I found this very good article on the enoVate China web page which is a design an insights firm based in Shanghai
I found it relevant event and interesting as it speaks about how international style, international models can give Chinese brands international appeal for Chinese youth
The complete piece can be found here or if you read on it is also below as well…
“eno Marketing genius Leon Ni contributes his views on the preference of Chinese Models or Western Models in the minds of Chinese youth.
Which models do you prefer in your heart, Chinese models or Western models? The answer is obvious.
It’s akin to a Western guy having a preference to Chinese women with the single-edged eyelid; Chinese fashion icons who look like their European and American counterparts will make Chinese youth glance twice.
Take a look at Renren and Kaixin. What are the most popular topics on these websites?
- “ European style , come on!”
- “Fashion fairy—Agyness Deyn”
- “The most feminine of the 100 male models”
There are too many examples to describe.
It’s also easy to see how crazy Chinese young people are trending towards the European and American styles, based on the types of models being used.
After UNIQLO employed Angess Deyn to model their unique style of Japanese clothing and saw greatsuccess, the old brand in China, Metersbonwe and its high-end brands, Me&City hired Agyness Deyn and Cole Mohr to promote its brand. What happened next? Many people started to pay attention and visit Me&City because of Agyness Deyn and Cole Mohr’s unique charm. Otherwise, Chinese youth only feel that Me&City is just a second brand of Metersbonwe. However, relying on Agyness Deyn and Cole Mohr ‘s popularity, Me&City currently compare with H&M and Zara.
Some people may say that China also has a lot of famous models. It’s a pity that such a large country like China cannot find a unique person to use as a clothes rack. Du Juan, Liu Wen, Pei Bei, these three models are the first choice for the most recent Paris and Milan Fashion Week Shows. However, submerged in the other hundreds of models from Europe and the United States , they are easily overlooked. They may be mentioned briefly in magazines, but they are not on the cover of a European Vogue or a United StatesCosmo.
You will find that many Chinese young people study how to dress like Kate Moss, study how to smoke like Agyness Deyn and also discuss the freaky tattoos of Cole Mohr. But Du Juan, Liu Wen, and Pei Bei represent the spiritual nature of China rather than an attitude of life for all of its people
Ah, maybe one day when there are more Chinese faces in the four major fashion weeks, then Chinese young people will begin to pay more attention to local models. But now, Chinese models have very little market attraction.
Well, I declare that the European and United States models win!”