chinese consumers purchase premium products online from overseas retailers, which is much higher than the global average rate, 24%.

Nonetheless, overseas retailers have yet to replace domestic ones because of the need for faster logistics as well as after-sales service. Another related factor is the rising image of Chinese brands in recent years.

Chinese brands continue to gain popularity

Indeed, foreign brands used to represent comfort, modernization and lifestyle of the middle class. But in recent years, Chinese business no longer produce cheap products but focus on innovating quality, functions and values. As a result, Chinese brands reached 72% of the total online market share in 2019. Nearly one third of consumers choose Chinese brands for high-end products. The industries of domestic brands with highest YOY growth of market share are: health and medicine (38.5%), cosmetics and skincare (36.7%) and food (31.5%).

According to a recent report, among all population, those who work in healthcare and finance industries, and Post-95s female consumers most increasingly have their eyes on Chinese brands when making purchase decisions. In terms of search counts on online shopping apps, they search for Chinese brands nearly two-times more than they do for foreign brands.

How to reach Chinese millennial consumers

Chinese millennials' spending habits increasingly adopt to and reinforce the stay-at-home economy, more than just a response to the COVID-19 outbreak

They seek convenience and efficiency, but also a healthy lifestyle

Chinese millennials reach more rational decisions by combining both online and offline shopping habits

Thanks to e-commerce, small-town youth have become loyal consumers of premium/luxury products

Chinese millennials are highly influenced by social media in purchase decisions

They extensively shop premium products from abroad, while increasingly favor domestic brands in certain categories

They value social capital such as luxury goods, of which brand is the most important but not the only factor

Check out our piece on marketing to Gen-Z consumers in China!
Online or offline? Convenience or exquisiteness? Foreign or domestic? It's never a single-sided story. Facing an unprecedented amount of available choices, Chinese millennials who wish to spend well are always learning to be a more rational decision maker. For businesses, the ability to be flexible and turn to their needs becomes the key.
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Chinese Millennials Spending Behaviors: 2020 analysis | Daxue Consulting

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Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are those born between 1981 and 1996. There are more than 350 million Chinese millennials, making over 25 percent of the entire population. They are more educated than previous generations, with 25 percent of them holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

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The luxury footwear market in China reaps the benefits of the overall luxury industry's success

As an important category in luxury, the footwear market in China is closely associated with the performance of the overall China luxury market. Despite some slowdown in previous years, the luxury market in China still appears to be very prominent due to increasing disposable income per capita and increasing sales channels. Chinese consumers have revealed strong purchasing power in the globe when it comes to luxury purchasing. The global sales value of luxury products in 2017 amounted to 262 billion Euro, 32% of which was from Chinese consumers, making China the largest luxury consumption market. McKinsey 2017 Chinese Luxury Consumer Report estimated that the Chinese consumers' share of the global luxury market is going to reach 44% by 2025. There is no doubt that the stronger purchasing power is a driving force for the luxury footwear consumption.

According to Bain & Company's report on 2017 China luxury market, the total luxury market in China reached 142 billion RMB in 2017 with a YoY growth rate of 20%, which is the fastest growth in China since 2011. The top three categories contributing to the rapid growth are 1) cosmetics, fragrance and personal care, 2) jewelry, and 3) women's wear, followed by footwear with CAGR of 21%. The growth indicates a relatively good performance for luxury footwear market in China, which is also reflected by increasing search volume of relative key words on the search engine. 2017 Baidu Luxury Industry Report reveals the daily PV (page view) of luxury footwear in last year was 364,000 with 20% YoY growth, demonstrating increasing demand for footwear.

Online sales channels are offering new opportunities for luxury footwear in China

Online share of sales is very small but increasing

As for the sales channels of luxury brands, the traditional offline sales channel is still the mainstream, but the online share of sales has been increasing which offers new opportunities for luxury brands. In 2017, the CAGR of online sales (43%) highly exceeds that of offline sales (19%), but the proportion of online sales only accounts for 8%. However, it still indicates a significant growth for online channel development due to the change in consumer behavior and online channel building. Online consumption is an inevitable trend and is expected to keep increasing. By 2021, online sales share is expected to reach 13%.

Just as other luxury products, footwear selling will also be facing new opportunities due to the development of e-commerce, especially in China where e-commerce has been rising rapidly. According to Euromonitor International, early in 2015, China became the largest e-commerce market for footwear and apparel, accounting for 21% of the total e-commerce market for apparel and footwear around the globe. Additionally, its growth was also the fastest, with a leading YoY growth rate of 41%. As for luxury footwear and apparel specifically, although the online share of sales is small, it's the leading category in terms of consumers' preference for online shopping. According to Secoo/Deloitte: 2017 China Luxury E-Commerce White Book, online sales of footwear and apparel takes up 9%, ranking the second place after sales of alcohol. Baidu Luxury Industry Report suggests that the mobile search on footwear accounts for 82%. The use of mobile phones is game-changing in terms of the digital strategy. Despite the large share of mobile search hasn't successfully converted to online shopping, it suggests a large potential for luxury footwear brands.

Brands' official websites are visited more than WeChat stores

China has a unique digital landscape for international luxury brands. 2017 China Luxury E-Commerce White Book by Secoo/Deloitte suggests that sales on brand's official websites take up the largest proportion (43%) and that sales on WeChat stores started to rise with 5% proportion in 2017. Other e-commerce platforms together contribute to 20% sales in 2017.

Online channel usage of luxury fashion brands, data gathered by Euromonitor International, graph made by Daxue ConsultingBain & Company has categorized four main online channels for luxury distribution in China, namely brand's official websites, official flagship stores, luxury verticals, and luxury outlets. Official flagship stores are usually on Tmall and WeChat where the platforms' large traffic can be leveraged and the stores are highly controlled by brands. Luxury verticals include Tmall Shepin (天猫奢品) and JD Toplife, which are built by e-commerce platforms that specifically target luxury brands. Luxury outlets like Vipshop (唯品会) specially provide discounted luxury products. According to the study conducted by Bain & Company, when asked about the purchasing channels, 70% respondents mentioned brands' official websites, 42% mentioned flagship stores on WeChat and Tmall, 30% mentioned outlets and 21% mentioned luxury verticals.

The reason that brands' official websites are used the most is high owing to product authenticity, exclusive shopping experience and post-sale service provided by the official website. Besides, it's noticeably that WeChat stores have been rising for luxury purchasing. WeChat's functions of WeChat stores and mini-programs have made purchasing easier by enabling seamless reading, purchasing and payment. Given the rising online shopping landscape in China, it is crucial for luxury footwear to seize the chance and capture the online market. Chinese luxury consumers show a tendency of becoming younger. Millennials and generation Z are expected to become the main luxury consumer groups in the next 10 years. Since they have higher acceptability and usage of online purchasing, online channels are inevitably becoming increasingly important for luxury brands. Therefore, luxury footwear brands in China need to leverage online channels to realize the large market potential.

Sneakerisation of the luxury footwear market in China is driven by consumers' preference for street styles and casual wear

Sneakers have become a fad in luxury fashion as many luxury houses have launched sneakers in the past few seasons, including Balenciaga, Gucci, Louise Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, etc. The sneaker fever also has come to China which is driven by consumers' increasing preference for street styles and casual wear. According to 2017 Baidu Luxury Industry Report, the top five rising shoe styles searched by users in the last year include chunky sneakers, also known as "ugly Dad shoes" (老爹鞋), socks shoes, socks boots, flat mules, and flats with pearls. The top two trends are both sneakers, suggesting a leading position for sneakers in the luxury market nowadays.

More specifically, there are several reasons leading to the sneaker trend. Firstly, street culture has become an increasingly important element that influences consumers' dressing styles. As the boundary between traditional wearing and street styles becomes blurry, more and more consumers have developed a preference for street styles and casual wear. According to a report on China footwear market by Zhi Yan, the sneaker fever in China started in 2014. It is expected that sports style shoes and clothing will reach 246.7 billion RMB by 2020. Sales volume of sneakers will increase by 3% in 2020. Luxury brands closely follow the trend to meet the demands. Secondly, sneakers have always been playing a significant role among young consumers. Therefore, compared to traditional luxury products, sneakers can be better gateway products to luxury spending as well as a breakthrough point for luxury brands. Luxury brands are willing to build a close relationship with millennials by catering to their demands for sneakers. Thirdly, owing to the substantial change in consumption behavior subject to social media, celebrity effect has a big impact on luxury consumption. Baidu Luxury Industry Report shows the search volume of celebrities' same style products had an explosive growth by 206% and shoes are the main category influenced by celebrities. The top rising shoe styles are very common to be witnessed being worn by celebrities in China, which strongly drives the attention and consumption of these styles.

Keeping up with Sneakerisation: luxury brands show an active digital engagement in China

According to 2017 Baidu Luxury Industry Report, 94% of search content on luxury footwear were generic words, but the search increase of brand-related words (YoY growth rate of 26%) exceeds that of generic words, which suggests a stronger awareness and desire for brands. Therefore, based on the foremost footwear trends in China and the unique Chinese digital landscape, this section will look at several leading players' digital performance to provide insights of the luxury footwear market in China.

The case study of Balenciaga

Balenciaga has successfully led the trends of chunky shoes and sock shoes
Chunky shoe trend has swept over the globe including China, led by Balenciaga Triple S. Since its debut in 2017 F/W Paris fashion week, the thick-cushioned dad shoes have caught consumers' eye by its bold colors and maximal design. Before this, Balenciaga Speed trainer that has ribbed double-knit jersey socks and a wavy rubber sole also became a hit in the sock shoe trend since it was launched in 2016. Ugly sneakers and sock sneakers fads are joined by many players, but Balenciaga has always been able to take the trend to the extreme by its star products. Both chunky shoes and sock shoes have gone viral on the Internet in China.

Baidu index of "Balenciaga" shows that the search index was very small before 2017. But it started to increase significantly since 2017, which is positively correlated with the significant sneaker trends led by the brands. However, the peak of the index falls between 22nd to 28th of April, which is due to a negative buzz caused by an incident happened in Paris where Balenciaga was accused of discriminating Chinese people.
Balenciaga doesn't perform very actively on China's social media, but it was aimed at China's e-commerce platforms
The posts of Balenciaga on Weibo and WeChat stopped on April 26th, 2018 with a statement responding to the incident that took place at a department store of Balenciaga in Paris where a few Chinee customers were involved. Balenciaga was accused of discriminating Chinese people and caused a negative buzz on social media. The statement is considered not sincere and the negative comments on Balenciaga still continue on social media. Even before the incident, Balenciaga didn't seem to put much effort in terms of promoting its products on social media, including its signature Triple S. It has only 120,000 followers on Weibo, which is not a big number for luxury brands on China's social media. There were only two posts regarding the Triple S, which are basic information with basic pictures about the new launch.

However, despite Balenciaga has given up the social media engagement in China, for now, it has aimed at China's e-commerce channels. Currently, Balenciaga has established its store that sells shoes on three platforms, namely its official website, Secoo (寺库) and JD Toplife. Secoo is a leading luxury vertical that provides an integrated O2O shopping experience. JD Toplife is launched by JD, aiming to build an exclusive luxury vertical platform by providing premium service in sales, customer experience, and logistics management. Balenciaga just entered JD Toplife a few days ago, marking a significant step of Balenciaga's e-commerce strategy in China. It's the first time Balenciaga builds an official flagship store on a third-party retail platform. On JD Toplife, Balenciaga will provide a 24/7 service and support more local payment methods. In terms of the shipping, JD Toplife will provide a very premium service called "京尊达". This cooperation with JD Toplife will further drive the sales of Balenciaga products, including footwear.

The case study of Gucci

Gucci is in the lead in the white sneaker trend
With a focus on delivering teen spirit, Gucci Ace has taken the white sneaker trend to a new level because of its novel design. Gucci Ace dominated the social media feeds and celebrities' style photos in 2017, becoming one of the most popular white sneakers. Ace shoes convey the characteristics of youth, energy and individuality by embroidering Gucci's signature colors and animal patterns. Gucci recently also embraced the chunky sneaker trend by launching Rhyton sneakers which also features classic Gucci elements with a throwback feel. It is worth noting that Baidu index of "Gucci shoes" also suggests significant growth in recent two years.

Gucci's social media performance is very active in terms of promoting shoes
Gucci has a very active performance on social media to promote its shoes. Gucci on Weibo has more than 1.2 million followers, which is a big number for luxury brands. Footwear is one of the main categories pushed by Gucci as it is shown on the homepage of Gucci Weibo. By clicking the picture, readers can enter the shoe category on its official website and make purchases. What's more, Gucci promotes its shoes on Weibo by heavy use of celebrity endorsement. Gucci chooses celebrities who have similar characteristics with the shoes, and the endorsement advertises the products directly to their fans who want to act like the celebrities. While Gucci on WeChat adopts a story-telling way to promote the shoes instead of just posting a basic introduction. The articles pushing shoes focus on conveying the artistry of the products by introducing the design concepts, explaining cultural connotations and exhibiting creative works with artists. Also, plenty of pictures and videos are used to convey the message. The active performance on social media is very effective in terms of drawing readers' attention. Comments below the article show that readers are actively expressing their support and affection toward Gucci shoes and the brand ambassador Li Yuchun (李宇春).
Gucci has leveraged several e-commerce platforms in China for its footwear distribution
In terms of the online sales channels, Gucci shoes can be purchased from several e-commerce platforms besides its official website, including Secoo, Tmall Shepin, and JD Self-run. Additionally, Gucci also cooperated with Gogoboi, one of the top KOLs in China's fashion industry, to establish its presence on WeChat mini program. Bu Da Jing Xuan (不大精选) is a luxury store launched by Gogoboi and sells luxury products recommended by Gogoboi, thus the store has a strong individual character. Gucci is one of the first luxury brands that leverage the platform of WeChat which has powerful social functions as well as payment functions.

Sportswear brands are also in the luxury competition

When luxury houses are seeking the growth of footwear by creating exclusive sneakers at a high price, on the other hand, traditional sportswear brands are also in the competition by launching high-end sneakers that have a similar price with luxury brands' sneakers. "The luxury consumers and sportswear consumers can be the same group of people. Luxury consumers can be the consumers of Nike and Adidas and vice versa." Said Claudia D'Arpizio from Bain & Company. Therefore, luxury brands are also facing direct competition from sportswear brands in the luxury footwear market.
High-end sneakers by Nike and Adidas are usually around $400, but some popular styles can reach $3000 in the resale market. Limited editions and collaborations can even exceed $10,000. Footwear brands often work with celebrities or luxury brands, such as Adidas Yeezy, Air Vapormax Off White, Chanel X Adidas Originals NMD Hu, which are also sought after in the China market. For example, Adidas' Yeezy is a kind of casual shoes with a unique look and is endorsed by Kanye Omari West, the world-famous singer. Yeezy combines Primeknite and Boost technology of Adidas which make it extremely comfortable. Yeezy also has various styles to meet the changing fashion. After it became popular aboard, celebrities and fashion icons in China soon seized this fashion and made Yeezy pursued by their followers and fans. Social media is game changing for the Yeezy hype, especially when consumers are young. Baidu index also suggests significant popularity of Yeezy by search index.

Conclusion and implications

The trends in the luxury footwear market are strongly driven by the young consumers' preference for streetwear and the consumption behavior influenced by digital platforms, including social media and e-commerce channels. According to Bain & Company, millennials have become the main driving force for the luxury market in both China and abroad. Millennials show a preference for casual styles and street styles, which becomes increasingly important in the luxury industry. Especially for footwear, sneakers have become an important individual category for luxury brands to connect with their young consumers. Social media contribute a lot to the sneaker hype as those luxury sneaker consumers are young and closely following celebrities' styles. When luxury brands are reaching for their sneaker consumers in China, they need to leverage the digital platforms in China, including the e-commerce platforms. Online channels share of the market is still very small in China, but it has a large potential driven by millennials who are digital savvy. More and more luxury brands have attached importance to the e-commerce channels in China. Given the unique e-commerce landscape in China, it is necessary for luxury brands to provide better service through online channels in order to cater to young consumers. Besides the official website, other verticals such as JD Toplife and WeChat are also rising to provide more localized solutions. To sum up, the footwear market has become a significant category in the China luxury market, but there's still a large space to grow. The sneaker fad has brought new opportunities for luxury brands as well as sportswear brands to develop a digital strategy and capture the young consumer market.
Daxue Consulting can help get your luxury shoe brand into the Chinese market
Daxue Consulting has carried out projects with premium products and has experience with product launches and market entry procedures like brand naming and competitor analysis. To know more about the luxury footwear market in China, do not hesitate to contact our project managers at dx@daxueconsulting.com.

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The luxury footwear market in China. Modern digital opportunities

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As an important category in luxury, the footwear market in China is closely associated with the performance of the overall China luxury market. Despite some slowdown in previous years, the luxury market in China still appears to be very prominent due to increasing disposable income per capita and increasing sales channels.

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Chinese Consumers care about Sustainability

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Chinese Consumers care about Sustainability

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Graphs showing how climate change is more important for consumers in China than the rest of the world.

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Chinese Gen Z, in particular, are very aware of greenwashing and dislike overcommunication. Tread carefully, says Hong Zheng, founder of sustainability focused platform Greenext. "If it's not well done, people think it's green marketing and it's not a good image [for the brand]".

Zheng has a positive view of initiatives that are not one-sided, but allow for debate and exchange of ideas. She advises brands to tap channels like WeChat mini programs and mini games to reach younger audiences. "People don't like to be told [what to do]," she says. "Young people especially like to be involved."

Involvement in real life is also welcomed by young consumers who appreciate learning about behind-the-scenes processes and being reassured about the authenticity of a brand's claims. Christina Dean of Redress highlights the example of Kleeklee, a domestic brand that has opened the doors of its factories to consumers, inviting them to witness Kleeklee's denim dyeing processes, reportedly more energy-efficient than regular indigo dyeing.

China's brands: Materials, dyes and innovation

Based on a number of historic cases, Chinese consumers are very much aware of the possibility of harmful and low-quality materials being found in both food and textiles. "There is an element of suspicion about transparency and quality control," says Dean. "Traceability and assurances on materials are very important."

In the 2010s, wastewater from textile dyeing emerged as a key environmental issue in China. Icicle, an eco-friendly brand founded in Shanghai in 1997, places heavy emphasis on its natural dyeing processes. Its Eco-line collection features undyed and plant-dyed pieces including a capsule that uses yam juice and mud to create the black and brown hues of Guangdong gauze silk, explains Louise Xu Ye, Icicle Group's chief strategy officer.

Changing attitudes might lead to innovation in biotech and sustainable raw materials from China, says Alexander Chan, co-director of The Mills Fabrica, an open platform for techstyle innovation based in Hong Kong and London. "We see the capital and the ecosystem forming in China that will help change the landscape," he says.

In response to geopolitical tensions, many scientists in the biotech field are returning to China from the US, bringing new expertise and founding new companies in the sector. The Chinese government's drive to reach carbon neutrality by 2060 is also putting pressure on domestic fashion and textile firms to reduce their environmental impact, says Fan Di, assistant professor in fashion business at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Companies and manufacturers are investing in process and product innovations, he says, focusing on more sustainable dyeing techniques, blockchain to trace fibres, and recycling materials.

Christina Dean believes that China's textile supply chain may have an important role to play. "The race is already well under way for a breakthrough in sustainable raw materials and I do think that China is right up there," she says.

That could lead to a reversal of roles, where international brands follow the lead of Chinese fashion brands. Jonathan Siboni of Luxurynsight does not rule out that scenario. "If Chinese brands accelerate on sustainability, then [international] brands will have to catch up," he says.

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Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
More from this author: How hard luxury embraced a Chinese digital future Louis Vuitton joins China's JD.com amid online luxury battle What brands should know about Zhihu

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How brands should approach sustainability in China

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Chinese Gen Z, in particular, are very aware of greenwashing and dislike overcommunication. Tread carefully, says Hong Zheng, founder of sustainability focused platform Greenext. "If it's not well done, people think it's green marketing and it's not a good image [for the brand]".

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"The brand prevented 825 tons of leaves from being burnt, and therefore saved 264 CO2 eq tons being released into the atmosphere.

This is equivalent to carbon released from charging 33 million smartphones."(Vegan Food and Living, 2021)

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Nike has launched a new sustainable Happy Pineapple trainer collection in collaboration with the vegan pineapple leather brand Piñatex.

The Happy Pineapple shoe range features five colourful sneakers with classic Nike designs including Air Max 90, the Air Max 95, and the Air-Zoom Type.

Moreover, the leather components on the trainers feature the latest plant-based leather alternative from Pinatex made by London-based brand Ananas Anam.

Piñatex 'leather' is made using pineapple leaves and promises to have 95% renewable resources and enhanced material performance. The brand claims to be the most sustainable plant-based leather alternative on the market today.

Nike is one of the first brands to use the just-launched new-generation Piñatex material.

Nike Air Max 95, Happy Pineapple collection

Happy Pineapple Collection

Nike's Happy Pineapple Collection launched globally on the 17th of June 2021 and is the latest collection to join the vegan footwear movement.

The collection comprises five sneaker editions across four classic Nike designs; the Free Run Trail Premium, the Air Max 90, the Air Max 95, and the Air-Zoom Type.

Importantly, these classic Nike designs are some of the best-selling trainers in the world. Consumers having the option to choose between real leather or sustainable alternative leather is a huge step for the plant-based movement, and ultimately the environment.

Furthermore, each of these shoes features juicy pastel hues and are adorned with an embroidered pineapple on the tongue, making them the ultimate vegan summer shoe!

Piñatex pineapple leather

Piñatex founder Dr. Carmen Hijosa is shaking up the leather industry with her innovative and ethical plant-based alternative to leather.

The Founder and Chief Creative and Innovation Officer of Ananas Anam Ltd developed the sustainable leather from pineapple leaf fibres.

Carmen previously worked as a leather goods consultant. The idea was Piñatex was first developed back in the 1990s where Hijosa witnessed the catastrophic impact leather production had on the environment and its workers.

Inspired by the abundance of natural resources, including the use of plant fibres in traditional weaving such as the delicate Barong Tagalog garments, Carmen sought to create a new, non-woven textile that could be commercially produced, provide positive social and economic impact and maintain a low environmental footprint throughout its life cycle.

By using the waste of pineapple harvesting, the brand prevented 825 tons of leaves from being burnt, and therefore saved 264 CO2 eq tons being released into the atmosphere.

This is equivalent to carbon released from charging 33 million smartphones.
Want to know more about vegan leather? Find out what the best vegan leather alternatives are here.

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Nike launches sustainable trainer collection using vegan pineapple leather

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Nike has launched a new sustainable Happy Pineapple trainer collection in collaboration with the vegan pineapple leather brand Piñatex. The Happy Pineapple shoe range features five colourful sneakers with classic Nike designs including Air Max 90, the Air Max 95, and the Air-Zoom Type.

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A material much loved by the fashion industry is soon to become something of a faux pas. As buyers begin to take an ethical standpoint, designers are opting for more sustainable, plant-based materials which are free from cruelty and big on style. From pineapples to mushrooms, leather is out. Plant-leather is in, says Charlotte Willis...
Fashion & Furnishings: Pineapple Leaf Fibre

A resourceful way to recycle pineapple leaves, this kind of fibre uses the commonly discarded parts of pineapple to create additional income for growers whilst preventing mass food waste.

The Process: The tops of the pineapple and the pineapple leaves are harvested alongside the fruit. The long fibres are extracted manually by the local farming communities using specially designed machinery supplied to them by the pineapple leather companies. The fibres are then de-gummed and woven into a mesh, which are rolled together later on. Any excess waste is used to create biofuel.

Qualities: Pineapple leaf fibre is extremely similar to animal skin: durable, water-resistant and breathable.

Where to buy: Excitingly, pineapple leaf fibre is one of the most abundant alternative fabrics on the market! You can find it being used to make shoes, handbags and accessories. One of the top brands is Piñatex - visit ananas-anam.com for more info.

Water Resistant Coverings: Cork

Cork is harvested from mature cork trees, which are mainly found in rural Portugal. It's lightweight as well as being more durable than leather.

The Process: Once the cork bark is harvested, the bare trees are then marked with a year of harvest and not stripped again for another 10 years. Whilst the process is seemingly destructive, the cork tree is extremely resilient - in fact it can be harvested every 10 years over a 200 year lifespan! The cork is then boiled, dyed and treated.

Qualities: Cork is water-resistant and easily recycled. It retains a natural-looking fabric quality with an organic texture.

Where to buy: Cork is often used as a protective covering on notebooks and smartphones. You can purchase from specialist crafters like malloryjournals.etsy.com (shown above).

Breathable Shoes and Boots: Mushrooms

Often known as MuSkin, mushroom leather is made from the caps of the phellinus ellipsoideus mushroom species, which is native to subtropical forests. The fungus wraps itself around tree trunks to feed and grow. This material grows at a rate of 1 inch per week, creating the area equivalent to a fully-grown cow hide in just two months! Other mushroom-based leather alternatives are grown using mushroom mycelium - the fibrous network of threads which spread laterally through the soil, providing the mushroom with nutrients.

The Process: Once the mushroom is harvested from the tree, it is then treated and processed in a similar way to animal skins, yet it's biodegradable, natural and uses non-toxic processing agents. What you end up with is a strong and sewable fabric resembling traditional leather and the texture of suede.

Qualities: MuSkin is completely biodegradable, water resistant, tan- and dye-absorbent, versatile, easy to sew and completely breathable. What makes mushroom leather so unique is its incredible ability to prevent bacterial proliferation and growth. This is because the fabric absorbs damp and moisture, and then immediately releases it, acting as a sort of dehumidifier ideal for use on shoes and boots. Initial studies also suggest that MuSkin is hypoallergenic too!

Where to buy: This is an emerging technology, so few UK websites carry MuSkin at present. This is set to change, as this exciting new fabric has serious potential!

Tough Durable Accessories: Recycled Inner Tyres and Rubber

Recycled rubber is sourced from inner tyres, industrial materials and household throw-aways. Recycling rubber is a fantastic way to reuse a hard-to-break-down fabric, transforming it from trash to treasure.

The Process: Used rubber is collected, washed and cut into the desired thickness and length to be used in further manufacture. The colour of the rubber is rarely altered, as this would require heavy-duty chemical processing.

Qualities: Rubber is naturally stain and scuff resistant as well as waterproof. It is also extremely durable, which makes it a perfect material for use in a variety of accessories - from boots and bags to belts and wallets.

Where to buy: Rubber leather alternatives can be bought from online websites such as Paguro Upcycle ( paguroupcycle.com). Here, you'll find a range of unique and individual rubber accessories such as cuffs, earrings and necklaces (shown below) as well as bags and belts.

Waterproof Handbags & Wallets: Apple Fibres

Apple leather uses the discarded skin from the fruit juice and apple-processing industry, to produce an innovative leather substitute from food waste. Creeping its way onto the fashion scene, apple leather brand Frumat was also used at the 2017 Millan Green Carpet Fashion Awards by designer Matea Benedetti.

The Process: The apple peel is mulched down into a powder or paste and then processed into a sort of pliable pasta sheet, which is pressed and
set. This inventive way of recycling waste from the food industry is an ideal bio-alternative to leather.

Qualities: Apple leather retains heat, whilst remaining breathable and water resistant.

Where to buy: There are currently only a few companies using apple leather. These include Ashoka Paris, Veggani and Watson & Wolfe ( watsonwolfe.com) who manufacture beautiful wallets and purses.

Footware, Upholstery & Accessories: Coconut Leather

You've heard of coconut water, coconut sugar, coconut flour and coconut nectar. But coconut leather - that's a new one! An ingenious way of recycling waste from the coconut industry, this biocomposite material is made from bacterial cellulose, grown from culturing waste coconut water.

The Process: The fabric, known as malai, is grown using waste from farmers and processing units in Southern India. The waste coconut water is harvested and used to feed the growth of bacterial cellulose. The cellulose is cultured and grown, before being extracted and treated to create a leather-like fabric sheet in an array of thicknesses and shapes. The malai is then dyed using non-toxic colourants before being stitched together to
make accessories.

Qualities: Coconut leather is flexible, durable, water resistant and hypoallergenic.

Where to buy: This fabric is yet to hit the mainstream, but we hope to see it emerge in the near future. You can find out more by searching for 'malai' online.

Charlotte is an author, editor and content creator, whose interests and work promote sustainable living, in every sense of the word. Charlotte is a marketer for ethical brands, author of Vegan: Do It! A young person's guide to living a vegan lifestyle, a regular contributor to sustainability and plant-based publications, and is studying clinical psychology with the view to revolutionising women's holistic, natural and mental healthcare. Find Charlotte on Instagram: @charlottesophiewrites.

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Leather: What are the best vegan alternatives?

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A material much loved by the fashion industry is soon to become something of a faux pas. As buyers begin to take an ethical standpoint, designers are opting for more sustainable, plant-based materials which are free from cruelty and big on style. From pineapples to mushrooms, leather is out.

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How sustainable it is in comparison to real leather.

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'Pineapple leather' is made from the leaves of the fruit, and is called . It's far more sustainable than both cow skin leather and conventional synthetic leather, and it looks gorgeous.

Today we're going to dive deep into the material. What is pineapple leather? Is it a sustainable alternative to leather? Is it a natural vegan leather? How is pineapple fabric made? We've got all the answers.

What is pineapple leather made from?

Piñatex is a woven, coated textile. It is a wonderful replacement for cruel and environmentally damaging cow skin leather.
Pineapple leather is made from the leaves of pineapple fruit plants. These aren't the leaves that poke out the top of the pineapple fruit, but the bigger leaves of the plant itself, that are most often thrown away before we ever see them.
The fibres of the pineapple leaves are pulled apart, dried out, and then brought together through a processing system which creates a non-woven substrate. Essentially, a flat fabric sheet, sort of like felt, where all the different leaf fibres cross over each other and are fused together. This material is totally biodegradable.

After this stage, the pineapple fibre is coated. This coating makes up between 10-15% of the final material, making it still primarily an alternative to leather made from plants. The coating is partly made from plants too, as it's made from polylactic acid. This is a sort of thermoplastic which is derived from renewable biomass, like fermented plant starch from corn, sugarcane or sugar beet.

This is all that goes into the material! Unlike almost all cow skin leather , there are no toxic, or even carcinogenic chemicals like chromium or arsenic involved. And, unlike conventional synthetic leather, there are no fossil fuels in the final material. Piñatex is an almost totally plant based leather.

While we already know this pineapple fabric leather alternative is made from leaf fibres bound together and coated in renewable biomass, we can go back a step farther in the production process, too. The first stage of Piñatex production is the cultivation of pineapple fruit plants. For cow skin leather, it's the farming and slaughtering of animals, and for most synthetic leather, it's the extraction of fossil fuels. Growing fruit is far less environmentally impactful than both of these.

Approximately 13 million tonnes of waste is usually produced by the global pineapple industry each year, made up of the leaves normally discarded. By making a sustainable leather alternative from this waste product, Piñatex reduces waste and requires no additional agricultural land for its production.

A man harvesting pineapple leaves for the material.

How does pineapple leather help living beings?

Pineapple fruit farmers in the Philippines gain an additional source of reliable income when people buy the natural, vegan leather alternative that is Piñatex. Instead of producing only fruit, they now produce both fruit and leaves for a profit, which goes back into their community and family.

When we buy cow skin leather, we are also adding profit to an industry. Except, unlike with Piñatex, we aren't supporting fruit farmers. When farms sell their cattle to slaughterhouses, their skins are sold for a profit. By buying animal skin leather we are directly funding the exploitation and slaughter of sentient beings.

On cattle farms, gentle animals are painfully, but legally dehorned without any pain relief. This means their horns are cut or even burned off and out of their heads. On dairy farms, all the male calves who will never produce milk, but who are born because cows must be pregnant to produce milk, are slaughtered at a few days old. These are both practices behind the production of leather.

Interestingly, when abattoirs have been unable to sell skins, sometimes due to the increased demand for vegan leather alternatives, they have said they've lost millions of dollars in profits. If slaughterhouses aren't making enough money, they won't continue to operate. This is an important thing to be aware of - what we choose to spend our money on makes a difference.

Is pineapple leather a sustainable leather alternative?

The shares data and gives a numerical rating to the environmental impact of different materials through their Material Sustainability Index. The higher the number, the worse the material is for the environment. Sustainable Apparel Coalition

This most recent data from 2020, shows that cow skin leather is the third most environmentally impactful material to produce. Previously, it was thought to be the single most impactful, but silk and alpaca wool have since been further assessed and are first and second most impactful.

In comparison, even PU synthetic leather has less than a quarter of the environmental impact of cow skin leather, and Piñatex has a bit more than half the impact of PU synthetic leather.

This is clear evidence that not only is cow skin leather utterly unsustainable, but that more natural vegan leather alternatives like Piñatex are excellent choices for those who care about the future of the planet.

The reason cow skin leather has such an enormous environmental impact is that animal agriculture is seriously harmful to the planet. Cattle release massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions through a process called enteric fermentation. This process, essentially the passing of gas, causes massive methane emissions. These through all exhaust from every plane, train, car and boat and all around the world. of water being for every kilogram of skin. This isn't even the total water footprint of cattle farming, but the water associated only with the weight of the cow tied to their skin. animal agricultural greenhouse gas emissions are equivalent to the emissions released by the transport sector

What's more, leather is seriously thirsty, with the water footprint of raising cattle for leather being 17,100 litres

The water and communities surrounding leather tanneries too, are often heavily polluted. In The Toxic Price of Leather , a community in the fourth largest leather producing country of India is shown. Here, 50 million litres of waste water spills out of tanneries and into the Ganges river which people drink from and bathe in.

Water pollution by leather tanneries in Bangladesh. Image by Daniel Lanteigne.

Answers to some more frequently asked questions about pineapple leather:

Is Piñatex biodegradable?

Piñatex pineapple leather alternative is about 90% biodegradable. This is because the sustainable leather alternative is around 90% made of pineapple leaves, and about 10% renewable biomass resin coating.

This coating will not biodegrade the same way the base material will, but it still is far more eco friendly than animal leather or conventional synthetic leather.

What are the differences between pineapple leather and cow skin leather?

The main differences between the two materials are what we have looked at in terms of ethics and sustainability. Piñatex is not built upon a slaughter industry, and it has a far reduced impact, being an almost totally natural vegan leather.

Aesthetically though, there are some differences too. Unlike with cow skin, some Piñatex has a slightly crinkled texture, which creates a gorgeous statement on wallets and handbags.

Not all Piñatex has this effect though, with flat, metallic pineapple fabric 'leather' looking very similar to metallic coated cow skin leather. Piñatex also released a collection of fabrics that were part Piñatex as we know and love it, part polyurethane synthetic leather. These look more similar to cow skin leather texturally.

What products made from pineapple leather are out there?

And that's everything on Piñatex! It's a wonderful, ethical material, and one we're excited to use.
There are plenty! You can find Piñatex handbags, wallets, backpacks, heels, boots, jackets and other fashion items in the sustainable leather alternative material.

Here at Kinds of Grace, we have handbags which come with cosmetics pouches, and key rings made from Piñatex .

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Pineapple Leather: What it is, Why We Love and Use it.

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'Pineapple leather' is made from the leaves of the fruit, and is called Piñatex. It's far more sustainable than both cow skin leather and conventional synthetic leather, and it looks gorgeous. Today we're going to dive deep into the material. What is pineapple leather? Is it a sustainable alternative to leather?

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China could become one of the world's largest luxury markets.

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China could become one of the world's largest luxury markets.

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After covid-19 lockdowns in early 2020, China's luxury-goods market began to grow in April last year as Chinese consumers made purchases inside the country. This repatriation of consumption is one of four factors driving growth.

Thanks to a reduction in import duties, price harmonization and stricter gray market controls, China's luxury consumers have been shopping more at home since 2015, notes Bain. In light of travel restrictions linked to the health pandemic, mainland China accounted for 70-75% of Chinese global luxury purchases in 2020, a peak figure that is expected to decline as travel comes back.

Positive consumer sentiment and increased wealth also helped to drive luxury consumption, as did government measures designed to encourage spending.

Chinese millennials may be Tmall Luxury Pavilion's core consumers, making up more than 70% of the platform's luxury fashion and lifestyle consumers, notes the report, but Gen Z shoppers are an emerging source of growth. Gen Z puts greater emphasis on "the pursuit of fashion", and their purchase of luxury collaborations and limited editions increased 300% to 400% between January and October 2020, according to Tmall.

Online purchases account for 35% of Gen Z's monthly expenditure on FMCG (fast moving consumer goods), against 27% for other age brackets.

Indeed, digitalization is another factor driving luxury in China, with Covid-19 resulting in online channels increasing their luxury sales by around 150% in 2020.

Much more than just a sales channel, e-commerce is increasingly seen by luxury brands as a marketing tool, with product customization and livestreaming just two areas of focus. China's annual luxury online penetration increased to 23% in 2020, up from 13% in 2019, driven by beauty products and domestic duty-free sales. Online luxury beauty sales increased around 60% year-to-date as of October 2020, while online penetration is forecast to rise from 28% in 2019 to 38% in 2020, boosted by skincare and fragrance.

Unique to 2020 was the online growth of the domestic duty-free channel, including sales from the Hainan duty-free zone, where 55% of merchandise was sold online. Hainan duty-free shopping was in robust health in 2020, boosted by increased duty-free allowances and Covid-19-related travel restrictions. Indeed, Hainan duty-free sales increased 98% to RMB 21bn ($3.25bn).

When it comes to categories, leather goods and jewelry saw growth of 70-80%, followed by ready-to-wear clothing and shoes at around 40-50%, luxury beauty increased by 25% and high-end watch purchases were up by approximately 20%.

Despite the booming domestic luxury market, Bain notes that the growth in mainland China failed to compensate for the loss of Chinese spend overseas - the drop in travel saw these consumers' total luxury spend fall around 35%.

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China's luxury market share almost doubles in 2020

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After covid-19 lockdowns in early 2020, China's luxury-goods market began to grow in April last year as Chinese consumers made purchases inside the country. This repatriation of consumption is one of four factors driving growth. Thanks to a reduction in import duties, price harmonization and stricter gray market controls, China's luxury consumers have been shopping more at home since 2015, notes Bain.

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China is the second largest luxury market in the world.

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China is the second largest luxury market in the world.

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Leading personal luxury goods markets by country worldwide 2020 | Statista

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In 2020, the United States was the top ranked personal luxury goods market with an estimated market value of about 55 billion euros.

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What brands are doing for the year of the Ox.

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Every year, luxury's Chinese New Year marketing campaigns are a hit-or-miss group. From Burberry's "horror film" to Bulgari's disastrous WeChat advertisement that was deemed anti-Semitic, many of fashion's attempts at leveraging the festival have been roundly ridiculed by Chinese netizens - more often than not.

In Chinese culture, the Year of the Ox represents hard work. And this year, luxury marketing has seemingly matched the meaning of the season. Gucci, Prada, and Adidas have all done their homework and produced imagery and advertising that indicate positive steps in their cultural understanding while retaining a bold approach. Yet, outings from innovators like Gucci and Balenciaga, though daring, were met with lukewarm reactions online.

Now, Jing Daily asks the question: Which brands have learned their lessons for the Year of the Ox?
Prada
This year's best campaign came from Prada, which went with an online short film titled "Enter 2021, New Possibilities." The video invited audiences to envision exciting prospects in the upcoming zodiac year.

Starring China's top celebrities from the entertainment and fashion industries, such as Cai Xukun and Zheng Shuang, many of the video's scenes took place in high-rise urban buildings. Netizens reacted positively to the plot, which focused on friend and family gatherings. Deemed one of the more engaging efforts, it received a total of 1 million comments and shares, and Jiemian News complimented how the brand "successfully seeks resonance with consumers in traditional values."
Burberry
In second place is Burberry, which, like Prada, opted for a video campaign. Although director Guoxiang Zeng's micro-film "A New Awakening" did not explicitly mention the Spring Festival, it rather intriguingly explored the concept of reunions. Set in the countryside, the movie's endearing scenes of family gatherings and walks in the woods touched on the theme of "hope."

Compounding the film's allure was big-name appearances, such as actress Zhou Dongyu and actor Song Weilong, continuing to boost the Burberry hype. Some enthusiastic Weibo users stated that they watched the movie multiple times solely because of these celebrities. "The pretty guys and girls are so eye-catching," said one comment.
Adidas
Adidas has been under the spotlight recently and is certainly a black horse on this list. In December of 2019, Liu Yifei, a Chinese actress who has publicly shown her support for the Hong Kong police, was announced Adidas' womenswear ambassador. Many pro-Hong Kong independence groups condemned her on social media and even boycotted her latest Disney film, Mulan, by protesting at the Hong Kong store.

However, netizens on Weibo have shown immense support for Liu's year of the Ox commercial for the sportswear giant. In it, she holds a bulldog and parkours around Shanghai. Commenters praised her for being "stunning" and "youthful" in her red sportswear set. The positive feedback indicated that, despite the political backlash, Adidas is winning hearts in China with a celebrity halo effect and Gen Z's love of cute pets.

Gucci
Design-wise, more and more luxury brands are breaking away from the obsession with zodiac images this time of year. After using cartoon zodiac symbols for three consecutive years, Gucci chose Doraemon as the protagonist of its Spring Festival series this year, and it fared well, taking the fourth spot on this list.

The Spring Festival is an opportunity to inject the modern consciousness with nostalgia, and childhood related content was in line with consumer expectations. But Gucci's choice to ride the wave of Doraemon's 50th anniversary received mixed reactions, and some felt that appropriating a household manga figure was "lazy" marketing. WeChat user @Tina_WHX reflected many who were confused over the value of the partnership, saying, "Besides monograms, what is the difference between Doraemon's collabs with Uniqlo and Gucci?"
Balenciaga
The "anti-aesthetic" look - also known as "ugly beauty" - has been trending on social media with Gen Zers. It refers to designs that are jarring or almost unappealing but leave a lasting impression. This year, Balenciaga bravely took on this concept with a collection that combined the Chinese character "牛(cow)" and the "B" logo from its accessories line to form a Chinese slang to drive visibility.

Additionally, the brand's advertisement was inspired by the famous Chinese mobile game Xiaoxiaole, borrowing from the game's "gold coin" mechanics as a way to convey "get rich" symbolism. Nonetheless, the "ugly beauty" look is controversial among young consumers. While the new release has achieved a degree of recognition among followers and has a special cultural connotation, many netizens simply found it tasteless and "casino-looking." One user's comment stated: "I think I just got a heart-attack from how low-class this campaign seems."

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Did Luxury Brands Learn Their Lessons This CNY? | Jing Daily

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Every year, luxury's Chinese New Year marketing campaigns are a hit-or-miss group. From Burberry's "horror film" to Bulgari's disastrous WeChat advertisement that was deemed anti-Semitic, many of fashion's attempts at leveraging the festival have been roundly ridiculed by Chinese netizens - more often than not.

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Tiger for 1 February 2022

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The Tiger is known as the king of all beasts in China. The zodiac sign Tiger is a symbol of strength, exorcising evils, and braveness. Many Chinese kids wear hats or shoes with a tiger image for good luck.

iger people, you have a down-to-earth personality and down-to-earth work ethic. With great confidence and indomitable fortitude, they can be competent leaders.

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Why the Lion was replaced with the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac? The video below unveils the secret.
Chinese Zodiac Tiger Years

The Tiger ranks the third among the animals of the Chinese zodiac. The 12 zodiac animals are, in order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each year is related to an animal sign according to a 12-year-cycle.

If you were born in one of the above calendar years, your Chinese zodiac sign is probably the Tiger, and in China you would be known as a Tiger.

However, the Chinese zodiac year is usually said to start from Chinese New Year, which ranges from late January to mid-February. Therefore, if you were born in January or February in one of the above years, you might be a Tiger, or possibly an Ox.

Additionally, if you were born in January/February in one of the years immediately following those above (2011, 1999, 1987, 1978, etc.), then you may be a Tiger or a Rabbit.

You can use our free Chinese zodiac sign calculator tool below to find your zodiac animal sign or see the table below.

Find Your Zodiac Sign

Dates for Tiger Years

What are the lucky things for people born in a year of the Tiger?

Things that Tigers should avoid:

Tigers Horoscope Predictions in 2023

Tigers Horoscope Predictions in 2022

In 2022 (a year of the Water Tiger), every zodiac sign's horoscope will change. Some will get rid of the misfortunes encountered in 2021, while some will need to be prepared for troubles and accidents.

Tigers encounter their 'birth sign year' (benmingnian本命年) in 2022. Tigers would be expected to face many challenges when their birth year recurs every twelfth year. Wearing red can bring good luck in a birth sign year.

Love: 2022 is a good year for Tigers to get married. Single Tigers will have a big chance to find a boyfriend/girlfriend. Tigers at the age of 24 or 36 need to pay more attention to managing relationships as their luck in love would fluctuate in 2022.

Career: Tigers would have opportunities to get promoted in 2022. After working hard for many years, Tigers would finally get approval from their leaders. Tigers, don't be too high-profile, otherwise you may incur trouble and jealousy from petty colleagues.

Wealth:Tigers would be careful of entering into monetary relationships with others in 2022. Wouldn't expect a big windfall or massive achievement. Reasonably spending their money would help Tigers to go through 2022 smoothly. In their birth sign year, Tigers would not be suggested to invest much in stocks or funds.

Zodiac Tiger's Personality: Brave, Confident...

Emperor Qinshihuang was born in the year of the Tiger.

People born in a year of the Tiger are brave, competitive, unpredictable, and confident. They are very charming and well-liked by others. But sometimes they are likely to be impetuous, irritable, and overindulgent.

With stubborn personalities and tough judgment, Tigers work actively and express themselves boldly, doing things in a high-handed manner. They are authoritative and never go back on what they have said.

With great confidence and indomitable fortitude, they can be competent leaders. They will not make preparations for anything, but can handle anything that comes along.

Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold, and Water Tigers

In Chinese element theory, each zodiac sign is associated with one of the five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth. For example, a Water Tiger comes once in a 60-year cycle.

It is theorized that a person's characteristics are decided by their birth year's zodiac animal sign and element. This means there are five types of Tiger, each with different characteristics:

Type of Tiger

Characteristics

Wood Tiger

Compassionate, expansive, and open

Fire Tiger

Optimistic and independent, with poor self-control

Earth Tiger

Adventurous and realistic, with strong faith

Gold Tiger

Females are very enthusiastic; males are indecisive, stubborn, and feminized

Water Tiger

Has a strong sense of self-esteem and learning ability

See Chinese Zodiac Tigers of 5 Elements: Characters and Destinies.

Tigers' Love Compatibility: Is She/He Compatible with You?

Each animal sign has its unique characteristics. Love compatibility among Chinese zodiac animals mostly takes into account the general characteristics of each animal. Only those whose characteristics match each other well can be good partners.

See below the compatibility of the Tiger with other animals.

Best with: Horse, Dog, or Pig

Worst with: Ox, Snake, Goat, or Monkey

Want to know if she/he is compatible with you? Use our zodiac love compatibility calculator below. Or you can check the 12 Chinese zodiac signs' love compatibility in detail.

Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Calculator

Enter date of birth and test now

Best-Suited Careers for Tigers

The King of the Forest

The Tiger, called "the king of the animals" in China, is usually the center of attention. They are born with leadership skills and they are respected by others. Tigers are suited to any career as leaders.

The best careers for Tigers are: advertising agent, office manager, travel agent, actor, writer, artist, pilot, flight attendant, musician, comedian, and chauffeur.

However, in their early years, Tigers' careers are not so smooth. After their thirties they find their direction and gather wealth.

Good Health for Tigers

Tigers usually enjoy good health.

Tigers usually enjoy good health. Small illnesses, such as colds, coughs, and fever, are rarely experienced by Tigers. They are active so they like to do various sports.

However, they should avoid excessive strenuous exercise, because some dangerous activities may lead to physical harm. When involved in outdoor exercise, they should pay particular attention to warm-up exercise. Aerobic exercises, such as jogging, are suitable for keeping fit.

Tigers are energetic and have great enthusiasm at work. When they feel exhausted after working for long hours, they need some relaxation to refresh themselves.

How to Build Relationships with Tigers

In social relationships, Tigers always have a dominant role.

Due to mistrust and over confidence, Tigers do not like to communicate with others so they are not good at coordinating in social circles. They are inclined to use commanding means to deal with interpersonal relationships.

Even though they are acquainted with a lot of people, they do not further the relationships to make close friendships.

Understanding, patience, and tact are needed when dealing with Tigers.

In love relationships, Tigers cannot show deep affection to their partners because they lack a sense of romance. Partners need to be equally active to keep up with a Tiger's sense of adventure.

Famous Tiger Year People

Queen Elizabeth II: born on April 21, 1926, a Fire Tiger

Tom Cruise: born on July 3, 1962, a Water Tiger

Leonardo DiCaprio: born on November 11, 1974, a Wood Tiger

Lady Gaga: born on March 28, 1986, a Fire Tiger

Check Other Chinese Zodiac Animals

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The Tiger is known as the king of all beasts in China. The zodiac sign Tiger is a symbol of strength, exorcising evils, and braveness. Many Chinese kids wear hats or shoes with a tiger image for good luck. iger people, you have a down-to-earth personality and down-to-earth work ethic.

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Chinese consumers spent about 821 billion yuan (US$127 billion) on shopping and dining during this year's Spring Festival holiday

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China's Lunar New Year spending jumps to more than US$127 billion

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Consumption for the Lunar New Year holiday in 2021 saw a 28.7 per cent increase from 2020 in China.

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Chinese consumers spending during holidays.

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Chinese consumers spending during holidays.

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HONG KONG (AP) - Some 637 million residents of China traveled inside their country during the recent eight-day Golden Week holiday, spending tens of billions of dollars at a time when officials hope to get consumers to spend more and perk up the economy.

More than 45% of China's 1.4 billion people traveled during the holiday, which began Oct. 1. They spent 466.6 billion yuan ($69.5 billion), according to data from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

That's 21% fewer trips and 30% less spending than last year, but the numbers show consumption is beginning to bounce back following the battering it took earlier in the year from the coronavirus pandemic.

The numbers are a "positive sign" both for China and the rest of the world that economies can revive pretty quickly once the coronavirus is under control, said Shivaji Das, managing director of research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in Asia Pacific.

Fewer people traveled and those who did spent less out of caution over the pandemic, which has waned in China but not elsewhere.

"Many people have lost income or were without jobs during the worst times of the pandemic so people are trying to be more careful from a financial perspective," he said.

Travel within China, and sometimes even within cities, was restricted beginning with the Lunar New Year in late January as China fought the spread of the coronavirus that emerged in the central city of Wuhan. During the five-day Labor Day holiday in May, domestic tourism revenue was down nearly 60% from the previous year.

"Chinese consumer confidence has been significantly recovered due to the proper control of pandemic, government pro-consumption policies and stimulus and faster than expected resumption of business activities," said Jennifer Ye, PwC's China consumer markets leader.

The Golden Week tourism and spending figures indicate domestic consumption is recovering, partly due to so-called "revenge buying" to make up for the previous months when people were unable to travel, she said.

With many Chinese tourists unable to travel abroad due to global restrictions, those who previously traveled to Hong Kong and South Korea for duty-free shopping turned to the southern Chinese island of Hainan instead, spending 530 million yuan ($78 million) at duty free shops during the first five days of the holiday, according to a report by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

The Chinese province raised duty-free shopping limits on July 1, hoping to attract domestic tourists and compete with shopping hubs in Europe and other parts of Asia.

China has reported no locally transmitted coronavirus infections since Aug. 16, and restrictions have been eased.

To boost domestic tourism, local governments and online travel platforms like Ctrip and Fliggy are offering discounts on attraction tickets, hotels and tour packages.

According to a Ctrip report, the number of bookings for flights, private tours and attraction tickets on its platform was up 100% compared to the same time last year.

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China Golden Week holiday pumps up tourism, boon to economy

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HONG KONG (AP) - Some 637 million residents of China traveled inside their country during the recent eight-day Golden Week holiday, spending tens of billions of dollars at a time when officials hope to get consumers to spend more and perk up the economy.

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"In 2019, Nike ranked first in the Chinese sportswear market with a market share of nearly 23 percent. Adidas came in second with approximately 20 percent market share that year."(Statista, 2019)

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In 2023, Nike ranked first in the Chinese athletic apparel market, with a market share of 17.9 percent. ANTA, the local sportswear brand, ranked second with a market share of approximately 10.2 percent.

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China: leading sportswear brands 2023 | Statista

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In 2023, Nike ranked first in the Chinese athletic apparel market, with a market share of 17.9 percent.

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Top 10 Foreign Products Trending Among Chinese Consumers - Floship

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China is a land of opportunities for foreign businesses looking to expand their market and sell more. However, which products would do best in China?

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Top 15 Most Purchased Products Online in China - Ecommerce China

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China has been the world's largest online market for years now, and it will continue to be as more people are taking part in this phenomenon. The online shopping industry in China is booming, and it's not just e-commerce giants like Alibaba that are benefiting from this rise in consumption.

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"Victoria Beckham’s dresses have been worn by Meghan Markle, Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian."(Vnuk, 2020)

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Beckham kept putting in the long hours, barely taking any time off after the birth of her daughter Harper.

“I was still in hospital,” she told the Financial Times. “I couldn’t feel my legs because of the bloody epidural, and I’m being asked to approve lookbook images. So I didn’t have a lot of time off. But it’s hard when you have your own business.”

In 2011, Beckham won Designer Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. She won the same category three years later, and that year, opened her first bricks-and-mortar Victoria Beckham store in London. In 2016, she opened another store in Hong Kong. Her label was one of the 25 bestselling brands on online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter.

However, 10 years after its launch, Victoria Beckham was still in the red.

In an interview with the Financial Times in March last year, Beckham insisted her label wasn’t a “vanity project”.

“If I want this brand to still be here in 10, 20, 30, 40 years’ time, I need to break even, and then I need to be profitable,” she said. “We’re on the right track to do that, but it’s not going to happen tomorrow.”

Listen to Mamamia Out Loud, Mamamia’s podcast with what women are talking about this week. Post continues below.

Later in the year, Beckham launched a beauty line. But by November, media reports revealed that demand for her fashion was on a downward trend. In 2018, turnover fell by 18 per cent, as department stores, particularly in Asia, cut their orders for her clothes. Losses accumulated by the label since its launch reached £35 million (AU$69 million), with loans from her husband David Beckham’s company helping to keep it alive.

Equity analyst Nicla Di Palma told The Guardian that it was “not atypical” for small luxury brands to start by losing money and to continue to lose money for a few years. But she suggested that Beckham’s sales may be close to the level achievable.

“The clothes are quite expensive and there are other brands that provide similar pieces,” she said. “I find it unlikely that the brand will be scaled up significantly and perhaps they will be lucky enough to be bought by some large luxury conglomerates or they will quietly disappear in a few years.”

Right now, Victoria Beckham is being hit by the coronavirus downturn, like so many other businesses in the UK. Beckham has “furloughed” 25 of her 120 staff, meaning they will be paid 80 per cent of their wages by the government while not working. But she’s also reported to be giving up her own salary during the crisis.

In the future, Beckham is likely to focus more on her beauty line – she says her skincare is doing “incredibly well” – and less on fashion.

No matter what happens, she and her husband are likely to be okay. Their personal wealth is estimated at £335 million (AU$660 million).

Feature image: Getty.

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Victoria Beckham launched her fashion label 12 years ago. She’s never turned a profit.

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Social Media Stats China | StatCounter Global Stats

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This graph shows the stats of social media in China based on over 10 billion monthly page views.

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Victoria Beckham launches beauty e-commerce in China through Tmall

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Victoria Beckham launches beauty e-commerce in China through Tmall

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"Launching a flagship store on Alibaba's Tmall Global platform. This marks the brand's first entry into the Chinese market. The brand has also created an exclusive set of six skincare products to celebrate its launch on Tmall."(Turk, 2020)

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"With offices in London and New York, a flagship store in Mayfair and another store in central Hong Kong, the brand has won critical acclaim alongside multiple industry awards, including Best Designer Brand and Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. In addition to victoriabeckham.com, the Victoria Beckham brand is carried in more than 450 stores in 50 countries worldwide."(Victoria Beckham UK, 2021)

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Victoria Beckham founded her eponymous fashion label in 2008. The transition from designer muse to Creative Director of her own brand was a natural one, fuelled by a longtime obsession with fashion, a natural, meticulous attention to detail and an undeniable ability to influence. Today the brand is the modern woman's true wardrobe - versatile and wearable yet rooted in a distinctly luxury sensibility that ignites the imagination.

The collections are an adaptation of Victoria's own personal style, that intertwine with the ever-changing needs and desires of today's women to result in a carefully curated edit of key pieces - expertly cut tailoring, dresses and denim - with signature features in the form of off-kilter prints, unexpected colour palettes and premium materials.

"Making women look and feel like the best versions of themselves is truly what brings me joy. Fashion is so many things, inspiring, exciting, but ultimately it is incredibly rewarding. To see those reactions is why I do what I do." - Victoria Beckham, Creative Director Today, alongside the London atelier, offices and a flagship Mayfair store, Victoria Beckham is carried in 250 stores in 52 countries worldwide, comprising ready-to-wear, leather goods, eyewear and footwear collections, plus a long-term partnership with fitness and lifestyle brand Reebok. The brand has won critical acclaim alongside multiple industry awards, including Best Designer Brand and Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.

In 2019 the house launched Victoria Beckham Beauty. Developed through Victoria's unique perspective, the brand created the products she felt were missing from her makeup bag - cleanly formulated, high performance beauty solutions for the modern individual who lives life on-the-move and to the fullest.

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About Victoria Beckham Ltd. Victoria Beckham founded her eponymous fashion label in 2008. The transition from designer muse to Creative Director of her own brand was a natural one, fuelled by a longtime obsession with fashion, a natural, meticulous attention to detail and an undeniable ability to influence.

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Designer Brand of the Year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards

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Designer Brand of the Year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards

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beating Stella McCartney, Tom Ford and Burberry to win Designer Brand of the Year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards.

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Latest news and updates for the biggest fashion celebrities. Up to date stories on designers, models and more.

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"Now that I've been doing it a little bit longer I can take more risks, working with volume away from the body, which is very different from where I started out," Beckham said at the WWD summit. "I never try to follow a trend or fashion; I just do what feels right. Everything that I make, from glasses to a handbag to a dress, is something I would wear and carry myself. People ask who my customer is - I love to do in-store events with my retail partners, I love to meet my customers and get feedback - but I'm my customer."(Telegraph.co.uk, 2011)

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Latest news and updates for the biggest fashion celebrities. Up to date stories on designers, models and more.

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Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards 2014 

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Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards 2014 

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Emotional Victoria Beckham thanks husband David in British Fashion Awards acceptance speech

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Emotional Victoria Beckham thanks husband David in British Fashion Awards acceptance speech

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Why Victoria Beckham was successful from 2011-2015

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Why Victoria Beckham was successful from 2011-2015

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She produced stylish, classy, modern dresses.

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From Posh to classy: how Victoria Beckham won over fashion world

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Hard graft, force of will - and cash to invest - helped turn former Spice Girl into a respected designer and businesswoman

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We all remember Victoria Beckham as the 1990s pop icon, member of the pop phenomenon the Spice Girls. Later we witnessed her maturing from a cute girl to a delicate woman as she became the wife of the most wanted bachelor at the time - David Beckham. However, It would be unfair to associate her name only with a successful marriage.

Victoria Beckham has an enviable portfolio and background in the Fashion industry, she has walked the runway for Roberto Cavalli in Milan and has been a face for some of the most prestigious brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, and the street label Rocawear.

All of this has led to creating her label which is today known worldwide - the Victoria Beckham brand. Her first fashion lines succeeded to impress critics and the public and give her a credo of a sophisticated aesthete and serious designer-entrepreneur capable of creating a fashion empire.

Today we can say for sure that critics were right because Victoria Beckham groomed her brand into a global fashion label that now includes various high-end products every woman craves - dresses, handbags, denim, sunglasses, sportswear, and shoes. Continue to read and get to know the story of Victoria's fashion empire.

The personal style of Victoria Beckham changed through time, as expected - from band stage uniforms she wore as Posh Spice, to serious businesswoman and posh style. What's interesting though, is that Victoria has always been perceived and considered as one of the most stylish women in the world.

Victoria stated for Guardian that these days she thinks that wearing tight clothes in youth was a consequence of insecurity, however, these days she is leaning towards more comfortable pieces since she is always lacking time and on the move.

Considering her fashion lines and Victoria Beckham brand identity, she considers it as the voice of modern minimalism with a strong sense of sophistication. Victoria Beckham brand identity is an adaptation of Victoria's personal style created to match the needs of the modern woman in search of bold and refined outfits.

The First Victoria Beckham brand collection debuted with a series of spring dresses but she quickly created a specific design signature with her neat-fitting and high-end tailoring. Each collection that came after represented an even more bold and refined design and the brand has expanded to include much more than a dress.

Today, Victoria Beckham's fashion line sells numerous fashion garments from footwear, bags, accessories to sunglasses and ready-to-wear clothes. Over time, the Victoria Beckham fashion line has teamed up with several other brands to achieve perfect products for their customers and fans.

Victoria Beckham's fashion line encompasses not only designer clothes but also ready-to-wear designs, created to allow a contemporary woman to feel stylish and posh while doing her everyday activities and obligations. Minimalist, easy matching, and wearable high-end creations are made for dynamic and bold individuals.

We mentioned before that the Victoria Beckham brand mirrors the personal style of Victoria herself. Having that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the Victoria Beckham jeans brand is considered a high-quality product that fits perfectly to any type of body type and shape.

Victoria Beckham jeans brand offers a variety of different denim models from high-waisted jeans to mom fit that is flattering on any woman. We know that a quality pair of jeans offers the possibility to create versatile styles from everyday wear to more easygoing events at bars or restaurants.

Victoria Beckham denim comes in different colors such as sun-bleached blue or washed-out black, and they are a perfect match with an oversized shirt - an outfit no one can pull better than Victoria herself.

If you are opting for a perfect pair of jeans, flattering to your body shape and which will help you to make any look stylish and yet comfortable - the Victoria Beckham jeans brand is your best bet.

We can agree that some of the first associations with Victoria Beckham are a perfect pair of sunglasses that always fits her perfectly. Once again, it is no surprise that the Victoria Beckham eyewear line was one of the first that came out after the formation of the Victoria Beckham brand.

The Victoria Beckham range of sunglasses includes unique rimless square sunglasses, classic aviators, cat-eye styles, and many more.

As with every other piece of the Victoria Beckham brand, sunglasses from the eyewear collection are luxurious, sophisticated, and evergreen accessories that use already tested, traditional shapes, giving them a touch of playfulness and modernity.

Whether you opt for retro-inspired oversized designs or round frames, the Victoria Beckham brand ensures guaranteed quality and a successful purchase.

Victoria Beckham's highly anticipated activewear collaboration with Reebok resulted in an impressive lineup that includes the perfect garment for a workout and outdoor activities. Within a collection, you can find high-quality tops, bike shorts, bags, and sneakers in the color palette, made from pleasant and premium materials.

Recognizable minimalist aesthetic characteristics for the Victoria Beckham brand and improved and known Reebok technology in combination created a line of comfortable and fashionable clothing for an active lifestyle.

The Reebok x Victoria Beckham collection gives a modern, minimalist approach to sportswear for both outdoor and indoor activities, and is a perfect option for all women who holds on to style and sophistication even when she is exposed to exertion.

Victoria Beckham brand stores are not so often present in this part of Europe, so if you happen to be in Porto Montenegro, feel free to feel privileged. People who visit Porto Montenegro and Porto's prestigious marina will have a unique opportunity to shop within a luxury shopping center for some of the Victoria Beckham brand pieces.

Victoria Beckham told The New York Times in 2010. "If you're going to do something, do it properly, I think. Otherwise, there is no point in doing it at all." And there is no doubt that she succeeded in her intention to create something outstanding out of her brand. Visit the Porto Montenegro luxury shopping center and see it for yourself!

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Victoria Beckham brand - the story of fashion empire - Porto Montenegro

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We all remember Victoria Beckham as the 1990s pop icon, member of the pop phenomenon the Spice Girls. Later we witnessed her maturing from a cute girl to a delicate woman as she became the wife of the most wanted bachelor at the time - David Beckham.

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VB wore tight clothes because "It was a sign of insecurity that I always wore very tight clothes"(Cartner-Morley, 2020)

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VB wore tight clothes because "It was a sign of insecurity that I always wore very tight clothes"(Cartner-Morley, 2020)

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Victoria Beckham: 'It was a sign of insecurity that I always wore very tight clothes'

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How her clothing has become more relaxed.

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How her clothing has become more relaxed.

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Victoria Beckham said her personal style "has become more relaxed" over the years

One student asked the 46-year-old designer about her personal style, which made Beckham reflect back on her fashion evolution. "When I was in the Spice Girls there were stylists who dressed the group, but in my personal life, I have never worked with a stylist. I used to wear lots of structured dresses with corsetry, and I do still have some of those dresses, but my personal style has become more relaxed," she explained.

"Looking back, I guess it was a sign of insecurity that I would always wear clothes that were very tight, very fitted," she said.

The mother of four said that as her business took off and she became busier, her style also changed.

"I just can't run around the studio doing everything in high heels. I'm juggling a lot: being a mom, being a wife, being in the studio every day," she said. "I remember one time at a show in New York where I wore a pair of masculine trousers and trainers, and everyone went crazy, 'Oh my God, she's wearing trainers!' "

Beckham also said her confidence grew as she got older. "I know what works on me, what looks good, what makes me feel confident and comfortable. I don't feel I have anything to prove now in the way I dress," she explained.

The former Spice Girls band member also recalled her rise in the fashion industry, telling students that if she could go back and give her younger self advice it would be to trust her instincts.

"I always say I can handle mistakes that were made by me, but not mistakes that were made against my instinct," she said. "Trust that gut - it's there for a reason."

When asked if she ever missed being a pop star, Beckham said that while she "had a lot of fun with the Spice Girls," she doesn't miss those days.

"I love what I do now, because it is a true creative output for me. I love making women feel like the best version of themselves," she explained. "I had a lot of fun with the Spice Girls, but I don't miss those days and I don't miss being on stage. That was then and this is now. Fashion is where I feel comfortable, and where I feel excited."

"I'm looking forward to the future in this industry, actually. I feel like we can all come out of this better, personally and professionally," Beckham said, adding that she believed the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been a valuable learning experience for many.

"The generation coming into adulthood now will have experienced something that none of the rest of us have," she said of the coronavirus pandemic. "I feel like this has taught all of us a lot about how to work together as teams, both in our home lives and professionally. This crisis will have expanded the horizons of all of us, in a way."

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Amid the outbreak, Beckham has been quarantining with her family - husband David Beckham and their four children, sons Romeo, 17, and Cruz, 15, and 8-year-old daughter Harper. ( Brooklyn, 21, has been living separately with his girlfriend Nicola Peltz.)

The star admitted that throughout her time in lockdown, she has made sure to wake up every morning and get dressed as she would for work, though less formal.

"I still get up early and exercise every day, then I dress for work and for comfort. A pair of old jeans, a T-shirt or a jumper. I'm not quite at the elasticated waistband stage yet - I still want to feel good about myself," Beckham said. "We've been going out on country walks every day, so the only shoes I wear are an old pair of trainers. It's so nice just to do things with the family and not think too much about getting dressed. So, definitely no heels."

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Victoria Beckham Reflects on Her Past Style, Says Wearing 'Very Tight' Clothes Were 'Sign of Insecurity'

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Victoria Beckham said her personal style "has become more relaxed" over the years One student asked the 46-year-old designer about her personal style, which made Beckham reflect back on her fashion evolution. "When I was in the Spice Girls there were stylists who dressed the group, but in my personal life, I have never worked with a stylist.

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Net-A-Porter.com have launch of an exclusive Victoria Beckham capsule collection.

Classic styles from the Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 collections have been created in deep jewel hues especially for Net-A-Porter.

The sharply tailored collection that Victoria herself describes as chic, timeless and elegant, is a true embodiment of the sophisticated modern woman.

Style's are selling out fast, so get your hands on this collection now.

Shop Victoria Beckham's capsule collection at
Net-A-Porter US and Net-A-Porter International.

Credit: Style.com

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Victoria Beckham's Exclusive Capsule Collection For Net-A-Porter - Red Carpet Fashion Awards

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Net-A-Porter.com have launch of an exclusive Victoria Beckham capsule collection. Classic styles from the Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 collections have been created in deep jewel hues especially for Net-A-Porter. The sharply tailored collection that Victoria herself describes as chic, timeless and elegant, is a true embodiment of the sophisticated modern woman.

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Showing how collection has changed.
Looking at why VB created the fashion brand.

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Posh Spice is an understatement. Victoria Beckham, a former member of the infamous U.K. girl group, took her nickname and put it to good use. Long gone are her bubblegum pop days of the '90s. Now a staple of the fashion world, Beckham runs a highly successful namesake brand comprised of various clothing, accessory, and beauty lines. But how did she do it?

The Spice Girls were a revolution. Boy bands cluttered the '90s music scene until a "manufactured" group of five women were selected to take over. In a very X-Factor and film casting manner, Victoria Beckham and her fellow Spice Girls were hand-picked during rounds of open auditions, and thus, the iconic group was born in 1994. Surprisingly, the girls' clever nicknames were not created by the team. Top of the Pops magazine labeled each Spice Girl member with their own character trait and it stuck. Ginger, Baby, Posh, Scary, and Sporty.

Hits like "Wannabe" and "Girl Power" lived on the charts, their fame even warranting Spice World: The Movie to be filmed only four years after the group's creation. But like most musical groups, the infamous breakup swiftly occurred. Perhaps Posh's rise to fame (and subsequent outshining of her peers) after her engagement to David Beckham was the culprit, or maybe Ginger's sudden departure mid-tour. Reasons aside, Victoria Beckham began to replace "Spice World" with the fashion world in the 2000s.

Prior to her self-titled brand's creation, Victoria took the denim landscape by storm. Collaborating with Rock and Republic in 2004, Beckham designed her own line of jeans called VB Rocks for the denim brand. Comprised of high-end jeans designed to have a lifting effect, Victoria's line also included a logo T shirt adorned with her class crown emblem.

Later, Victoria teamed up with her husband in 2006 to create DVB Style, a combination of their names. Exclusively limited to denim and eyewear, the brand had a short lifespan, other than its logo's slight integration in her later ventures.

In addition to dipping her feet in the design space, Beckham was a top model in the early 2000s. One of her most notable campaigns was an iconic advertisement for Marc Jacobs, a close and unlikely friend of Victoria's. Photographed inside of a shopping bag for the label, Beckham's famous legs were sprawling out of its interior on every billboard. Ten years later, Beckham re-created the look for her own brand, even launching a T shirt with the motif.

Establishing her house, Victoria Beckham, in 2008, the former pop princess designed her own signature sense of style for the masses to don. Luxurious, modern, and classically refined pieces categorized her new label. Beckham truly designed for all well-dressed and monochrome-loving women, her work perfect for CEOs and high society alike.

As Beckham held limited fashion design experience aside from the red carpet and some modeling, it may be hard to believe that her debut collection developed a prestige comparable to long-standing luxury houses. But the reasoning is simple: celebrity names are powerful. Brand recognition can make or break a designer. First comes the label, then the actual clothing. Victoria Beckham already had the prestige, the coveted style. Women every wanted to be posh. And now they could.

Not to mention that her designs illustrated an impressive knowledge of the fashion industry. Critics had nothing but positive feedback about her first collection, surprised by her know-how and chic sense of style. Perhaps the shock occurred because they did not expect such a classy line from Posh Spice, but the media was blown away by the results of Beckham's creativity.

Now in 2021, Beckham's brand has expanded to beauty and accessories, along with becoming a cutting-edge and innovative tastemaker. Her latest Spring/Summer collection is a distant cry from her ten original dresses, while unwaveringly using the same inclination of class and wearability. And even some denim.

Ever so mysterious and seemingly always missing a smile, Victoria Beckham has remained an icon for years. Her role in London style may have begun by riding her wave of Spice Girls fame, but almost thirty years have passed since the group's founding. Victoria Beckham has solidified herself as a top designer through her own merit and abundant talent in appealing to her steadfast consumer base.

A pop group and high-profile husband may have gotten her foot in the door, but Victoria Beckham has earned her fashion respect solo.

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How Victoria Beckham Went from Pop Star to Fashion Mogul

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Posh Spice is an understatement. Victoria Beckham, a former member of the infamous U.K. girl group, took her nickname and put it to good use. Long gone are her bubblegum pop days of the '90s. Now a staple of the fashion world, Beckham runs a highly successful namesake brand comprised of various clothing, accessory, and beauty lines.

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"With only 400 dresses being made in the first season, the range looks destined to be a sellout, even with retail prices starting at £650."(Cartner-Morley, 2008)

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When Victoria Beckham announced that she had designed a range of dresses and would present them at New York fashion week, there was a rasp of Smythson pencils being sharpened, not altogether supportively, in the front row.

But yesterday afternoon, the select band of buyers and editors who viewed the collection changed their tune. "Beautiful", "desirable" and "classy" were among the words bandied about.

Top boutiques and department stores have already begun squabbling over the right to sell the first collection of dresses with "Victoria Beckham" in the label when it hits stores in February.

A figure-hugging dress in Beckham's new collection. Photograph: PR

With only 400 dresses being made in the first season, the range looks destined to be a sellout, even with retail prices starting at £650.

The 10 dresses are all immediately recognisable as signature Victoria Beckham. They are figure-hugging, cut to maximise curves, although with a modest below-the-knee hemline and come in sizes six to 14.

Couture-type fabrics - organza, silk gazar, taffeta - and restrained shades of black, navy, oyster and ivory (with one shot of electric blue) are offset by full-length rose gold zips running from the nape of the neck to the back of the knee.

The high standard of the collection prompted many to question whether Beckham, who has no design training, could take credit for their creation.

The influence of Roland Mouret, whose dresses Beckham often wears, is very visible in the collection, but Beckham said yesterday that she designed the entire collection with no assistance from Mouret or anyone else.

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Victoria Beckham impresses on fashion debut

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When Victoria Beckham announced that she had designed a range of dresses and would present them at New York fashion week, there was a rasp of Smythson pencils being sharpened, not altogether supportively, in the front row. But yesterday afternoon, the select band of buyers and editors who viewed the collection changed their tune.

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Victoria Beckham Opens First Store in Asia

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Victoria Beckham Opens First Store in Asia

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"On why she chose Hong Kong as the follow up to her first shop in London’s Mayfair district, the designer said, “I know Asian women really understand luxury, good quality and appreciate when garments are made well — and my clothes are”."(LUXUO, 2016)

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Victoria Beckham Opens First Store in Asia

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Hong Kong is now the second location of Victoria Beckham's brick and mortar store outside of her native home. Amidst the luxury brands, swanky five-star hotels, the store in the heart of the Central district is seen as a way for the designer to tap on the Asian market.

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“In fall 2016, Victoria expanded her focus to beauty with a makeup collaboration with Estée Lauder.” (Victoriabeckhambeauty.com, 2016).

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Beauty in Motion

Victoria Beckham Beauty is founded on the idea that beauty should complement and empower the dynamic life you lead.

When Victoria and Sarah envisioned what they wanted Victoria Beckham Beauty to be, they asked themselves- what would the most amazing luxury beauty brand look like in ten years? They concluded that the future of beauty would be super clean, perform at the highest luxury level, welcome everyone who loves beauty, help people fuel their lives inside and out, be sustainable, transparent, digital-first, cruelty-free, and created by women (naturally). This is the vision behind Victoria Beckham Beauty. We are a work in progress and a brand in motion.

Developed through Victoria Beckham's unique perspective, these are the products she felt were missing from her makeup bag - cleanly formulated, high performance beauty solutions for the modern individual who lives life on-the-move and to the fullest.

Victoria Beckham, Co-founder and Creative Director

Victoria Beckham launched her eponymous fashion label in 2008, growing it from a small capsule collection into a global brand with flagship boutiques in London and Hong Kong. In fall 2016, Victoria expanded her focus to beauty with a makeup collaboration with Estée Lauder. The collection was a success and a second followed the next year. It was during this time that Victoria met Sarah Creal, then an Estée Lauder executive. Working together, the two discovered a shared beauty philosophy and passion for clean products with luxurious ingredients. In 2019, they teamed up to create Victoria Beckham Beauty, a streamlined collection of clean, high performance products.

Sarah Creal, Co-founder and CEO

Sarah Creal is a long-time beauty executive with a track record of building some of the world's top brands. Starting her career at the Clinique counter in Bergdorf Goodman, she quickly rose through the industry, developing and marketing such brands as Prada Beauty, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Tom Ford and most recently, the Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder collaboration. Together with Victoria, she is finally creating her own female-founded beauty brand built on the twin principles she most cares about: clean beauty and luxury experience.

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Victoria Beckham Beauty is founded on the idea that beauty should complement and empower the dynamic life you lead - super clean, perform at the highest luxury level, welcome everyone who loves beauty, help people fuel their lives inside and out, be sustainable, transparent, digital-first, cruelty-free, and created by women (naturally).

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If you really want a clear example of Victoria Beckham's impressive transformation, then cast your minds back to the mid-noughties when a fashion empire was just an apple in the then-singer's eye. Marc Jacobs was reading a British newspaper when he spotted Beckham carrying a fake version of his Louis Vuitton graffiti bag, a collaboration with Stephen Sprouse. He decided to send her a real one and there began the start of an unlikely friendship; the WAG and the forefather of fashion grunge.

"I hardly dreamed that my ultimate goal would be to have Posh Spice carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag," he told in 2005. "It was kind of funny."

Although Beckham would doubtlessly flinch at the idea of wearing a counterfeit today, their mutual respect for one another has not waned, culminating in the reimagining of Jacobs' famed 2008 campaign, in which she was pictured emerging from a shopping bag like an abstract doll. This time round, the bag bares not Jacobs' name, but the name of her own eponymous brand - a critically-acclaimed business that now boasts 400 stores in over 50 countries internationally, and offices in both London and New York. This season, as a celebration of her brand's 10th anniversary, Beckham will bring her show from NY to London Fashion Week for the first time.

Beckham has surprised everyone. Fashion is a snobby place, where acceptance isn't solely about whether or not you're wealthy enough to buy its key pieces. And there's little that the industry hates more than a celebrity-turned-designer, especially one that was previously defined as a WAG. Rumour has it that the woman formerly known as Posh Spice was repeatedly turned away from fashion shows. But sometimes, the greatest part of being underestimated is that the rise is all the more impressive. In September 2008 when Beckham presented her first collection - a range of 10 dresses - there were distinct doubts among fashion editors gathered at the Waldorf Hotel in New York, who were poised to file scornful reviews.

"She was a pop star and I don't think particularly revered for her style, so her own fashion line seemed out of character."

"I remember well when Victoria started her collection," said BFC chairman Caroline Rush. "As with every celebrity turned designer, there was some scepticism from the industry which was very quickly dispelled when she started presenting her collections. There was a lot of interest from press and buyers and definitely a lot buzz around the brand. It very soon became one of the hottest tickets of NYFW."

"At the start the fashion set were very dubious about Victoria doing her own line," agrees Harper's Bazaar senior fashion editor Miranda Almond. "After all, she was a pop star and I don't think particularly revered for her style, so her own fashion line seemed a little out of character."

However, Beckham's debut collection was immediately well-received by fashion editors, who praised the "sophistication" of the cut and fit. The Times called it a "very impressive, accomplished collection, with not a single dud".

She also made the clever decision not to stage a large-scale show, but to host a salon-based presentation, where she personally talked editors through the collection.

"It was a smart move," recalls Almond. "She personally introduced each look herself in a room with models walking through it, naming fabrics, techniques and the thinking behind each look. It was so personal and touching and there wasn't one person in the room who wasn't moved by what they experienced and saw. She really laid herself bare to what can be a very cynical crowd and she won over each and everyone. She was a huge success from day one."

In fact, the offering was so desirable that insiders questioned whether or not Beckham had enlisted a designer to do the hard work, while she served as the face (rumours she always denied); an indicator of quite how accomplished a feat it was. It was the start of Beckham's reinvention, both in terms of her career and aesthetic. She emerged post-show with a gamine pixie crop in lieu of her polished bob - a show of intent.

She's worked hard to integrate herself within the industry

Prior to her show debut, Beckham had lent her name to denim and sunglasses ranges where she first started to learn about the inner workings of the fashion world. She might have had the financial backing to launch her own brand and a high profile that might appeal to shoppers, but she knew she'd have to prove herself to the fashion industry.

"I was so nervous," she told Harper's Bazaar US of her debut, "because this has been a lifetime in the making."

"She fought her way through the industry and is now a very well-respected designer and businesswoman," says Rush. "Victoria was always been loved by the public and the fact that she was known before being a designer definitely helped her gaining attention and customers."

Almond said her attitude from the beginning thawed her cynics. "She was very open and humble and the first to admit that she wouldn't have trusted her to do a credible fashion line either," she says.

Beckham's first few collections were successful both critically and commercially. Selfridges was among her first stockists - and the brand has sold well ever since, based on the fit and shape of her designs. The novelty factor of Beckham as a celebrity has long worn off.

"She fought her way through the industry and is now very well-respected"

"Victoria began by co-designing with some huge names in the fashion industry before establishing the VB line," notes Lydia King, womenswear buying and merchandising director at Selfridges. "She has a great eye for shape and fit and seamlessly transfers this into the design of the garments.

"There was a lot of hype around Victoria starting her own label and the brand received a hugely positive reaction," she added. "As a British retailer, supporting British designers - both emerging and established - is important to us and it was this, alongside a natural curiosity, which initially attracted us to the brand."

Beckham never claimed to be an artisanal designer - in fact, she's admitted that drawing and pattern-cutting are not her forte. What she did do was create a strong vision, and put in the hours ingratiating herself with any potential detractors.

"Over the last 10 years she has developed personal relationships with buyers and editors," said King. "She takes the time to walk us through her collections to describe the fabrics and cuts."

She understands what women really want to wear

Beckham's celebrity might have given her the platform and financial security that alludes most emerging designers, but fame doesn't necessarily equate to long-term sales success. While buying a dress designed by a celebrity might have a novelty factor for the first season or two, that product has to continue to be desirable to shoppers as time goes on. Most brands work with celebrities on collaborations that have a limited time frame for exactly this reason - it's difficult to sustain consumer interest based on fame alone.

Along with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's The Row, Beckham is among the few celebrities to have launched brands that have continued to sell well after the hype has died down. At Selfridges, shoppers return season after season for her collections, with separates and knitwear proving particularly popular. It's a similar story at Net-a-Porter - the brand's cashmere roll-neck sweaters often sell out, forcing the online destination to place re-orders on them every season. Net-a-Porter is currently increasing the order number of favourite dress styles as they always over-perform.

"It comes back to this idea of women designing for women," says Elizabeth von der Goltz, global buying director at Net-a-Porter. "Victoria is a successful businesswoman who juggles a busy life with family. She has a true understanding of what women want to wear and what makes them feel good in their day-to-day lives. In terms of aesthetic, bestsellers tend to be the wearable wardrobe staples that are timeless in style - whether it's a great cashmere knit or silk blouse."
SHOP VICTORIA BECKHAM NOW
Rush agrees; Beckham has worked out what women want to wear on a daily basis.

"The design aesthetic is beautiful and appeals to a strong modern woman," she says. "Women are attracted by clothes they can wear both at the office and when they go out and Victoria's pieces are perfectly fit for both."

She's a master of reinvention

Ten years ago it would have been difficult to imagine Beckham's design success. While as a Spice Girl, fashion was always her USP, her fashion choices - in keeping with the group's inclusive, fun-loving ethos - were not considered high-end. As she started making big money, her love of luxury took hold.

Then she met David Beckham, who enjoyed dressing up and experimenting with fashion as much as she did, and her WAG incarnation was born. Cue plenty of peacocking - matching couple outfits in shiny fabrics, tiny body-con dresses, heavily branded designer handbags and sadistically high Louboutins.

"Fame doesn't necessarily equate to long-term sales success"

As she entered the fashion business, her look changed again - this time opting for a more classic Audrey Hepburn-inspired wardrobe. Gone with the mini-skirts and hair extensions and in was the pixie crop, longer hemlines and tailored dresses.

Over the past decade, Beckham's brand aesthetic has changed with her personal style. While back in 2008, she remained rooted to fitted dresses and high heels, now she favours a looser, more modern silhouette. Tailoring is key, as are chic midi-length dresses and skirts that imbue a more relaxed elegance.

"At first, Victoria was very strict with her silhouette; it was very body-con and fitted," says Almond. "But over the years, she has softened that silhouette and loosened the look up massively. She is a great tailor and makes a great wide-leg trouser that suits and flatters many body shapes."

It's an aesthetic that shoppers can't get enough of. "We have seen a big shift in the direction of the collections," says von der Goltz. "Previously, our bestsellers were the iconic body-con dresses, but now our bestsellers include tailoring and knitwear. That said, dresses remain a key category. Current bestsellers are the fluid midi styles."

Beckham has honed her vision at New York Fashion Week (although this week she will stage her first show in London as part of her 10-year celebrations), a decision that CFDA chairman Stephen Kolb thinks was wise.

"Since the launch, Victoria Beckham's choice to be part of New York Fashion Week demonstrated her astute understanding of the global fashion industry," he says. "It is here that, season after season, she refined her aesthetic to become one of the most refined and sophisticated collections on the official NYFW schedule, earning the respect of some of the world's most influential editors and retailers."

She's a great ambassador for her own brand

Beckham has never enlisted supermodels to help promote her collections because she knows that she is the best ambassador her brand could be. Her understanding of what women want to wear comes from what she wants to wear herself. And when she steps out in a full VB look, which she often does, looking polished yet modern, the sales start to roll in.

King believes that Beckham's personal patronage of her work is far more persuasive to shoppers than any campaign or advert.

"Victoria is the perfect ambassador for the brand as she wears it herself and is often captured wearing a key look before it comes to market," says King. "This kind of authentic promotion builds hype ahead of the products arriving in store, and often results in a sell-out for the style. For example, the beautiful cape dress she wore to the royal wedding this summer already has a waiting list."

"As her own style has changed, so has it been reflected in her label and collections," adds Almond. "Especially in her accessories - shoppers can buy a pair of sunglasses that's akin to buying a little piece of her. It feels very personal still and reflects her and her look."

King points out that the outfits she wears to take her post-show bow always tend to sell out.

"Season after season we see styles sell out when Victoria herself has worn them, particularly her show look," adds King. "As the brand and customer has evolved, the loyalty and fashion respect for Victoria herself has remained strong."

Contrary to her public image, she's likeable

Regardless of her public persona of being poe-faced and snobby, no one would buy Beckham's collections if they didn't like her. In the flesh, she is the opposite of her public image. While she might be known for pouting, in reality she is warm and funny.

This is a woman, who after being asked who she would like to present her with the award for Harper's Bazaar 2017 Designer of the Year, chose Susanne Jones because she was a fan of TV show Doctor Foster and hoped that if they met they'd soon become friends. She endearingly and persistently forced the point throughout the evening, both on stage and during an interview.

Beckham is funny. "Her fun pieces a great reflection of her sense of humour," says Rush. "Her ' Fashion Stole My Style T-shirt' is a great example of that."

She doesn't pretend the Spice Girls didn't happen, and admits to having made a few questionable fashion choices, telling Net-a-Porter in 2016 that perhaps the PVC catsuit was an error of judgement and that the nine-inch Louboutins she wore round Disneyland while heavily pregnant were a mistake - she's more of a Stan Smith woman these days. It's also fair to say that anyone who doesn't mind crawling out of a paper bag to create a tongue-in-cheek fashion campaign is no kill-joy.

So what's next for brand Beckham? Rush says further success is ahead, predicting "more beautiful collections while she keeps on strengthening her business, something that has already started with the appointment of Paolo Riva as CEO and the investment the brand has received. Both are great platforms for growth."

"In the flesh, she is the opposite of her public image."

Almond hypothesises over new product categories. Her 2017 collection for US giant Target saw her launch childrenswear for the first time.

"I think the brand will only continue to expand and succeed," says Almond. "Perhaps she may move into menswear and homewear as a natural progression into buying into the 'Beckham' world, husband, home, kids and and all."

To the next 10 years of fashion's great re-inventor.

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From Posh Spice to style icon: how Victoria Beckham won over the fashion world

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If you really want a clear example of Victoria Beckham's impressive transformation, then cast your minds back to the mid-noughties when a fashion empire was just an apple in the then-singer's eye. Marc Jacobs was reading a British newspaper when he spotted Beckham carrying a fake version of his Louis Vuitton graffiti bag, a collaboration with Stephen Sprouse.

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For her show at New York fashion week on Sunday morning, Victoria Beckham wore head-to-toe black, an outfit that any follower of the designer would recognise as fairly typical.

That formula, however, may be about to be shaken up come spring. Beckham's collection on the runway was a riot of colour and print - gingham, pumpkin orange, hibiscus flowers, an image of a surfer on a wave and windowpane checks, sometimes all in the same outfit.

If Beckham has in the past been associated with pin-neat, block-colour minimalism, this was the designer experimenting a little. "I don't wear a lot of print," she said. "So I was excited by working on it. It's been a tough week but this is a very liberating collection."

It's perhaps testament to her development as a designer that Beckham began the collection by looking at something she didn't like, in this case print, as a challenge to make something that she did.

Models backstage at the Victoria Beckham show at New York fashion week. Photograph: WWD/REX Shutterstock

The show started with ginghams on knitted dresses in a colour palette of clarets and khakis. It continued with loose chiffon dresses and culottes, with vibrant prints.

The strongest of these was the black and white graphic of a surfer, which had something of Warhol about it. It featured on a trapeze dress with a deep V, and was spliced with other abstract prints in pumpkin orange and bright blue on chiffon pleats. The breakthrough came with this collage effect.

"We took the print, we disrupted it, we chopped it up," Beckham said. "It's flattering, it's not overly challenging, so I'm absolutely going to be wearing that."

Brooklyn and David Beckham and Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, attend the show. Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Other elements of the collection included slipdresses in crushed duchesse satin, suede tunic dresses, boxy jackets in light leather, kitten heels and huge oversized bags. Dubbed the "half moon" for their crescent shape, they will no doubt appeal to anyone who needs to lug a laptop around town.

The balance Beckham struck was between gaining catwalk buzz and pleasing her now sizeable customer base who know her for a sleek simplicity. "A show is great, but I want women to be able to wear the clothes as well," she said.

Along with more fluid silhouettes, there were "long and lean shapes that people associate with my brand. I'm in a really good place and I think you can see that in the collection".

As always, work and life merge in Beckham's brand, partly inspired by her status as a frequent flyer. "I travel a lot and I'm a sponge. New York, London and LA are referenced," she said. "I try everything on. If we're selling clothes for different climates, I want to make sure we get the fabric weights right."

Beckham launched her label with a small collection of dresses in 2008 to much scepticism from inside the fashion industry, expecting another celebrity line.

The former pop star has proved herself, however, both commercially and critically, with clothes that draw on her slick, pulled-together personal style.

The label made £30m in 2013, and is projected to reach £200m by 2019, and rumours of a potential buyout by a fashion conglomerate surfaced recently.

Victoria Beckham slinks away to applause from the audience. Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

The Mayfair shop that opened last year is the first in a retail expansion plan and another is planned for Hong Kong next. Beckham has also been recognised by the industry. Celebrities including Rosamund Pike and Gwyneth Paltrow wear her designs and she won Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2014.

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Victoria Beckham spring 2016 collection displays soaring confidence

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For her show at New York fashion week on Sunday morning, Victoria Beckham wore head-to-toe black, an outfit that any follower of the designer would recognise as fairly typical. That formula, however, may be about to be shaken up come spring.

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"It’s not just dresses, it’s tailoring, it’s knitwear, it’s a complete wardrobe, plus accessories as well"(Handley, 2018).

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From Spice Girl to fashion icon: How Victoria Beckham built her clothing empire

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Victoria Beckham started her career as a Spice Girl after answering an ad for young women who were “street smart, extrovert, ambitious and able to sing and dance,” that was placed in British industry magazine “The Stage” in 1994. After selling 30 million records, she is now a fashion designer with a clothes line shipping to 100 countries.

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The Style Story of Victoria Beckham In Five Key Moments - British Fashion Council - Google Arts & Culture

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Since launching in 2008 the Victoria Beckham fashion brand has developed a distinctive and modern language of clothing. Bold, intuitive and refined, its wa...

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Beckham's gift is to make clothes that women want to wear. "Women respond to her clothes because she lives a life that they understand," says friend and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. "She's an incredibly busy woman, she's the mother of four kids, she's very much a partner to David, and the clothes recognize that. She's making clothes for women who are working, traveling, balancing, juggling all sorts of things at the same time." She tries to teach her children, sons Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz and daughter Harper, some of what she's learned: "Nothing ever came naturally to me," she says. "I was never the cleverest, never best at anything. But we always tell our children that if you work hard and believe in yourself, you can do what you want."

And she's showing them that when you're successful, you give back-period. In 2014 Beckham became an international goodwill ambassador for UNAIDS and since then she has raised more than $4 million to benefit HIV and AIDS charities including AMFAR, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Mothers 2 Mothers. "Motherhood puts us all on one level," she says. "I just felt this real pull to help." She doesn't simply lend her name or write a check: She's visited clinics in South Africa and Ethiopia to meet women affected by the disease. "Victoria's helping us to reach those millions of people out there we cannot reach," says Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS. "She's a person of compassion, and she's opening new doors."

Fellow bandmate Melanie Brown (a.k.a. Scary Spice) is not surprised in the least by her friend's successes. "She's broken the mold," she says. "And she's the funniest, naughtiest, dirtiest pal to sit next to at dinner." (Admits Beckham: "I like to ring the tequila bell.")

Indeed, when I see Beckham these days, what strikes me is the newfound ease with which she juggles her many roles. But her mission, she says, has never really changed: "I did have to find myself and my confidence. And I want to make other women feel like the best version of themselves. That's the same message as the Spice Girls. It's still Girl Power."

HER WORDS TO LIVE BY: "Work hard, stay focused, be appreciative, and really, really go for it. I was told I couldn't do lots of things, so if I can do it, you can."

*Louise Gannon, a journalist in London, writes for *The Daily Mail.
See All of the 2015 Glamour Women of the Year Honorees "

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Victoria Beckham: How Her Line of 10 Dresses Became a Fashion Empire

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Beckham's gift is to make clothes that women want to wear. "Women respond to her clothes because she lives a life that they understand," says friend and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. "She's an incredibly busy woman, she's the mother of four kids, she's very much a partner to David, and the clothes recognize that.