fashion

In the latest in Focus’ series on “Can Chinese brands go global in 2024?”, we take a look at online retailer Shein, which has found itself at the centre of a debate about fast fashion and expanding Chinese influence abroad Since exploding in popularity in the late 2010s/early 2020s, fast fashion retailer Shein has captured the attention of millions of shoppers worldwide with its rapid trend cycle and rock-bottom prices. …

China has been the world’s largest apparel manufacturer and exporter for over a decade. However, in recent years, the expansion of China’s clothing sector has slowed, intending to build a more sustainable and technology-intensive industry, writes Kristina Koehler-Coluccia, Head of Business Advisory for Woodburn Accountants & Advisors Since 2015, China’s apparel manufacturing industry has undergone a profound transition. Rising labour costs shifted the sector in a less labour-intensive and highly …

As 2023 gets going, three new categories of consumer have emerged: high-end fashion adopters, quality life practisers and trend chasers – and they’ve all become leading forces in the country’s apparel market, writes Qing Na from Dao Insights The emergence of a more diverse and niche-interest-driven Gen-Z consumer has led to a rethink of the styles being championed by fashion’s biggest players. Aiming to cater to both fast-changing aesthetic tastes …

The unlikely star of Team GB’s Winter Olympic showing so far isn’t an athlete — it’s the outfits from the opening ceremony, which attracted thousands of positive comments from Weibo and WeChat users in China, writes Robynne Tindall With the amount of media attention directed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, it has been hard to predict what the top news headlines would be in advance. However, perhaps no …

A partnership between the Moray Council and the Confucius Institute for Scottish Schools has led to a China-themed tartan rolling out of the mills at Johnstons of Elgin, writes Clizia Sala    Scottish S1 Pupil Emma McCain had the chance to see the tartan she designed coming off the looms at the Johnstons of Elgin mill last February. Earlier this year, she has won the design competition launched by the …

A one-day project between the University of Salford’s fashion department and Zhejiang Fashion Institute of Technology succinctly demonstrates the value of years of cross-cultural exchange and training, writes Tom Pattinson Back in 2011, the British Council established a campaign to pair up specialist technical colleges in China with British higher education institutions. Initially focusing on fashion design, the aim was to have both staff exchanges and shared student projects. Out …