From its sculptural façade to its multi-level retail experience and Beijing’s first Le Café Louis Vuitton, the Maison positions itself as both cultural landmark and experiential destination – one that blurs the line between store, gallery and social space.

The strategy

The opening lands at a moment when global luxury brands are recalibrating their China strategies. As foot traffic growth slows and consumers become more selective, flagships like Maison Louis Vuitton Sanlitun are increasingly used to bring customers back into physical spaces.

Architecture, food and cultural programming are being used to extend dwell time, reinforce brand narrative and anchor relevance, often in key urban markets like Beijing and Shanghai. In this context, the Beijing Maison reflects a wider shift: from transactional shopping to experiential brand immersion, where stores double as social, cultural and lifestyle landmarks.

Maison Louis Vuitton Sanlitun: Le Café Louis Vuitton

The experiential core of this new flagship rests on Le Café Louis Vuitton. It’s a concept that’s worked for the brand in more than 20 locations globally. Two of those – including their Chengdu location, The Hall – have won cooking’s highest honour: a Michelin Star.

In Beijing, Le Café Louis Vuitton pushes that formula further, positioning hospitality not as an add-on but as a central pillar of the Maison’s cultural ambition. Set on the fourth floor of Maison Louis Vuitton Sanlitun, the café unfolds as a sequence of immersive spaces, from a mirrored ‘infinite room’ entrance to softly contoured dining areas and a terrace that opens the house to the city below.

Under the direction of Chef Leonardo Zambrino, the menu blends Louis Vuitton signatures with locally rooted interpretations, pairing global crowd-pleasers such as the Lobster Roll with dishes designed specifically for Beijing, including Monogram jiaozi and a refined take on Peking duck. The result is less a branded café than a carefully calibrated social space, where architecture, food and fashion work in concert to extend the Maison’s idea of travel into everyday urban life.

An interview with Chef Leonardo Zambrino

Leonardo Zambrino has worked in the restaurant industry since 2010. After graduating from the ALMA International School of Italian Cuisine, he worked and studied under the legendary chef Massimiliano Alajmo, then spent two years studying at the three Michelin-starred restaurant Da Vittorio.

He participated in the openings of L’Orangerie at the Four Seasons Hotel Georges V in Paris and the three Michelin-starred Caprice restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. After that, he moved onto the Asian market, starting at two-Michelin-starred restaurant The Tasting Room, in Macau.  

In 2023, he joined The Hall and led the team to achieve The Hall’s first Michelin star. In the process, he won the Michelin Young Chef Award Chengdu 2025.

Where did you learn to cook? 

With my family, we would gather for Christmas, Easter and so on, with all my cousins, and I would spend time with my grandma, because she was the one who cooked during family gatherings. Then this passion became really important to me, and I realised that maybe it was the right path for me.  

I was also lucky because I met a lot of chefs who started their careers young and quickly changed their path because cooking for your family is one thing, but doing this job professionally is another. I am lucky this passion has become my profession and my life. 

What does a great guest journey look like – from arrival to exit – in a high-traffic retail district like Sanlitun?  

A journey is something that must engage every sense. Take the joy of discovering a new place, for example: you enter a Louis Vuitton store and admire the beautiful architecture and interior design. Then, of course, you explore the brand’s products and finally arrive at the café – completing a full, immersive experience. 

Along the way, deeper senses and emotions come into play. For instance, we’ve incorporated certain local dishes into our menu, reinterpreted by western chef like myself. What matters is what you see, what you feel, and what you taste. A journey, in essence, is when you truly awaken all the senses.  

The intention is not necessarily to evoke traditional local sentiment, but rather to let guests encounter familiar flavors – elements typical of their own cuisine – presented in a refined and contemporary way and bearing the signature of Louis Vuitton. 

How does dealing with a fashion brand influence what goes on in the kitchen? 

There is a very strong common bond between the creativity of a fashion brand and the way we create new dishes. We are both focused on delivering the most unique, creative, and innovative moments to share with our clients.  

With the guidance of Arnaud Donckele and Maxime Frederic, mentors of the LV culinary community, we reinterpret the codes and spirit of travel through our international and local recipes. From the French craftsmanship in our dessert to the Chinese-inspired jiaozi [dumpling], we learn from the creativity of the brand positioning our culinary experience as another way for Louis Vuitton to promote its talents and savoir-faire.  

In planning, was there anything you thought worked well in Chengdu or Shanghai that you’re bringing to Beijing? 

We are proud to bring to Beijing some of our signature dishes we have specific crafted in Chengdu. Such as the Crab Angel Hair and the signature Jiaozi. 

What surprised you most about running restaurants in China?

In my many years in China, I’ve always been astonished by the incredible dynamism and creativity in the country. The food scene has reached an unparalleled level. From unmatched flavors in Chengdu to Louis Hao in Shanghai and now this magical new building in the capital city, Beijing, we’ve managed to tap into something really wonderful about China and its rich food culture.  

You trained and worked in Michelin-level kitchens in Europe before moving to China. When you first started operating here, what did you discover about the restaurant industry in China? 

The thing you learn once you move to China is to cope with the other people, cultures, educational backgrounds and also work ethic, so it doesn’t come only to the cooking skills, but it comes also to the management of people who speak another language and, you know, 80% of the time if you speak the same language – which is usually English – there are still barriers that you know you must push through.  

As a chef you also have to learn to cope with different seasons, as well as with different ingredients and produce. Then of course the palate is completely different to Europe. Having a different management style for this market is a must. 

The post Inside Maison Louis Vuitton Sanlitun: where luxury retail becomes a social and cultural space appeared first on Dao Insights.

How would you describe the current influence of the Chinese market on the global luxury landscape? 

For sure it remains a key battleground. Over the past year and a half, what we’ve seen is a slow downturn of growth, particularly for Western houses within that market.  

And at the same time, we’re also seeing a maturing market with higher expectations, notably amongst Gen Z and millennial consumers. It’s creating a competitive space and a tighter battle for Western luxury brands. 

They [younger consumers] are considering value for money in a way that people maybe weren’t 10 or 15 years ago. At the same time, there is a growing concern for individualisation. Consumers are thinking more about self-expression, getting that piece that’s specific to me and not just what’s being prescribed to me.  

I would say that trend points to high expectations and strong experiential value. It’s creating a need to enter the market with a very specific value proposition. You can’t just walk into China anymore. 

How has the balance of power shifted or has the balance of power shifted?  

I think we’re in the middle of a major power shift. Obviously, China is a key battleground, the largest, if not one of the largest markets for most luxury brands. 

We’re seeing China, or ‘made in China,’ move from a centre of production to the centre of trends themselves. We’re seeing a Chinese cultural identity that’s really finding its voice and sense of self-expression. All of this is contributing to more balance in terms of where creative cultural capital is coming from. 

What are the most striking ways in which Chinese consumers are shaping global brand behaviour? 

Global brand behaviour is shaped in the sense that you now need to enter the market with a lot more strategy. You need to have a balanced cultural persona.  

For a really long time, brands had Chinese New Year campaigns, mid-Autumn festival campaigns and so on. But now we’re kind of seeing entire brand revisions. I love this example: Lululemon adapts something 40% of its product assortment to the Chinese market. At this point it’s not just like, ‘Oh, we’re Lululemon, we’re gonna open a store in China.’ It’s ‘we’re gonna enter the Chinese market almost as a Chinese brand.’  

How about in terms of style and trends?  

So far it’s happening kind of softly, I would say. On one hand the major luxury brands show collections in China. And this drives the visibility of Chinese design and also brings those two languages together.  

And now you also have Chinese brands that are showing in the West and this Chinese diaspora. I think like the less siloed it gets, the more you see kind of a natural creative dialogue emerging between the two groups. 

How is China’s digital ecosystem now setting benchmarks for global marketing innovation? 

Emotional storytelling: individualisation, customisation, personalisation, and all of that are absolutely paramount. I also think we’re seeing Chinese brands specifically learn how to quickly adapt to regional preferences. 
 
Brands now know that Rednote is a key driver for discovery and we know that Douyin [TikTok] is kind of a key driver for purchase. And so what we’re seeing is that brands are building platform specific strategies that tell a shared coherent story through different lenses. 

And I think, you know, we’re seeing a lot of these brands really embrace digital innovation. AI especially is sort of a tool for creativity and collaboration and customization at scale. It’s creating a scenario in which brands need to sort of think five steps ahead to be competitive. 

What lessons are western luxury houses learning from the new generation of Chinese high end brands, if any? 

I think that Western luxury houses are becoming aware that they have stronger localised competition I think. It’s now something like over 50% of luxury consumption in China is domestic brands, which is crazy, yeah and it’s like 6% year-on-year growth which is not insane, but it’s that’s pretty significant, right? 

There are three key takeaways I think western brands now need to know for the Chinese market:  

1. Know your cultural relevance. Where do you fit in? 

2. Localisation is key. So know your markets. Adapt to cities, adapt to the specific culture of a city, whether that’s in terms of communications, posture, retail product assortment and all of that. 

3. Enter with something that makes sense. 

How are Chinese brands redefining what ‘Made in China’ means in the luxury context? 

Obviously we’re seeing a lot of growth in domestic brands. We’re also seeing China move from a purely producer space to a creator space. 

What I love to do when we talk about this is to look outside fashion and look at art and design, which are also exploding in China right now and I think are actually almost more impactful on the western market as of right now. 

Chinese contemporary art and Chinese design are attracting collectors and western interest in a way that is starting to happen in fashion but isn’t quite there yet. Probably because average consumer in this segment is more of a VIP client, so they’re not really getting that aspirational segment.  

The more we see brands or creators start to express themselves with a Chinese approach to design, the more that we’ll see that crossover into fashion and other elements of luxury – it’s an exciting prospect.  

What challenges do you see ahead for Western luxury brands in the Chinese market?  

First of all, maintaining growth in an increasingly competitive landscape – competition for market share is going to be a lot more significant going forward. I think there’s more scrutiny on Western luxury brands too.  

Chinese consumers are just more sensitive to quality perception towards what they’re getting, not just buying a label. And then I think probably most significantly, economic headwinds.  

We’re for sure not out of the woods. So, targeting aspirational consumers and getting that growth by volume is gonna remain a challenge specifically when you have that VIP client, that’s more and more and more targeted by kind of every luxury brand. 

So I think in that context, figuring out how to rebuild interest and engagement with younger generations, adapt to new norms and behaviours and operate in context. It’s not like before, let’s say. The years of the Chinese gold rush are over. 

Can you highlight some luxury brands to keep an eye on Chinese luxury brands, the rising stars, if you will? 

Yeah, sure. I think Icicle is probably the one that is really getting a lot of visibility in the west. EXCEPTION de Mixmind – I know it is a huge favourite of the Chinese First Lady. Pronounce, for a movement in the menswear space. And then, my absolute personal favourite because 
It’s sort of the ultimate signal to me of what’s going on in this market and summarises our entire conversation: Kim Jones, the designer, just went to Bosideng, which is a Chinese sportswear brand and outdoor active wear brand. 

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How do you decide which trends are worth turning into products or campaigns, and which are better left alone? 

At Judydoll we work both with data-driven insight and our expert intuition. Because we have a team that is very creative, following trends, we can always be on the frontier of what’s hot.  

For trends that are worth turning into a product or campaign, I would say we really look for signals that go beyond viral value. We are more about, you know, how a customer could resonate with the trend and if this trend is really tackling a problem or a pain point for the consumer. Then we leverage the trend and inject a little innovation into it. I would say it’s about selecting the trend that would fit our target group of consumers.  

Besides astute Gen Z marketing, Judydoll is known for its fast product cycles. How do you balance reacting quickly while maintaining creative integrity?

First of all, we have very, very consistent, straightforward guidance and that’s our brand philosophy. I always say that the foundation is fixed but the expression is fluid. So, no matter how fast we react to the trend, no matter how fast we’ve been launching new products, the outcome will always feel very similar.  

And then second, I would say that we have very strong in-house innovation. The product development team is full of creative people, so is research and development, and our in-house lab too. In the end, it comes down to people. Of course, there’s a lot of Gen Z in the team as well. That really helps with knowing what’s making our target audience tick. They also bring a lot of freshness to the creative process.  

What makes an IP or a partner feel like a natural fit for Judydoll’s tone and audience? What’s a good collab, viral or long term? 

A good collaboration should feel like one plus one is equal or even bigger than two. It should also feel like a surprise to the consumer and the consumer should feel that it makes perfect sense. That’s always the balance we try to keep whether it’s a shared value, similar aesthetic or the same goal when it comes to boosting voice and connecting with the consumer. 

Collaboration should build long-term brand equity as well. Back in 2021 we had a collaboration with Popmart, and that was when Popmart wasn’t the kind of hit that they are today. We felt like it was a natural fit because they’re always trying to tell the story of like fun, no big deal, just small things can create happiness in life as well. And as for our brand, we are always trying to convey the fun, the creativity, behind the makeup. That kind of shared value is perfect.  

In your experience at Judydoll, what do you think most clearly sets China’s Gen Z apart in how they consume, express themselves and relate to brands? 

Gen Z are super different. They’ve moved from being a consumer to becoming a pro-sumer. When it comes to shopping they are pros [laughs]. They’re incredibly savvy. They know everything from the technology behind it to the ingredient. They have expert KOLs reviewing the products, they even discuss indirect elements like packaging. They want something that actually solves a problem, but they also want something that they’ve never seen before. 

As a brand we really appreciate that because traditionally it was always very top down – you talking to the consumer. Nowadays Gen Z talk about brand connection, they look for something closer to their identity. This means that they do have more insights, meaning they do have more opinions and they drive more innovation.  In the end, it benefits us all, as it brings the whole industry to the next level. 

How much is individual identity playing into this? 

Chinese Gen Z are really diverse. I don’t mean that in the western sense, as in race or nationality. In China, that means there are many, what you could call ‘tribes.’ They all have different tastes in lifestyle and different perceptions of beauty. Some are very into travelling nowadays, some of them are very into, like, the gym aesthetic. It’s a challenge for brands because you need to think of a way you can really tap into those circles and how you can really speak to those groups of consumers with the right product, with the right campaign, and with the right approach. 

How does Judydoll think Gen Z responds to traditional beauty ideals versus the self-expression? 

Gen Z is becoming more and more self-expressive. This is for sure. I also think they’re trying to express themselves in a very authentic way. 

And when it comes to their connection with brands, they definitely look for more authentic emotional connection and I know that this is definitely not new to you. All the brands are talking about emotional connection, you know, like how storytelling should speak about the authentic stories and this and that. 

As China’s youth culture evolves, what emerging subcultures or digital spaces are you watching most closely? 

We don’t really constrain ourselves to a certain platform or to a certain subject of culture because as I said, there are too many tribes right now in China. I think a better way and also a smarter way for us as a brand is that we watch closely and co-create, bringing the consumer along on the journey of creation with us.  

As you may know we are actually also expanding globally as well, so we don’t even really constrain ourselves to one market’s trends either. We’re open to trends from the western world and we are watching closely. 

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Regarding the opening and the subsequent travel campaign from the fashion house, Dao Insights is honoured to have received direct comments from Louis Vuitton. The new flagship is not only a bold step for the brand to expand its offline retail presence, but also a reflection of the Maison’s understanding of and adaptation to the ever-evolving Chinese market and its consumers.

Location, location, etc.

The Louis is located on Wujiang Road and is part of the HKRI Taikoo Hui in the centre of Shanghai. Combined with the nearby Zhangyuan, this area is quickly emerging as the new luxury hub in the city that complements established locations such as Nanjing Road. As The Louis is meant to be a new landmark for travellers to Shanghai and a “connection to local culture”, Louis Vuitton believes that its presence will likely accelerate the shift as it adds much to the cluster, making the ship a must-visit destination for fashion and lifestyle.

The ship-shaped space, with its stacked upper levels above the deck resembling historic trunks, makes the Shanghai flagship the third Louis Vuitton luggage-inspired store after Paris and New York. However, the design of The Louis is inspired by Shanghai’s rich maritime and boating history as a port city and “Gateway to the East”, as well as Louis Vuitton’s early innovations in luggage for transoceanic voyages.

Experiential economy, in luxury

The Louis, however, is so much more than a retail location. The ship also hosts an exhibition area and a café, as well as space for events and activations. Its space, with bars, seating, and tables, alludes to ocean liners of bygone eras. Le Café Louis Vuitton provides a luxury snacking menu, including dishes such as Mandarin Croque, which ties French cuisine with local delicacies.

The OMA-designed exhibition space spans over 1,200 square metres across two floors with a gift shop, where visitors can get their hands on a selection of leather goods, shoes and travel items, as well as Shanghai-exclusive accessories. At the grand opening, The Louis hosted the Louis Vuitton Visionary Journey exhibition. The immersive exhibition “guides visitors on a voyage inspired by the savoir-faire of the House that connects past and future, culture and imagination”.  Across the vast exhibition, items on display ranged from Gaston-Louis Vuitton’s travel sketches to reimagined LV classics by Pharrell Williams.

Cultural edge

Louis Vuitton’s hybrid model reflects the brand’s vision of the Chinese market’s changing landscape, especially in the luxury sector, where consumers increasingly demand immersive luxury experiences. Younger generations, especially Gen Z, favour storytelling over mere transactional shopping. This aligns with the larger rise of the “experience economy” in China and calls for innovation from brands. That’s why we have been seeing more pop-ups, exhibitions and interactive art-retail recently. Louis Vuitton took the chance to provide such an experience with The Louis.

Louis Vuitton recognises the resilience and evolution of the post-pandemic luxury market in China, where Gen Z consumers drive growth through digital engagement with brands but also crave the exclusivity of experience. Now, the luxury consumer in China seeks cultural relevance.  For luxury brands, staying competitive against emerging domestic rivals means striking a balance between global prestige with localised strategies.

Hyper-localisation

Louis Vuitton has gone a step further, with many of its recent offline campaigns hyper-localised for the cities that host them. From collaborations with local boutique coffee shops and the “Nóng Hó, Shanghai” takeover at the Fotografiska in 2023, to its accompanying podcast dedicated to Shanghai, its sequel about Beijing in 2024, and even the most recent pop-up at the Postal Museum in Shanghai, all pay tribute to the culture and lifestyle of their host cities.

With travel being the essence of the Maison, hyper-localisation can make a global luxury brand feel intimate. With nationalism and local pride on the rise in China, campaigns that celebrate regional culture resonate more deeply. Louis Vuitton adopts hyper-localisation as a savvy way to stand out in a crowded market and foster emotional connections. 

Travel campaign from China to the world

A few days after its grand opening, Louis Vuitton unveiled its latest travel campaign in China ahead of its global launch. Called Spirit of Travel, it is a photography campaign in partnership with American photographer Alec Soth, travelling to the sublime sights of China and showcasing Soth’s unique blend of documentary realism and poetic artistry, with images featuring Louis Vuitton luggage blending into the scenery. The campaign video is also shown at the “Trunkscape” installation in The Louis.

For Louis Vuitton, the campaign further emphasises its roots in intercontinental travel while also highlighting the brand as a cultural bridge in luxury. Leveraging the growing interest after its reopening in 2023 and the recent visa waivers for cross-border travellers, the campaign reinforces the universal narrative of Louis Vuitton. The first part of the campaign focuses on Lijiang and Guilin, with two follow-up series to be unveiled later.

Louis Vuitton has aligned the ideas of hyper-localisation and experience economy together with The Louis, but it is also a continuation of its localisation campaigns in China. As the ship is not a pop-up and is likely to remain, it has been reported that Louis Vuitton is already planning future exhibitions and experiences at the location. In fact, it hosted a 24-hour event for select guests just before its public opening, which included activities such as a midnight screening, sunrise Tai Chi, an illustration workshop, and a culinary masterclass. With small activities like this, The Louis has the potential to build a community of affluent shoppers in the centre of the new luxury hub of Shanghai. While the docking of The Louis brought the world, especially France, to Shanghai, “The Spirit of Travel” is taking it a step further and taking China to the world.

Need to boost your China strategy? Dao Pro delivers bespoke insights on marketing, innovation, and digital trends, direct from Chinese sources. Find out more from our Dao Strategy Team here.

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With 300 million daily active users and 50 million-plus daily engagements, Rednote is currently one of the hottest platforms, not just in China, but also to the rest of the world. In the past 12 years, Rednote has evolved from a product recommendation platform to an all-round lifestyle platform with one of the best algorithms for creators, merchants and users alike.

Since earlier this year, Rednote has been picking up international traction as more people download the app, especially from the US. Currently, international stars like Shakira, top influencers like IShowSpeed and more global content creators are on the platform, trying to reach Chinese audiences.

What is Rednote?

When asked if she could distil the essence of Rednote into one sentence, Pang said that Rednote is the platform where “everyone has their moment to shine”. This rather Warhol-esque quote is, indeed, a key to understanding how Rednote works.

Pang uses two seemingly extreme examples: the American pop-rock band Imagine Dragons is trying to promote their China tour while her grandma shares her apple pie recipes, both on Rednote. Since Rednote’s algorithm is so powerful and drives content to the right audience, both accounts would end up with similar engagements on the platform, despite a huge difference in following.

Ma, on the other hand, described the platform as “Instagram on crack”, from his experience working with the platform and many others. His reason for the description is:

• Rednote has much more personality and character as it favours raw lived experiences over polished and curated visuals.
• It has much more functionality, especially social commerce-wise, whereas Instagram has failed multiple times.
• It goes more in-depth with niches and micro-communities

Micro-communities, macro influence

Having brought many an international brand to China, Arnold Ma calls Rednote the best platform for foreign brands and creators to reach Chinese audiences. When Qumin started, just a year before the founding of Rednote, major platforms like Weibo and WeChat were all closed platforms. Rednote, on the other hand, became one of the first open platforms in China. For this reason, it attracted its user base, who are highly educated and well-travelled, and open to different cultures and views.

Rednote doesn’t just look at its user demographics in terms of gender, age, region and income, etc., it looks directly into your interests, hobbies and niches to push content to you or bring your content to an audience. Pang summarises that whoever you are and whatever interests you have, you can find someone similar to you on Rednote; if not, you’ll find people who will accept you.

Ma notes that Rednote has moved away from conventional platforms’ “the bigger the better” mentality but thrives on the nichest of the niche, almost “cult-like” communities, different people with different perspectives. If your content is genuinely useful, it will be found by the people who need it. The old saying of “content is king” is once again the key phrase with Rednote.

Toolbox of Rednote: from spotlight to dandelion and telepathic rhino horn?

Pang describes Rednote as the “go-to place for solving your daily problems”. She added that 90 per cent of the 300 million daily active users are influencers, and they create content to help others with specific problems. Their content is designed to be useful and the search rate on Rednote for specific problems is very high.

Then the SXSW panel began to discuss the tools Rednote offer creators and brands:

1. Spotlight (聚光平台): Data analytics to understand your brand’s value to help with media buying

• Pugongying (蒲公英): Dandelion – “Gentle puff” to spread your message globally (kol collabs)

• Lingxi (灵犀): Free AI tool to read your customers’ minds and user penetration. (Lingxi comes from 心有灵犀, a traditional expression for when minds understand each other as if telepathic through a magical rhinoceros horn)

Of them, Lingxi is the rising trend among certain categories, such as recommending searches for “woody fragrance shower gel”, which is rapidly growing when you are looking for “moisturising shower gel”.

Different from conventional platforms, Rednote uses a reverse funnel for its media buying and marketing. It will target the core audience first, before expanding into a wider demographic.

Ma then explains what this means from an agency perspective. It can support product research and development by understanding people’s preferences, highlighting real experiences with similar products and identifying common problems and needs.

On the topic of community, something also cherished at SXSW, Pang stresses that Rednote prefers authenticity, real people sharing real experiences. It pushes content to specific desire, hobby, interest, preference or problem. For brands and marketers to target the Rednote user, who usually has an aversion to corporate messaging, being genuine is the key. Rednote users enjoy authentic content, and this means trust in the creators. Therefore, building trust through honesty is the way to find your audience.

When asked by Nixon what the next step for Rednote is, Ma points to the evolution of media format from text to images and from video to livestream, predicting the next evolution to be cultural export. Pang, on the other hand, looked around the room, stating that it would be time for Rednote to expand further globally and see how far it can go after taking the stage at its first international conference at SXSW London.

Need to boost your China strategy? Dao Pro delivers bespoke insights on marketing, innovation, and digital trends, direct from Chinese sources. Find out more from our Dao Strategy Team here.

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Pundits note that the LABUBU boom started in mid-2024, when celebrities like Lisa from Blackpink, Rihanna and Dua Lipa were all photographed with the toy. Since then, POP MART has been leveraging its viral popularity. But how should a brand capitalise on this kind of almost “accidental” virality and turn it into long-term success?

Where the MONSTERS are

It’s worth noting that LABUBU is not the only toy to have become an “it” item in the fashion world. This, of course, has to do with the rise of “bag charms” in both luxury and non-luxury handbag spheres, also beginning in 2024. LABUBU, designed by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung (龍家昇), rode the wave of fashion. From gatecrashing Milan Fashion Week with fellow MONSTER ZIMOMO, to pop-ups and events at Dover Street Market and Harrods in London, and collaborations with brands such as Vans.

In 2023, LABUBU accounted for 25% of POP MART’s total sales and is the top-selling IP for the toymaker. After Lisa posted LABUBU videos three times in as many days in April 2024, LABUBU became unstoppable. It not only became an ambassador for Thai tourism, but it was also a frequently smuggled item between China and the Southeast Asian country. LABUBU later conquered the West with Rihanna and Dua Lipa endorsing the IP by wearing them.

Even though the celebrity exposure may not have come from POP MART approaching their stylists, the brand was well-prepared for the sudden surge in popularity. POP MART has been steadily diversifying from a “blind box” toymaker to an “IP” company. For each IP, such as LABUBU or MOLLY, there are multiple sizes and materials for different uses, including “pain bag” (ita-bag) and bag charms. Collaborations with brands such as Coca-Cola, Luckin Coffee and Netease Music for a theme tune have helped LABUBU to firmly establish itself in pop culture.

With interactive experiences by costumed actors, the POP LAND theme park has really brought the IP to life. As an aside, POP MART has long been criticised for not having a backstory or narratives for its characters, which is a weakness compared to Disney or Sanrio. With the theme park and recent animated shorts for the IP Nyota, the toymaker is swiftly addressing this issue.

Peel slowly and see

It seems POP MART had everything in place even before its exploding popularity abroad, so how can other brands plan for such a surge in interest?

Interestingly, some commentators are already asking that question around a recent trend, also a collectible in a way: the peel-apart film. First developed by Polaroid in 1948 as the first iteration of instant film, the peel-apart film has been all but forgotten since the non-peel-apart instant film was introduced in 1972. Although production stopped decades ago, vintage expired Fujifilm versions from dead stock and collections have been making a huge comeback in recent months. A box of peel-apart films has gone up from several hundred RMB to anywhere between 1,400 RMB (194.38 USD) to 3,300 RMB (458.17 USD), sometimes called “paper Moutai”.

The analogue and nostalgic feel, the sense of “ritual” (仪式感) and uncertainty (mostly due to the film being expired) before you peel away the top layer, has contributed to the obsession young Chinese consumers have towards the “dead” technology. But another important factor is the many celebrities who tried out the instant film and posted on social media.

If you are not a boutique photography company trying to bring it back, what else can you do to harness the power of this retromania? It is, of course, worth looking into other “dead” media that might bring the same tangible experience for young people who are trying to escape their digital daily lives. It is for the same reason, the last-ever telegram in China, sent from Hangzhou to its residents, appeared on the Hot Searches list on Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent.

From newspapers to zines, brands such as DOCUMENTS and Uniqlo have been exploring printed media for marketing. POP MART recently launched its biannual newspaper “play/GROUND” to fuse trends, aesthetics and lifestyle together. The “slower” nature of the physical media plays a big part in their popularity as they not only provide a sense of ritual but also the “songchigan” (松弛感, chillax) that the younger generation seek. Indeed, the surge of toys such as LABUBU and Jellycat is also a sign of nostalgia, for both childhood and the Y2K era of maximal accessories.

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Intangible cultural heritage

The biggest trend, without a doubt, is the use of intangible cultural heritages (ICHs), globally or nationally recognised, as the key to marketing campaigns. Among these, artisanal and craft items and processes are the most chosen for obvious reasons. They are easier to incorporate into products, like apparel, accessories, and even packaging for other items like tea, as HeyTea did with the Miao silver craft on its cups last year.

Since the Spring Festival was inscribed as an UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, the ICH started to boom even more following its quick growth last year. In 2025, we saw ICH marketing from high-end domestic brands such as DOCUMENTS and BEAST, who brought ICH-inspired items to their concept stores. International luxury brands, such as Qeelin, took Lay Zhang to a Dong Village in Guizhou, Louis Vuitton made a short film in Zhanqi, Huizhou and Gucci took Chinese bamboo crafts to its Bamboo bag exhibition.

Hyper-localisation

This, in a way, is connected to the previous trend, as hyper-localisation often includes regional or ethnic ICHs. Hyper-localisation in marketing is usually executed in one of two ways in China. One is to focus the campaign in higher-tiered cities, such as Shanghai, Chengdu or Hangzhou, where there’s a large enough audience or quickly growing market and use the lifestyle and culture of that city as a fulcrum for the campaign. For example, Camper and Adidas both used the traditional teahouse as the focus of their Chengdu campaign. Indeed, the slow and more relaxed lifestyle of the city is usually the starting point for brands.

The other way is to bring in the “exotic” customs and crafts, like regional or national ICHs, to the brands’ audiences across China. More than one brand will recruit celebrities or collaborate with publications such as Shang Cheng Shi or Wallpaper. A mini documentary might be produced and sometimes even a collection inspired by the craft.

Ride the waves of memes

Culture is not limited to traditional or regional. Internet culture is the fastest-growing and usually resonates the most with the younger generations. Currently, one of the most used forms of internet culture is viral memes and stickers. From KFC and McDonald’s “crazy literature” campaigns to major collaborations with sticker collections, internet culture is one of the most effective ways for brands to provide “emotional value” to younger consumer cohorts.

JD.com’s fast reaction to collaborating with the cartoon character GG Bond, after memes comparing its founder Richard Liu to the porcine superhero went viral is a good example of brands riding the meme-tic wave. But GG Bond’s virality is also thanks to the Y2K nostalgia, which is popular among millennials and Gen-Z consumers.

The internet-breaking visit to China by American streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed was one of the catalysts that brought the “abstract humour” to the mainstream. State-owned media and local television made the visit a sign of friendship between ordinary people of the US and China amid geopolitical tensions. In this sense, Yili’s latest Indian music parody commercial makes a joke of geopolitical tensions, while making use of a viral meme, like its meme-inspired Paris Olympics campaigns which leveraged the international sporting event.

Feminism

Feminism has become a contentious topic today, and it’s not a China-only issue. However, brands are still tapping into women’s rights, as Feminism is called in China, for their marketing, to provide emotional value for their female audiences.

Empowering women is one of the key themes around special days such as International Women’s Day (IWD) and Mother’s Day, as well as some luxury brands that mostly target women consumers. Strong and inspiring female brand ambassadors, such as Chinese actress Jia Ling with Prada and Bottega Veneta, collaborating with poet Yu Xiuhua, are a few notable examples.

 Tribal identifications

Brands, especially food and beverage brands, have made collaborations a regular occurrence and IP-based merch, or goods, a sustainable business besides being marketing campaigns. Among them, one of the biggest genres of IPs is the “erciyuan” (二次元, lit 2-dimensional) or ACGN (anime/comics/games/light novels). Indeed, “goods” has already birth the transliteration “谷子” (guzi, lit. grains) that is used to refer to this merch.

Collaborations with popular anime and games, especially female-oriented otome games, are sometimes simplistically called “dating simulations”. “Pain” bags (ita-bags, meaning bags decorated with erciyuan badges), LABUBU bag charms, Jellycat plushies and “cotton dolls” are some of the hottest sub-categories.

Other trends, such as using intellectuals, literature and cinema as a thread, are often used when targeting educated urban students and young professionals. A similar crowd might also be attracted to experiential marketing from offline pop-ups, exhibitions and takeovers to online documentaries, podcasts and zines.

This cohort, sometimes called “wenyi” (文艺, lit. arty and cultured), sometimes “xiaozi” (小资, lit. petit bourgeois), referring to their sophisticated lifestyle, is often targeted by premium and luxury brands with a cultured brand image. Notably, this type of cultural marketing in China often works in conjunction with female-oriented and empowering campaigns, like these examples from this IWD.

All these cultural marketing tactics in China aim to provide “emotional value” for their audiences, i.e. resonant messaging. This would, of course, mean that the trend needs to cater for the cohort the brands are aiming at. And more importantly, if the campaign fits the brand image and positioning.

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Under the new scheme, a new “ad link” feature will be added to notes on Rednote this 618. The direct conversion from content marketing to sales on the e-commerce platforms will complete the chain of “seeding (种草) – purchase” that many social commerce platforms have been trying to achieve, including both parties in the “Red Cat” initiative. This enviable “closed circuit” might give not only the Alibaba platforms but also Rednote an edge this 618 Festival, and could become a standard strategy in the future of e-commerce in China.

May the circle be unbroken

Other than the seamless cross-platform shopping experience for users and customers, Rednote, for the first time this 618, has made all analytics available to merchants. The data includes views, comments, likes, collects, shares and follows. In turn, Tmall will also make more analytics available, such as traffic acquisition data, search data, upsells, watches, follows and transactions. The two platforms will then complete the data chain on the customer journey from “seeding” to sales.

In fact, the “Red Cat” initiative is an extension of the existing “Little Red Star” (小红星) partnership programme between Alibaba and Rednote that started two years ago. It also provides an analytics system that helps merchants gauge the effectiveness of their “seeding” on Rednote and how that has helped their sales on Taobao and Tmall. In the past year, seeding notes from Taobao and Tmall merchants grew 20% in terms of click-through rate, and engagement rate grew 109%. Participating merchants also grew 335%.

As Alibaba claims, “the collaboration connects Xiaohongshu’s (Rednote’s) influential user-generated content (UGC) ecosystem with Taobao and Tmall’s robust e-commerce infrastructure”. Pundits have noted that this partnership can help Rednote better monetise its content and community ecosystem in the e-commerce arena, while helping conventional e-commerce platforms like Taobao and Tmall to leverage the seeding properties of the lifestyle social platform.

Red Cat on a hot tin roof

As the competition in the e-commerce space heats up, Alibaba has been shaking things up in recent years, especially since the beginning of 2025. Not only did it upgrade its “hour delivery” (小时达) to “Flash buy” (闪购) to compete with JD.com and Meituan’s instant delivery services in the “local life” service sector, but it has also been upping its game in the content field.

Ahead of 618, Alibaba is bringing out the big guns. In late April, Alibaba announced its 2 billion RMB (274.44 USD) investment in Taobao Livestream to grow users, merchandise virality, streamers and merchant-led streams. The group’s digital marketing branch, Alimama, also launched AIGC-powered video content and search features, further consolidating the content capabilities of Taobao and Tmall merchants. It is clear that the e-commerce giant is trying to harness the power of content seeding for its merchants.

At the same time, Rednote has also been trying to convert its seeding prowess into e-commerce sales. Faced with fierce competition from both fellow social commerce platforms, such as Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese sister app), as well as conventional e-commerce sites like Taobao, Tmall and JD.com, Rednote has been exploring its own modus operandi of “lifestyle e-commerce”. By banning outbound links to e-commerce platforms and asking merchants to set up shop on Rednote, the platform attempted to build its own seeding and sales ecosystem. Since 2023, Rednote has been gradually opening up to outbound links and in 2024, it launched a series of initiatives with various e-commerce platforms for data sharing and better “seeding”. The aforementioned “Little Red Star” is part of these.

Everything that rises must converge

And as with most things in the heavily competitive e-commerce space in China, Alibaba and Rednote are not the only ones who have considered collaboration. In mid-April, the video and streaming platform BiliBili announced that it would continue and upgrade the “Jinghuo” (京火) initiative that it had been working on with JD.com since 2023. Not only will merchants get a subsidy in the form of ads and promotion of their “seeding” video on the platform, but JD.com will also be providing up to 120% of traffic and exposure. In fact, like Rednote, BiliBili also has an initiative with Taobao and Tmall Group called “Starfire” (星火), which is being supplemented with a “Star Companion” (星伴) initiative for Taobao merchants to promote on BiliBili for platform promotion.

Deeper integration has been one of the key strategies for platforms such as Taobao and Tmall from Alibaba, not just content-wise. Last year, we saw news about Taobao deploying WeChat Pay for its payment and JD.com integrating Alipay, as well as Taobao allowing JD Logistics to become a shipping method for its platform. It would seem the days of high barriers between platforms are gradually becoming a thing of the past.

Of course, there is also Douyin, which is still focused on building an ecosystem that harnesses the power of its own vast content and user base to support its own e-commerce platform.

Meanwhile, the effect of the alliance on Rednote’s own e-commerce programme remains unclear. How the partnership can benefit the global expansion of Alibaba and Rednote is another thing that requires further monitoring.

However, in the long run, deeper collaborations between content and e-commerce platforms only seem natural, for both the customer experience and merchants. A merchant-centric strategy has been prevalent since the last 618 Festival, such as abandoning “absolute low prices” in favour of a gross merchandise value (GMV)-first strategy. The latest development of this trend is the end of the “refund only” no-return refund policies for all major e-commerce platforms. By making “seeding” analytics available to merchants and allowing redirect ads on the platform, the “Red Cat” initiative can be largely beneficial for merchants and is more than just a smoother transition for prospective customers. It won’t be surprising to see other e-commerce platforms team up like Rednote and Alibaba have this 618.

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Reigning cats and dogs

The pet economy has been one of the hottest topics in the consumer market. In 2024, it was reported that China had more pets than toddlers and babies below the age of 4 for the first time. By 2030, pets will be twice the number of small children. Families with pets are now over 100 million.

In what’s called the era of “pet-keeping 3.0”, pets are becoming “family”, taking on the role of children. For reference, the 1.0 era was of the functional guard dogs or mouser cats, while 2.0 saw better nutrition, health, and quality of life for pets. We have been hearing about pet-friendly shopping and dining for a few years now, and since the Chinese New Year (CNY), travelling with pets is becoming easier than ever. From having your pet in the cabin with a seat on planes to the high-speed train in China trialling pet transportation, all the way to pet-friendly hotels, travelling with pets is becoming increasingly accessible.

Pets not only provide “emotional value” for their humans, but are equally being provided with “emotional value”. Elderly pet care, pet funeral services and pet “schools” that offer daycare and training are all becoming popular. On top of high-end food, healthcare and apparel for pets, the “childcare-like pet-keeping” (育儿式养宠) has birthed over 4.2 million startups as of this January in the pet economy sector. This is partly because the younger generations are more willing to spend money on their pets than on themselves.

From JellyCat to LABUBU

For those who are still willing to spend money on themselves, there is a term called “self-pleasing” (悦己) or “self-care” (宠己), which became Alipay, Alibaba’s payment platform’s word of the year in 2024. Younger consumer cohorts who shop for themselves are usually single, and they buy for their own pleasure instead of for other people, including family. “Emotional value” is also a key term for them.

For many of the “self-pleasing” crowd, collectible “goods” (谷子, meaning merchandise), especially those from POP MART and Jellycat, are especially popular. POP MART, which recently became the number 1 shopping app on the Apple App Store in the United States, has also been seeing long queues outside its stores stateside as well, despite a price hike for its star product, the LABUBU figurines, after its third-generation update. The LABUBU boom has also reached the UK and Thailand, as well as the second-hand market in China.

Meanwhile, the British plush toymaker Jellycat, also popular, is facing a very different situation in China. Its playful and immersive shopping experience with role-play of CAFÉ in Shanghai has caused many an imitator to arise. From museums to brand campaigns, the term “xxx has its own Jellycat” has become a viral phrase.

And everything in between

But lately, another class of plushies is taking the place of both pets and the collectible toy for many young Chinese: “cotton dolls” (棉花娃娃). These plushies are usually “chibi” cutesy styled characters from popular ACGN (anime, comics, games or light novels), as well as live-action film, TV and even celebrities. Collectors usually call these dolls/plushies “babies” (娃), themselves “moms” (娃妈) and their collecting activity as “rearing babies” (养娃). This is a great subversion of the popular terms “娃” and “养娃” often used by parents of small children on social media.

Like the general Chinese “goods” market, the “babies” plushies sector is also a mix of official releases from the IP holders and group buys based on fan art. Like pet owners and toy collectors, and real parents for that matter, these “moms” also fill their social media with their “babies” from everyday life to travel photos. For many, the main cost in the process of “rearing” their babies is the outfits for the dolls to appear in on social media, which is where much of the business is.

Although it might be a hard time for those working in the children-centric sectors, the childless generations are also creating more markets as they grow. From pet owners to toy collectors and doll-mothers, the “emotional value” is always key. With the advent of AI-enabled robots, toys and plushies, the trend might continue growing stronger among Chinese consumers.

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IShowSpeed, often referred to as Speed, is an American YouTuber and livestreamer, also known in China by his slightly ableist nickname “甲亢哥” (lit. “Hyperthyroidist” due to his excitable temperament. He is also well-known among football fans for his love of the game and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The revolution will be livestreamed

When Speed’s first China stream came out on 24 March, netizens to state-owned media outlets in China praised the streamer for tearing down the “Chinese filter” (中国滤镜) created by Western media. It is, fittingly, a reference to a meme, the “Mexican filter,” where Mexico and sometimes Middle Eastern countries are stereotypically portrayed on screen with a yellowish filter. Chinese filter usually refers to Western outlets such as the BBC showing China in a dull grey to indicate smog or pollution.

His first two stops, Shanghai and Beijing, are what most of these articles refer to, where Speed saw the modern skyscrapers of the cities, clean streets and uninterrupted high-speed mobile internet. Advanced transport ranged from bullet trains to EVs from Xiaomi and Huawei. This quickly earned him praise from state-owned media, saying a 20-year-old young man from the United States has “destroyed years of anti-China propaganda”. He also earned goodwill from ordinary netizens on Chinese social media. On Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, topics such as “IShowSpeed’s China trip super successful” (#甲亢哥中国行效果好到爆#) and “IShowSpeed ‘seeds’ China travel to foreigners” (#甲亢哥让外国人疯狂种草中国#) reached number 6 and number 12 on the Hot Search list, with 12.36 million and 29.97 million views, respectively.

Most importantly, the livestreams showed the world that the people of China are far from the stereotype of being quiet and demure, to the degree of being inanimate. In fact, the broadcast shows that China, at least the megacities Speed visited, contains a vibrant internet culture, just as unhinged, if not more, than its American equivalent.

The society of online spectacles

“抽象” (lit. abstract) is probably how most Chinese netizens would describe the style, especially the humour of Speed. Abstract humour generally denotes a combination of postmodern or post-irony humour and surreal or absurdist comedy. It gained traction in China in recent years, with not only comedians, influencers and memes but also in marketing campaigns. KFC’s Crazy Thursdays are a prime example of that, merging the satirical and the nonsensical.

For better or worse, the trip to China of IShowSpeed was fraught with many such moments. From sudden challenges and dance battles to borderline racist gifts like watermelons, bananas and a cotton bouquet, and of course, sudden choruses of the refrain from a popular Wowkie Zhang (大张伟, also Da Zhang Wei) tune: “nei nei neige” (那个, a filler word, lit. that) that sounds uncannily like the n-word to untrained ears. I say borderline because, in a post-irony context, they deliberately muddle the line between satire and menace, only to show a “no-holds-barred” comedy meant to provoke reactions.

Speed reacts to most of the antics with a quick wit to play along, and only on a few occasions did he deflect the situation by being utterly perplexed (such as being accosted by a self-proclaimed “racist” cosplaying as the “Saiba Momoi says the N-word” meme). However, many of these are taken out of context to show Chinese people as racist or used as a vessel to express the reposters’ racist agenda, while they were likely just trying to out-abstract IShowSpeed for their “15 minutes of fame”.

Influencers of the world, unite!

The most meme-tic episode during Speed’s journey to the East was in the city of Chongqing. The city is often called an “8D” city for its mountainous landscape and confusing horizontal structure. Speed was shocked when he thought he had descended underground, only to find himself at the top of a skyscraper. With its horizontal, maze-like nature and trains going through buildings, the city has also been called a “cyberpunk” metropolis since early last year. Fittingly, the city is also “cyber” for its vibrant internet culture. That is likely why some of the biggest collaborations took place in Chongqing. Let’s dive into the meme culture rabbit hole.

“Super Idol” is a meme song that began its life as a jingle for Watson’s bottled water but took on a life of its own as a TikTok soundtrack for 1. Being a pure earworm and 2. Meme-able moments in the ad were recreated many times, especially when the subject splashes water from the bottle in the general direction of the camera. The most widely known creator of the meme is Tian Yiming (田一名), whose version is often added to random videos and is sometimes called the “Rickroll of China”. Speed sang with Tian, and both splashed milk from a carton, trying to out-meme the meme.

In Chongqing, of course, an American streamer cannot miss the opportunity to collaborate with “Chinese Trump”, the Trump impressionist who does pitch-perfect accent work and body language without the effort of appearing blonde or artificially tanned. The two met in the back of a limousine, à la the Lennon-Dylan meeting in Eat the Document.

On the iconic Yangtze River Cableway, Speed and team looked at the neon-lit, or rather, LED-lit nightscape, in a cable car decked out in LED lights. Speed met with his brightest collaborator, Tony from LC Sign, or as some call him on Reddit, “the (Asian) LED guy”. Tony is known for his range of accent work and humorous signs. He showed his gifts to speed, from an underwhelming LED sign of “@ISHOWSPEED” to an over-the-top light with Speed and Ronaldo.

With his newly registered Douyin account getting more than 2 million followers in less than a week, on 4 April, Speed surpassed Mr Beast to become the most-followed American on Douyin with over 2.93 million followers. He also grew his YouTube subscribers by a million (from 37 million to 38 million) before he reached Hong Kong on 4 April. Speed clearly won big with his trip to China.

This, of course, is also due to the rather tame performance from IShowSpeed in China and quite wholesome interactions, such as behaving when scolded for his behaviour on a Chongqing Rail Transit train or asking a child fan to answer their father’s phone call in Hong Kong. IShowSpeed seems to have found the winning formula of being “abstract” and respectful at the appropriate moment.

In fact, the networking of influencers and netizens in and outside China does play a positive role in this time of division caused by tariffs and geopolitical tensions between China and the US. Just like Rednote welcomed the TikTok refugees from the US, netizens in China welcomed the youth “cultural ambassador”.

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