In the industry discussion session of this season’s Shanghai Fashion Week MODE, Luxe.CO specially selected the theme of “Chinese Men’s Fashion Consumption Insights” to start an in-depth conversation, inviting five Chinese designers from different work and education backgrounds, but all of whom are closely related to men’s fashion.
They are: Zhou Hao, founder of designer brand UNROW, Zhang Yunhao, director of 2AM fashion brand design of Cabin Group, Bao Junyi and Qin Man, chief designers of Huili, and Hu Xinyu, founder of designer brand XINYUHU.
These five designers have studied and worked in different cities/countries, such as Hong Kong, Paris, Milan, and London, etc., and their work experience or brand attributes are also different.
In the one-hour conversation, based on the new generation of male consumer research conducted by Luxe.CO, they gave their own interesting first-hand insights into Chinese male consumers from three different dimensions: their own life experience, work experience, and brand customer group. (Historical report:
Luxe.CO Exclusive Research Report| China’s New Generation of Men’s Fashion Consumption Insights: What Touched Their Fashion Nerves?
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Above, from left to right: Wang Qiong, fashion director of Luxe.CO, Zhou Hao, founder of designer brand UNROW, Zhang Yunhao, director of 2AM fashion brand design of Cabin Group, Bao Junyi and Qin Man, chief designers of Huili, and Hu Xinyu, founder of designer brand XINYUHU
How do they see Chinese men expressing fashion?
The acceptance of diversified styles and even avant-garde is very high – Zhou Hao
Trend culture is more vigorous – Zhang Yunhao
Emphasis on personalized expression – Bao Junyi and Qin Man
Pursuing classics but with a certain sense of design – Hu Xinyu
Will they compromise with the real male consumer market?
Will listen to the advice of “practicality”, being a designer brand is a process of narrowing the audience, but will not compromise on the customer’s personal style preferences – Zhou Hao
As a commercial brand, every season of design is quite painful, and there will be some compromises, but in addition to design, interaction with customers is very important, and after finding a sense of identity, they will follow the brand – Zhang Yunhao
Will separate the basic model and the design model, and consciously carry out market testing, I think good design is the real fashion, just right but not too much – Qin Man
It is necessary to guide consumers to avoid being picky about single products, and instead focus on the overall matching – Bao Junyi
Although I will often communicate with customers, I will not consider this aspect at all when designing – Hu Xinyu
They believe that these may represent future men’s fashion trends
Extreme sports and environmental sustainability – Zhou Hao
A more functional and even intelligent material fabric – Zhang Yunhao
Sneakers are a symbol of male identity and taste, especially sneakers that incorporate more scientific and technological research and development – Bao Junyi and Qin Man
Skin care and makeup products for men, as well as technology products – Hu Xinyu
They found that this was the way it was possible to communicate when men were shopping
Carry out more accurate dissemination of cultural characteristics in different regions. For example, we used dim sum elements familiar to Guangzhou people to launch a limited series in Guangzhou – Zhang Yunhao
Combined with the content themes that men like when spreading, such as the ineffective resistance canvas shoes we launched in the Hui Yan series, a straight male customer violently evaluated whether it can block electricity on Douyin – Bao Junyi and Qin Man
I like to see the real thing and try it on, and I like the feeling of touch; Prefer someone to complete the overall match for them – Hu Xinyu
Presentations from the four designers who attended the dialogue:
Hu Xinyu is the founder of designer brand XINYUHU
After graduating from the London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Hu Xinyu founded the menswear brand XINYUHU of the same name in 2014. The brand focuses on avant-garde, comfortable, simple and elegant design style, retains the refinement and details, elegance and personality of traditional men’s clothing, integrates the classical gentleman’s taste and modern casual manly style design into men’s daily wear, and better shows the attitude and demand of men in modern society to fashion.
Zhou Hao, founder of designer brand UNROW
In 2015, he graduated from ESMOD Fashion School in Paris with a major in menswear. In 2016, he founded the menswear brand UNROW. In 2018, he participated in Paris Fashion Week and released the 2019S/S new series ‘Miracle Miracle’; in January 2019, he participated in Paris Fashion Week and released the 2019 A/W new series “Edge, Defect, Transition, Intervention, Addiction”; In 2019, he was invited to participate in Shanghai Fashion Week and released the ‘Zhongmen’ 2019 Fall/Winter Fashion Show .
Bao Junyi, chief designer of Huili
Honors graduate of the European Institute of Design, former display designer of the Italian Fur Association, Joshua Sanders shoe designer, and is now the chief designer of Huili, and the design and development of Huili overseas version of WOS33.
Qin Man, chief designer of Huili
A graduate of fashion design with honors from the European Design Institute, he became the sales champion at Milan Design Week. Now the chief designer of Huili, he is good at using deconstruction techniques in design, mainly responsible for the printing design of shoes, and also the design and development of Huili’s overseas version of WOS33.
Zhang Yunhao, the head of 2AM brand design of Cabin Group
He has worked in major men’s and women’s fashion retail brands in Hong Kong and Japan, such as K2, I.T, 5cm, Bauhaus, Collet Point, Hare, Jeanasis, etc., accumulating experience as a retail brand designer.
