"For much of the past decade, China 's apparel industry has been dominated by a "scale-first" mentality. Speed was the weapon; size, the defense. Brands raced to expand through new stores and soaring stock keeping units - using quantity as the main measure of success. That strategy worked in an era of rapid economic growth. But as China's market matures and competition shifts from expansion to retention, the marginal benefits of scale have sharply declined."
"To hold that attention - and convert it - brands have moved beyond pure product play, embracing aesthetics, culture, and ideology. Fashion weeks have emerged as the ultimate stage for that expression: a place where high-end image building meets global dialogue. Yet once the applause fades, brands must return to the commercial frontlines - livestream rooms, social commerce platforms, and Singles' Day. This season, many of China's rising stars did exactly that - flying from Paris back to Shanghai overnight,"
Two intense months of peak retail activity forced local fashion players to recalibrate the balance between globalization and localization, and between narrative and conversion. A decade of scale-first thinking prioritized speed, store growth, and SKU proliferation. As the market matures, marginal returns to scale have fallen and digitalization has made consumer attention scarce. Brands now pursue aesthetics, culture, and ideology to capture attention, using fashion weeks for image and global dialogue while simultaneously focusing on livestreams, social commerce, and Singles' Day to secure commercial conversion and customer retention.
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