New frontiers come into fashion
Chinese cultural elements, sustainability and sports are the buzzwords as style leads the way, He Qi reports in Shanghai.
Outdoor outfits
In addition to the pursuit of a new Chinese style and sustainability, the domestic fashion industry has witnessed a growing trend in urban outdoor outfits, spurred by the burgeoning interest in outdoor activities in recent years.
Moution, an outdoor fashion brand specializing in sun protection, made its debut at the Shanghai Fashion Week, following its unveiling at London Fashion Week a month earlier in collaboration with the designer brand Roksanda.
"The pandemic has heightened people's interest in outdoor life and connecting with nature. Moution is a brand that has emerged in response to this trend," explains Lu Ping, co-founder of Moution.
Lu highlights that lightweight outdoor attire, originating from the European and American markets, is gaining traction in China, emerging as one of the most promising tracks in fashion.
The number of outdoor enthusiasts is projected to reach 730 million, Lu says. "These individuals have sparked significant creativity for the development of the sports and outdoor retail market. Among all outdoor functional clothing, the sunscreen clothing category is experiencing rapid growth."
According to Xinhuanet, the annual growth rate of China's outdoor sportswear over the past three years has surged by 20 percent. The sales volume of outdoor jackets reached 1.13 billion yuan in the first half of 2023 on the short-video sharing platform Douyin, nearly five times higher than that in the first half of 2022.