Source: China Business Daily
Every year after the Spring Festival, the clothing market will usher in the peak season. In this year's spring clothing sales season, the style of "new Chinese style" is particularly popular. On the production side, in order to catch up with the new Chinese orders, the factory "stepped on the sewing machine and smoked", and on the sales side, the new Chinese style can be seen in almost every retail store in the clothing store...... Behind the popularity of new Chinese clothing, what are the other issues worth paying attention to?
Clothing fashion "new outlet"
Buckles, moire, horse-faced skirts...... On the second floor of Beijing Bairong World Trade Mall, which is known for its complete clothing categories and low prices, new Chinese clothing can be seen in almost every women's clothing store.
New Chinese style has become the "top stream" of women's clothing stores in shopping malls this year
"Last year, new Chinese clothing started to become popular, but not to the extent that it is this year. Miss Xu, the owner of a women's clothing store in the mall, told a reporter from China Business Daily, "Since the resumption of business after the year, new Chinese clothing has obviously ushered in a growth peak." ”
As the name suggests, the characteristics of new Chinese clothing, the focus is on "new". Industry insiders generally believe that the new Chinese style is to retain the traditional Chinese elements, while incorporating modern elements such as Y2K and sweet and spicy style, so that modern clothing highlights the unique Chinese charm. According to the "2024 Douyin E-commerce Women's Consumption Trend Data Report" released on March 8 this year, in the past year, the number of orders for women to buy new Chinese clothing on e-commerce platforms increased by 195% year-on-year, of which the number of orders for horse-faced skirts increased by 841% year-on-year.
At the same time as going to the public, the new Chinese clothing that first appeared in a number of mid-to-high-end designer brands has also begun to move more and more towards the affordable market. In a women's clothing store in Bairong World Trade Mall, several aunts who "went shopping in groups" told the shopkeeper that the price of a new Chinese shirt for 99 yuan is not expensive, but if it can be cheaper, they are willing to buy more.
Consumers are shopping for horse-faced skirts
"Now there is no age limit for consumers in new Chinese clothing. Miss Xu told reporters, "At first, it was indeed young people who brought the fire, but now from fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls to fifty or sixty-year-old aunts, they have begun to wear them, and even more and more new Chinese styles are in children's clothing." ”
Ms. Liu, another owner of women's clothing stores, told reporters that her family mainly focuses on casual and simple goods, and this year she has turned to new Chinese style. "Now the main promotion in the store is also new Chinese. Ms. Liu said.
Behind the fiery scenes
At the other end of the supply chain, garment factories are also receiving a growing number of orders for new Chinese styles.
Chen Hong (pseudonym), who is engaged in design and development in a garment factory in Zhejiang, revealed to a reporter from China Business Daily that the popularity of new Chinese clothing this year is not sudden. Since last year, a number of customers have been consulting the factory whether they can accept new Chinese orders, and since this year, the number of customers who have come to consult and cooperate has increased a lot. Some fabric manufacturers have also reported that the new Chinese jacquard fabric has been in short supply recently.
"The new Chinese style was a niche track before, but now it is getting more and more 'roll'. Chen Hong said.
While the competition is becoming increasingly fierce, some clothing manufacturers and designers have also found it difficult to enter the new Chinese clothing track.
"In the production process, it is not difficult to simply add some Chinese elements such as buckles and edging, but it is difficult to add them appropriately. Chen Hong told reporters that in fact, many low-cost new Chinese clothing is often "simple and crude" in design.
The design of new Chinese clothing should incorporate a deeper thinking about Chinese aesthetics, and this view is shared by many fashion designers. On the Xiaohongshu platform, some managers of new Chinese clothing brands "complained" that some so-called "new Chinese" clothing on the market now do not pay attention to the selection of fabrics and plate design, and it is difficult for consumers to ensure the quality of clothing and reflect the beauty of new Chinese style when wearing them.
However, the guarantee of design and quality also puts forward higher requirements for clothing manufacturers. According to Chen Hong, due to the relatively complex design and production, the production cycle of new Chinese clothing is often longer than that of other categories of clothing.
It is worth noting that although the new Chinese style has become popular in the women's clothing market, its popularity in the men's clothing market seems to be "slightly deserted". Compared with the women's clothing area on the second floor, in the men's clothing area located on the first floor of Bairong World Trade Mall, spring clothing sales are still dominated by sports and leisure style or business style, and Chinese elements can rarely be seen.
However, there are also industry views that the new Chinese clothing has strong dissemination and "full of stamina". As short-term trends become long-term trends, there is still a broad space for the apparel industry to explore new Chinese design. (Reporter Yu Jiaxin text/photo)