From LV's CEO to Overseas Queues: Why High-End "Guochao" is Winning Global Shoppers

When conversation turned to global style capitals, the answers used to be unanimous: Paris, Milan, and New York. Luxury meant European houses, and interior design oscillated between Western classical and Nordic minimalism. But the tide has turned dramatically. Reimagined by a new generation of designers, traditional Chinese aesthetics are not only captivating domestic consumers—they are reshaping the global fashion landscape.

A few recent milestones illustrate the sheer momentum of this shift.

The Mamian Skirt: From Controversy to Cultural Phenomenon

A major turning point arrived in July 2022 during the "Dior incident." The French fashion house unveiled a pleated midi skirt priced at 29,000 RMB ($4,000 USD) featuring a cut nearly identical to the traditional Chinese mamian ("horse-face") skirt. When Dior labeled the design an "iconic Dior silhouette," it sparked widespread backlash over cultural appropriation, even drawing Chinese students to protest outside the brand’s flagship store on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Dior faced intense backlash online over accusations of plagiarizing the traditional Hanfu mamian skirt. The item was subsequently pulled from markets. (Source: Jianliao Network)

Ironically, the controversy turned the mamian skirt into a global sensation. Li Yuting, a Guilin native living in Rochester, New York, went viral on TikTok after posting a video titled "Making My American Husband Wear a Mamian Skirt." Her husband, Zhu Haidan, embraced Hanfu attire, and the couple was later invited to perform traditional Chinese cultural programs at local institutions, including the prestigious Eastman School of Music.

This cultural frenzy quickly transformed into serious business. Cao County in Shandong province—once known primarily for exporting labor—now employs over 100,000 people in its booming Hanfu manufacturing cluster. In 2023, the county’s annual sales topped 7 billion RMB ($980 million USD), with sales of New Year’s apparel and mamian skirts alone generating hundreds of millions of RMB in a single month.

Songmont: When Bernard Arnault Came Knocking

The movement extends beyond apparel into luxury leather goods. Founded in 2013 by Shanxi designer Fu Song, leather accessories brand Songmont draws deep inspiration from Central Plains heritage. The architectural lines of its "Eaves" collection mimic the upturned eaves of Shanxi’s ancient Nanchan Temple, while the "Tracing" collection evokes the wild "Gannan Tiger" of the Tibetan plateau. Steering clear of cliché dragon-and-phoenix embroideries, Songmont distills Eastern motifs into sleek, minimalist curves and earthy palettes. The brand has showcased at Paris Fashion Week for two consecutive years, shipping to online customers across 150 countries.

Shoppers queue outside Songmont's boutique at Beijing's WF Central mall. (Source: Guancha.cn / Fengwen)

The defining moment for the brand occurred in September 2025. While touring Shanghai, Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of luxury titan LVMH, made a point to visit Songmont’s flagship boutique in person and purchased two handbags.

Last year, during his store inspections in Shanghai, LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault (first from left) took the initiative to step into a Songmont boutique and purchased two handbags.

According to Bloomberg data, Songmont’s online sales in China surged nearly 90% in the first three quarters of 2025, even as Gucci’s domestic sales plummeted by 50% over the same period. Today, over half the clientele at Songmont’s Shanghai flagship are international visitors, and "reverse daigou"—where overseas buyers commission friends in China to buy and ship bags abroad—has become a booming trade.

Molten Copper Meets Haute Couture

In high fashion, an unexpected icon recently entered the runway. On September 10, SS2027 Beijing Fashion Week hosted "Zhu Bingren Night" along the Wangfujing Pedestrian Street. 82-year-old master coppersmith Zhu Bingren took to the T-stage wearing his custom "Molten Couture" (Rongzhuang), debuting the world’s first runway show centered on copper-infused evening wear.

Renowned as the "father of contemporary Chinese copper architecture," Zhu pioneered "molten copper art" in 2006, allowing liquid metal to flow freely and solidify into organic, one-of-a-kind textures. Translating this technique into fashion, he merged custom dyeing, brocade weaving, and gold-thread couch embroidery (Panjin Xiou) to freeze the fluid beauty of surging molten copper directly onto fine silk.

SS2027 Beijing Fashion Week presents "Zhu Bingren Night" on Wangfujing Pedestrian Street. (Source: Guancha.cn / Fengwen)

"Every era produces its own attire," Zhu remarked. "Tradition isn't about copying the ancients; it's about creating for the present." His words offer a fitting summary for the entire Guochao movement.

Heritage Gold Rivals Hermès for Ultra-Wealthy Clients

In high jewelry, the disruption is even more pronounced. Laopu Gold opened its flagship boutique in Beijing’s Wangfujing district in 2009, specializing in gold pieces crafted via six ancient imperial techniques—including filigree inlay, hand-hammering, and engraving—two of which are recognized on China's national intangible cultural heritage list.

Unlike traditional gold retailers that price jewelry by weight, Laopu Gold uses a fixed-price model driven by design and craftsmanship, incorporating cultural motifs like gourds, vajra pestles, and rose windows. Signature collections frequently sell out despite high price premiums.

Eager shoppers line up outside a Laopu Gold store. (Source: China.org.cn)

This fusion of heritage and fine craft is directly winning over clients from top European houses. Frost & Sullivan data shows that customer overlap between Laopu Gold and five major global luxury houses—including Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Cartier—rose from 77.3% in July 2025 to 82.4% by March 2026. Morgan Stanley highlighted the trend in a research note, warning that Laopu Gold poses a growing competitive threat to Cartier in Asia.

The shift is palpable in Hong Kong, where Laopu Gold established a presence in 2019. The brand now operates three prime locations, including flagship boutiques at Central IFC and Harbour City, where queues routinely spill outside with wait times exceeding 30 minutes. Following a new boutique opening at The Parisian Macao in May, Laopu Gold's overseas sales reached 1.6 billion RMB ($225 million USD) in the first half of 2025—a massive 450% jump year-on-year.

Beyond Being Seen: Rewriting the Rules

These milestones are not isolated outliers, but facets of a broader structural shift: when deep cultural heritage meets mature craftsmanship and modern brand building, Chinese labels can command real pricing power in the luxury sphere. Debate remains over whether high premiums can be sustained long-term, but one thing is clear: the rules of the global fashion game are being rewritten. Positioned at the crossroads of East and West, Hong Kong stands at the very forefront of this evolution.

Chinamaxxing

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When people think of "Made in China," smartphones or electric vehicles often come to mind first. Yet in recent years, another export has been quietly sweeping the globe, capturing the hearts of young audiences worldwide: Chinese video games.

The hard numbers speak for themselves. At the Game Awards (TGA)—often dubbed the "Oscars of the gaming industry"—China’s first AAA blockbuster, Black Myth: Wukong, took home two prestigious honors: "Best Action Game" and the player-voted "Players' Voice." At August's Gamescom in Germany, the Chinese open-world wuxia title Where Winds Meet achieved another milestone, beating out powerhouse contenders like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero to win "Best Mobile Game."

The "Where Winds Meet" exhibition zone at Gamescom in Germany. (Source: Guancha.cn / Fengwen)

Even more striking: for the first time in history, all five nominees in the "Best Mobile Game" category were developed by Chinese studios—Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero, Arknights: Endfield, Silver Palace, and Where Winds Meet. This was no echo chamber of domestic self-congratulation; international judges and players across the globe cast their official votes of confidence.

Beyond Entertainment: Deep Cultural Roots

What sets these titles apart is that they are far more than just visually stunning entertainment. Black Myth: Wukong draws its soul directly from the classic literature Journey to the West, steeped in traditional Buddhist and Daoist philosophy to tell a story of self-discovery and confronting one's true nature. Taking the stage to accept their award, the team from Game Science cracked a lighthearted joke: "We'd like to thank the organizers for not putting up an invisible wall as I walked up to the stage." That single line reflected pure confidence—a poise born of undeniable craft.

A still from "Black Myth: Wukong".

Meanwhile, Where Winds Meet is set during the tumultuous transition from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period to the early Northern Song dynasty. The in-game city of Kaifeng recreates the bustling metropolis depicted in the masterpiece painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival. Publishing lead Wen Jie revealed that fascinated overseas gamers have taken it upon themselves to research 10th-century Chinese history, study wuxia lore, and explore Eastern philosophy—with some even planning real-life trips to China to visit the actual historical landmarks. Turning gameplay into a desire to visit the country is arguably the ultimate form of cultural reach.

A panoramic view of Kaifeng in "Where Winds Meet".

Similarly, Genshin Impact distills classical Chinese landscapes and historic architecture into a unique virtual Eastern aesthetic. Tides of Annihilation, developed by Chengdu-based Eclipse Glow Studio, reimagines the Arthurian legend through a Chinese narrative lens, beating out established international franchises like Crimson Desert and Warhammer 40K at Gamescom to claim the "Most Epic" award.

Concept art of Liyue from "Genshin Impact".

Gameplay footage from "Tides of Annihilation".

Breaking Free from Western Narrative Tropes

Where Western game narratives heavily lean into tropes of conquest, plunder, and individual glory, Chinese games forge a distinct path, seamlessly weaving values of duty, sacrifice, and honor over material gain into virtual adventures. As Wen Jie notes, the underlying ethos of a Chinese xia (knight-errant) and a Western superhero shares a common foundation: both push past their limits to protect what they believe in.

The true mastery lies in this subtle, seamless influence. By the time the credits roll, players aren't feeling preached to; instead, they are left genuinely curious about the real China. That is the art of gaming as a vessel for culture.

An Industry Explosion by Design

This global breakout is no happy accident. Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research, notes that while individual breakthroughs have occurred, a gap still remains between Chinese titles and top-tier global benchmarks in the core AAA console market. However, Chinese gaming has officially transitioned from simply "exporting products" to exporting industrial capabilities and content standards as a whole.

For readers in Hong Kong, this phenomenon feels particularly resonant. Having grown up on Journey to the West and wuxia novels, these cultural stories are baked into our shared heritage. Today, mainland Chinese developers are using world-class technology to retell these exact stories to a global audience—and international players are eagerly tuning in. When the game ends, curiosity lingers; after a virtual battle, the real China gains a new friend. This is Chinamaxxing at its absolute finest.