Stylites

With all the “replica” Dior Homme these days, this guide to telling the real thing, from Fake Hunter, is a must-see. The number of hits on Taobao for “Dior Homme” is now at 13828, compared to 262 on Ebay.com. Even on Ebay, I estimate that one third of the items are made in China. Also, keep in mind that the 262 on Ebay are each a single item whereas usually each of the 13828 hits on Taobao represents an item that can be bought in at least a couple sizes, colors, and quantities.

For hip kids in China these days, Dior Homme is the brand to wear. However, even merchants selling fake Dior Homme admit that it is one of the few luxury brands that has yet to relocate production to China. So no one can claim that these are factory seconds or overproduction, like they can with Burberry, Dolce and Gabbana, and Prada. The Dior Homme fakes are higher end than most fakes because, as with the real brand, the target consumers are very discerning and style-conscious as opposed to buyers of LV bags who just want the brand name. Most of the factories that make Dior Homme were started by Koreans and Japanese to target the China market and their home countries.

It would be interesting to take a survey of the thoughts of wearers of this type of Dior Homme.

The negative aspects are visible in the rise of religious fundamentalism of various stripes, but could there be an aesthetically pleasing side to this? And could that be in the realm of luxury and fashion? Earlier this year, Francois-Henri Pinault, the CEO of PPR – parent of Gucci, made a prediction: “We are entering what I think is an age of irrationality and return to fantasy – and luxury is a part of that. We are at the beginning of a social trend, change in values that could go on for years – the age of rationalisation, after all, lasted for more than a century.”

He’s right, and the craving for fantasy is keen here in Asia. Hundreds of millions of high-rise dwellers suddenly enjoy knowledge of a wider, more glamorous, world. On the internet and TV, they see all the exciting choices, whether in career, love, or aesthetics. While spirituality lags, they live in a constricted universe of concrete and pollution. They can only dream of joining that more beautiful world and fashion is a key tool for this dreaming. Fashion, even luxury, is fantasy for the masses.

JWT, the largest advertising agency brand in the US, just released a list of the 80 trends to watch in 2008. It is not always clear what the terms they use mean. While the whole list is a must-read, I picked a few of their trends that are most relevant to Stylites and fashion in China:

4. Beijing 2008 – Requires no analysis. Stylites will be on the scene to record the styles of 2008 in Beijing.

9. Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang – Considerably better looking than Yao Ming, Liu’s picture is in every ad already. How does he dress when he’s not competing?

13. Cooperative consumption – JWT might mean (1) groups like Yahoo Freecycle that aim to reduce consumption through trading used products, (2) coordinated and planned purchasing based on the needs of small communities, to economize and reduce ecological impact or, though this is unlikely, (3) less coercive forms of marketing, advertising and sales in which the seller forms more of a partnership with the consumer. In any case, Stylites aims to track all three of these trends in China.

16. Designer Phillip Lim – The fashion designer of Chinese-origin JWT singled out, Lim relies on a gentle palette to create wearable-looking and fun pieces. He just introduced a men’s line which looks fresh but totally approachable, which is a notable accomplishment. Stylites will track perceptions of overseas Chinese designers in the Mainland.

37. Intellectual luxury – This seems to be a derogatory term denoting intellectualism for it’s own sake, though I’m not certain. I prefer to think of intellectualism as a luxury product that the elites everywhere engage in when they have the leisure and wealth needed to do so. In keeping with their country’s traditions, the elites in China are already starting to engage in intellectualism for fun rather than profit. It will be interesting to track the intellectual products they consume and the spread of “intellectualism as fun” to the general population.

39. Japanese designs (Tsumori Chisato, Uniqlo, Muji, etc.) – This hardly seems like a new trend. Nonetheless, the spread of Japanese style beyond the avant-garde to the mainstream is notable in the States, and of course in China. Everyone is wearing overproduction from Japanese brands. Anyway, why did Uniqlo close in Beijing?

41. Lifestyle curators – In China, this will be huge. The nouveau riche will demand it. More on this to come here at stylites.net.

57. Recycling into fashion (Nau, Gary Harvey, etc.) – This is going to intensify. There have already been dresses made from condoms, not to mention sportswear brands that use old bottles. Being so fashion-obsessed, what will the Chinese do with all this cheap apparel that is being created once it turns to rags or goes out of fashion? This is a special focus of stylites.net.

75. Vicarious consumption – Perhaps the most fascinating trend here, this Thornstein Veblen term is highly relevant to the current experience in China. Most older people will only achieve joy through the consumption that their progeny can engage in. They didn’t have the money and now they don’t have the youth to wear the Dior jacket but they can be gratified by seeing their kid in one.

I would like to thank JWT for coming up with this list. Stylites will be looking into many of these trends and others as they relate to fashion in China.

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