Trendsetters in Beijing: Chinese Men Dress for Success

Mention fashion and women's clothing and Parisian design houses come to mind, but can men risk ignoring fashion trends in men's design, especially in a cosmopolitan or business environment such as Beijing?

In 1992 in China, most white-collar working men had, at most, one suit. By 2004, this number had increased, on average, to 2.3 suits and should continue to increase because of a sense of haute couture growing among Chinese entrepreneurs, movie stars, star athletes and other professionals.

"Many entrepreneurs consult about their clothes and accessories for different occasions," said Zou You, a designer for men's fashion for 15 years who is highly respected by the China National Garment Association.

Men's Fashion Cannot be Ignored

Dealers in men's clothing and accessories generally design clothing to be sold in three classes of markets, the high-end, middle and general public. Sixty percent to 80 percent of the high-end fashion designs in China follow western trends, but items on display may lag behind trends in the West by a year or two. The truly fashionable circumvent this problem by buying clothing while on business trips to Europe or the United States. But at the middle and general end of the fashion spectrum, China is now tracking modern trends in most aspects and is a fashion trendsetter in some others.

Businessmen and people who populate fashion and cultural circles are major participants in the high-end men's fashion market in China. They are sensitive to fashion trends and express themselves in some ways through the clothing and accessories they wear. People who work in offices are major consumers of middle-market products. Five years ago, about 95 percent men in the office buildings wore business suits, but that trend is now giving way to business casual apparel if there are no important meetings, especially for those under age 40. Fashionable elements can be found in their clothing and accessories, but they eschew ostentatious, unpractical items. No fully loaded rings with jangling keys will be found dangling from their simple belts.

"Men's fashion came into its own in China beginning at about 1993 when China really settled into a steady track of development. Before that, people thought little about clothes, colours, style, design or clothing for specific occasions. However, later on, Chinese men's opinions changed," Zou said.

Zhou Ying, who held four releases for men's clothes during the 2005 Spring Summer China Fashion Week, said, "For this autumn and winter, the dominant trend in men's fashion will see men paying more attention to accessories and matching their clothes. Bright colours are "in," and some pink will be found in clothes, along with some geometric patterns. The boundaries between business suits and casual jackets will be blurred even more among the middle-class and general public."

Though many Chinese people are closely tracking international trends, many still report disappointment that Chinese domestic brand names have not upgraded the originality of their designs. The real problem, Zou said, lies in a shortage of excellent designers, who can perfectly mix the people's practical needs and desires with artistic, high-fashion requirements. China's haute couture industry is in dire need of trained managers with at least two-three year's of hands-on experience in the business. A high service orientation is needed in haute couture, because service accounts for about 80 percent of the marketing effort and products only about 20 percent in this business of dreams and fantasy.

But, during the upcoming 2006 Spring Summer China Fashion Week, to be held November 16-22 at the Beijing and China World hotels, a group of rising designers are expected to show works that are exciting, well-designed and fashionable in an international sense, with a heavy emphasis on clothing that matches a variety of lifestyles, in fact, clothing that will epitomize contemporary lifestyles.