How did luxury brands support Chinese traditional art in the Year of t

How did luxury brands support Chinese traditional art in the Year of the Dragon?

Yue Guo MA Sustainable fashion: Business and Practices Kingston University Capstone Project 8005

CV

Education Background

Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology 09/2018---05/2020 University of Hertfordshire 09/2020---06/2022 Kingston University 09/2022---08/2023 Major: Fashion Design (BIFT 2+2 Study Abroad Training Programme) Sustainable Fashion: Business and practices (Kingston University) Degree: Bachelor of Arts (First Class) Language: Chinese (native), English (fluent)

On Campus

Jun. 2020 Ranked top 5 of the class among 25 students and got the scholarshipJan. 2020 Leader, Zhejiang Haining Practical Activity

• Organized classmates and made traveling plan;
• Led classmate to successfully complete each task;

Dec. 2019 Host of New Year Party, BIFT

• Controlled the process of the while party

Off Campus

June. 14 – 16, 2023 Volunteer, Graduate Fashion WeekMay. 4, 2023 – Sep. 3, 2023 Sales Intern, Petit Pli

• Responsible for product promotion and sales
• Collect potential customer information and suggestions

Jun. 22, 2022 Participate in Graduate Fashion Week showOct. 2 - Nov. 17, 2021 Marketing Assistant Intern, LVMH

• Did trend analysis on different industries, kept up with the research focus of the enterprise, observed the changing needs of various consumers;
• Tracked and constantly promoted the optimization and implementation of business;
• Made market research;
• Completed daily tasks assigned by the supervisor.

Mar.-Jul. 2020 Operator, Sale & Marketing Division, New Media Department, Wangfujing Department Store, Baotou

• Responsible for operating and managing Weibo platform of Sale & Marketing Division;
• Participated in the creative content production and photo shooting for social media platforms like WeChat official account, Weibo and Tik Tok;
• In charge of managing live streaming platform.
• Outcome: The quantity of likes, comments and re-posts increased greatly and live streaming platform got more followers.

Oct. 27, 2019 On-site Staff, Brand Alicia Lee, China International Week

• Responsible for guiding celebrities to their seat between A zone to F zone;
• Coordinated with others on backstage preparation.

Hobbies & Skills

Hobbies: Singing, Dancing (Level 12 of Chinese Folk Dance), Reading Skills: PS, AI, Sewing, Weaving, Dyeing.

Contents

2. Methodology

3. Literature Review

1. Rationale

1.1 Reasons for researching luxury goods in the context of the booming Chinese market

2.1 Inspiration and Immersion

4. Case studies

Primary tool and Methods

5. Shanghai Tang's previous Chinese New Year series: SWOT and competitor analysis

1.2 Luxury goods sales during the Chinese holidays

2.1.1 Interviews

Secondary tools & Methods

1.3 The peak sales of luxury goods during Chinese New Year

2.1.2 Mindmap

1.4 The peak sales of luxury goods during Chinese New Year demonstrates the success of the launch of limited series as a marketing strategy

6. Finding and analysis

2.1.3 Literature review

7. Conclusion and Outcome

2.1.4 Case studies

7.1 Conclusion

2.1.5 SWOT Analysis

1.5 How does luxury fashion support Chinese traditional art?

7.2 Outcome

2.2 Ideation and Implementation

7.2.1 Shanghai Tang x Yue embroider products

Primary tool and Methods

7.2.2 Shanghai Tang x Yue embroidery Instagram reel

2.2.1 Design

Secondary tools and Methods

7.2.3 Marketing Plan

2.2.2 Research

8. Reference

2.3 Other facilitation tools and methods

9. Image Reference

10. Interview

acknowledgement

Throughout the writing of this dissertation I have received a great deal of support and assistance. I would first like to thank my professor, Sass Brown, whose expertise was invaluable in formulating the research questions and methodology. Your insightful feedback pushed me to sharpen my thinking and brought my work to a higher level. Thank you for your suggestions and warm notes for each tutorial. I would also like to thank my supervisor, Lynn Todd, for his valuable guidance and patient support. You provided me advice and I could choose the right direction and successfully complete my dissertation. I would like to express my special gratitude to artist Xinyuan Wang for agreeing to interview and providing me with encouragement and support, especially in promoting Yue embroidery. In addition, I would like to thank my parents for their wise counsel and sympathetic ear. Thank you for your encouragement and support. You are always there for me.

1. Rationale

1.1 Reasons for researching luxury goods in the context of the booming Chinese market

Economic growth and rapid urbanisation have led to a booming luxury market in mainland China (China hereafter). The value of this market in the country has grown from RMB 213bn (USD 35bn) in 2014 to RMB 275bn ($43bn) in 2021, demonstrating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4%. The market is still continuing to grow at an accelerated pace and is on track to hit RMB 378bn ($63bn) by 2027 (KPMG, 2023), showing the influence of the development of social productivity and the continuous expansion of urban civilisation on the market.

However, according to KPMG (2023), the COVID-19 pandemic has presented “one of the biggest challenges for the Chinese economy” in the last three decades, as the pandemic has weakened consumer confidence in luxury consumption. When "The 10 New Measures" were announced on 7 December 2022 in China to ease COVID-19 restrictions, there was an immediate surge in the country’s luxury goods market (Ruder Finn & Consumer Search Group, 2023). The research concluded that throughout the three years of COVID-19, this finalised a W-shape curve.

Figure 1

1.4 The peak sales of luxury goods during ChineseNew Year demonstrates the success of the launch of limited series as a marketing strategy

1.2 Luxury goods sales during the Chinese holidays

According to the Fashion Network (2021), luxury companies' marketing plans can be divided into monthly nodes by holiday and seasonal series, for instance, the period between Christmas and Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, early spring holidays, summer holidays, and Chinese Valentine's Day of Qixi. The festival series has shown to be successful in increasing luxury companies' daily sales and is no longer seen as a supplement to their sales strategies. This also reflects the complementarity between consumers and the luxury market.

Naturally, gifting has stimulated the sales. In a survey conducted by Vogue Business (2023), more than a third of the respondents reported that they purchased luxury products as a gift in the last three months. Big spenders(those spending or more on luxury fashion) were more likely to buy gifts for loved ones than small spenders (those spending less than RMB 17,000) (36% vs 31%) (ibid.). This shows Chinese New Year can have an impact on economy. The marketing plan, however, is equally crucial for promoting sales of high-end products during Chinese New Year. Wang (2022) believes that the first step to develop a marketing plan is to collaborate with Intellectual Property and trendy brands. For example, Dior collaborated with artist Kenny Scharf to launch the Year of the Tiger exclusive series. The second step is to explore local culture and break free from the inherent understanding of Chinese New Year. For instance, luxury brand Loewe launched Chinese New Year-themed short film series "Home · Inheritance" in 2019 and has released until 2022. Each season of this series focuses on unique traditional Chinese handicrafts. Such themed series also promote awareness of Chinese traditional art.

RMB 17,000

1.3 The peak sales of luxury goods during Chinese New Year

Consumers become more passionate about luxury goods during Chinese Lunar New Year. According to a survey carried out by Vogue Business (2023), there was a strong appetite for luxury brands around Chinese New Year in 2023. Fifty-one percent of the respondents reported that they spent RMB 8,000 ($1,162) or more three months around the festival on luxury fashion, with 28% of the respondents spending RMB 20,000 ($2,912) or more and only 17% of the respondents spending under RMB 2,499 ($364).

3 seasons

Figure 2

1.5 How does luxury fashion support Chinese traditional art?

Daxue Consulting China (2023) has shown several benefits for luxury companies to work with Chinese artists or institutions. The trend of Guochao and the increasing demand for exclusive luxury items are two most important factors driving such collaboration. It is believed that Chinese traditional craftsmanship can open up a wealth of new business options for luxury firms, which are ready to use time-honoured methods in their designs (ibid.). There are a wide range of options for luxury fashion and Chinese traditional art to establish long-term partnership. For example, luxury brand Louis Vuitton has already had many sustained collaborations with Chinese artists and museums. The brand has managed to attract a large number of Chinese customers through cultural integration. At the same time, building the core values of luxury brands through traditional culture and art is one of the popular contemporary methods to create a new brand image (WWD, 2021). In the context of global integration, it is evident that traditional Chinese handicrafts have been gradually receiving attention from international luxury brands. For example, Dior incorporated elements such as the zodiac sign, jade, seed embroidery, and fans into the design of its 2021 autumn men's clothing collection. This also, to some extent, reflects the growing demand in the market for products that promote and protect traditional Chinese culture.

Figure 3

2. Methodology

Secondary tools & Methods

The main purpose of this research is to promote and support Chinese traditional artisans in collaboration with a luxury brand through special product development in celebration of the Chinese Year of the Dragon and develop a marketing campaign.

2.1.2 Mindmap

The mindmap shows why luxury fashion brands support Chinese traditional art, what luxury brands launched products and promotions during Chinese New Year, and the details of Chinese traditional art.

2.1 Inspiration and Immersion

Primary tool and Methods

2.1.3 Literature review

2.1.1 Interviews

The literature review indicates details of limited-edition products and marketing strategies for promoting such products, the impact of such products on luxury holiday sales, and the impact of marketing strategies on luxury holiday sales.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Most of the interview questions were developed previously by other researchers. Based on the literature review and secondary research, the research student interviewed one artisan, who comes from the fashion industry, creative industry, and commercial company. The interviews lasted 40 minutes.

2.1.4 Case studies

The research includes three case studies of luxury brands: Italy brand Valentino; Spain brand Loewe; Chinese brand Shangxia. How these brands promoted their products in the Year of the Tiger and the Year of the Rabbit were analysed and compared.

2.1.5 SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis represents the analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. In this project, this method was used to compare the marketing strategies of Shanghai Tang in the Year of the Tiger and the Year of the Rabbit.

2.2 Ideation and Implementation

2.3 Other facilitation tools and methods

Primary tool and Methods

Canva A graphic design platform is used to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents, and other visual content. Xmind It is a software tool developed by XMind Corporation in Hong Kong for brainstorming and mind mapping. Its main purpose is to help users capture ideas and organise various reports. Procreate Raster Graphics Editor Application is used for Digital Painting. Grammarly Grammarly is used to provide digital writing assistance tools based on artificial intelligence and natural language processing.

2.2.1 Design

Selecting the existing products from Shanghai Tang website and applying Yue embroidery to the selected products.

Secondary tools & Methods

2.2.2 Research

The research aims to explore why Shanghai Tang should collaborate with Yue embroidery for the Year of the Dragon promotion.

3. Literature Review

Definition of limited products and marketing strategies, and the impact of limited products and marketing strategies on luxury holiday sales.

The impact of limited products on luxury holiday sales

Definition of limited products

Limited edition products have an influence on luxury holiday sales. According to Arendar (2022), limited editions are used by brands to create products that give customers a sense of exclusivity, as well as to gauge how the market will react to novel flavours or product features. This means that brands not only consider the feelings of customers, but also adjust the direction of their future marketing plans in time. Ditzlmüller (2023) further suggests that by keeping the quantity small, brands can make sure that their items are still in high demand and that their customers believe they are the proud owners of something extraordinary and distinctive. In addition, because of the restricted supply, there is more competition for the prized items, which adds to their allure, which can promote consumption to some extent. In contrast, some limited-edition products have had a negative impact on brand image. For instance, Gucci's Chinese New Year capsule contains items made of material created from rabbits, which has been widely critiqued “as being in extremely poor taste" (Bargeron, 2023).

The phrase ‘limited edition’ has been around since Victorian times (Gregory, 2021). Furthermore, Arendar (2022) explained that many companies release special or limited editions to increase sales during a particular campaign or event. Arendar (2022) also points out that FMCG companies typically do not restrict the creation of limited editions to save costs. This also indicates that the limited products of non-Fast-moving consumer goods companies would correspond to their business models. It is believed that the scarcity effect is a cognitive bias that leads consumers to have higher value for scarce items and lower value for rich ones. So, limiting product sales is also related to consumer psychology.

Definition of limited products marketing strategies

For businesses, offering limited-edition products as a marketing strategy is to use scarcity to incentivise people to make a purchase (lingble, no date). According to MBA Knowledge Base (no date), the limited-edition marketing strategy is defined as “carries a sense of immediacy and exclusivity as the products would only be available for a short time and/or in limited numbers”. In the context of marketing management, the term "Special Edition" or "Limited Edition" means to provide the promoted product with something fresh and unusual compared to its standard version (ibid.).

The impact of marketing strategies on luxury holiday sales

Gucci also launched a themed WeChat Mini Programme, where users could get their individualised product recommendations based on their horoscopes and their new year’s life forecasts (Wu, 2022b). In addition, the company produced digital wallpapers including the themes of the campaign and the programme, which could be downloaded. The company also released a limited number of virtual red package covers, which customers may give to their families as a gift for Chinese New Year. By using the "shake" function and genuinely shaking their phones on WeChat Moment, WeChat users may also win free wallpapers, New Year greetings, and red packet covers. This marketing strategy not only fits consumers’ common social platform experiences, but also brings customers closer to the brand, thus increasing brand recognition. However, in the opinion of Pan (2017), it is simple to establish a brand premium in terms of pricing, but doing so would restrict the brand’s opportunity to reach consumers. This may lead to some customer groups choosing to take a wait-and-see approach, which to some extent would affect brand profits.

In the opinion of Ditzlmüller (2023), luxury companies often rely on exclusive events and experiences to accentuate scarcity. These may include special parties, fashion presentations, and private screenings that are exclusively open to invited guests. These gatherings foster a feeling of exclusivity and give attendees the impression that they are part of a privileged organisation. For example, Gucci conducted online and offline marketing during Chinese New Year. Firstly, a campaign film was released, which has had a good promotional effect to a certain extent in the Year of the Rabbit, with over 17.5 million views on Weibo (Wu, 2023a). In addition, Gucci’s four videos starring brand ambassadors including celebrities Li Yuchun, Ni Ni, Xiao Zhan, and Lu Han amounted to 14.5 million views within two weeks of their release (ibid.). Nevertheless, in the Year of the Tiger, Gucci used actual tigers in its advertising campaign. Bargeron (2023) criticised this, saying the campaign was “met by uproar from animal welfare organisations”. On the other hand, “Gucci continues to donate to the Lion’s Share Fund as it has since early 2020”, supporting the brand’s goal of protecting the natural habitats of vulnerable and endangered animals (HYPEBEAST, 2022).Then, in the same year, Gucci opened offline Chinese New Year pop-up stores in the local markets in Nanjing, Shanghai, and Wuhan to further promote its Chinese New Year campaign. Wu (2022a) predicted that more stores would soon open in Dalian and Macau. Concurrently, four brand ambassadors have been featured in the brand’s Chinese New Year celebration, which has gained a lot of attention on Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin and Weibo.

4. Case Study

Valentino

The Maison Valentino was founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti (Valentino, no date). In the Year of the Tiger, Valentino cooperated with Chinese cartoonist Uncle Ma. According to Dao Insights (2022), Valentino revived the tiger pattern from the 1967 F/W Tiger Series and utilised the pattern in ready-to-wear, purses, and shoes with vibrant blue and pink to reinterpret the traditional Valentino design with Chinese characteristics. In its promotion series, the brand also released a tiger gif series and digital red package covers on WeChat. Through the partnership with the artist, the company cultivates a more approachable image among Chinese consumers, especially those who are not big fans of high-end or trendy clothes. This initiative has greatly helped Valentino to promote its image in the Chinese market. In the Year of the Rabbit, Valentino cooperated with Chinese local artist Quan Zhang, and launched several initiatives both online and offline (Wu, 2023b). Karoro, a popular cartoon branding created by Quan Zhang, is used online and featured on phone wallpapers and virtual red package covers that can be accessed through Valentino's WeChat Mini Programme. A 6-meter-tall Karoro was used as part of a physical, large-scale exhibition at the Shenzhen Bay MixC shopping centre between 15 January and 15 February 2023 (Wu, 2023c). Valentino commissioned the limited-edition public installation that generated social media buzz in addition to driving offline footprints. Valentino made the brand appeal to a younger audience in the area with its omnichannel strategy.

Figure 4

Loewe

Loewe is one of the world’s major luxury houses, founded in 1846 in Spain, and today the brand is under the creative direction of Jonathan Anderson (LVMH, no date). In Loewe’s 2023 S/S series, the "Chinese Monochrome" collection incorporated antique Chinese pottery from the Ming and Qing period (Kim, 2022). This took consideration of the Chinese culture and the brand style. Deng's ceramic pieces were displayed between 10 November and 13 November 2022 at Loewe's monochromatic ceramics exhibition at the ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair (Wu, 2022c). Furthermore, the company plans to provide funding to Jingdezhen Ceramic University to establish a new monochrome ceramics study programme to conserve this traditional art form and its cultural legacy. In the Year of the Rabbit, Loewe released the 2023 Spring Capsule series, which included four iconic handbags, ready-made clothing, accessories, and many more. The handbag design is the most ingenious, using interesting rabbit ear knot for decorations to pay tribute to the traditional Chinese culture of “knots” (Yinghe Fashion Business Review, 2023), The promotion film of this series explores the local culture and traditional Chinese handicrafts.

Figure 5

Shangxia

Shang Xia is a Chinese luxury fashion brand backed by Hermès offering high-quality products with a contemporary twist on traditional Chinese aesthetics and crafts (MartinRoll, 2021). The traditional craft of “bamboo weaving” is used in various Shangxia products. As reported by Vogue China (2022), skilled bamboo weavers use Sichuan bamboo as raw material with its natural colour, cut bamboo into hair-like thin strips, and firmly embellish the skirt with them. Bamboo strands move in the wind quietly, as though in a quiet bamboo forest. This not only expresses modern Chinese aesthetics, but also combines tradition and craftsmanship with the future.

Figure 6

5. Shanghai Tang's previous Chinese New Year series: SWOT and competitor analysis

'Customisation' is a crucial feature of luxury brands. Shanghai Tang provides specialised services. A customer can either choose from more than a hundred styles offered by the brand or advise the brand on the ready-to-wear style they like. Professional tailors would then collaborate with the customer to choose a style that complements the customer’s body shape and the event for which the clothing would be worn. In general, “customisation" is a special way for customers to combine brand style with festival collections. This not only focuses on the brand positioning of luxury goods, but also allows customers to customise various patterns or colours around festivals.

Shanghai Tang was founded by the late socialite & magnate Sir David Tang in 1994 (Shanghai Tang, no date). The brand has been recognised by the fashion industry as China's first luxury brand and over the years, it continues moving forward by celebrating and shaping contemporary Chinese culture and art. The brand merges storied traditions with the latest design in its products and culture, seamlessly integrating them into modern society. Shanghai Tang is committed to presenting the exquisite lifestyle of the East through its Imperial Tailoring collection, ready-to-wear, accessories, home decor, and collaborations with artists and designers. According to Yan (2011), the design philosophy behind Shanghai Tang items is to present Chinese culture and lifestyle in a way that can be accepted by the global fashion business via changing Eastern luxury into Western style, showcasing Western-style cutting, materials and design, and incorporating global colour palettes and aspects to Chinese culture. One of the standout features of Shanghai Tang goods is its theme model, which has a set theme every two quarters. Joanne Ooi, the creative director, spends most of her time touring different regions of China before deciding on a facet of Chinese culture or way of life as the design topic for each quarter.

The Year of the Tiger Campaign SWOT analysis

Opportunities

Strengths

The campaign was very influential, which offered a great opportunity for the brand to continuously increase its promotional efforts. In Concept stores, products and artworks are for sale, which meet both the functions of retailing and aesthetic needs of consumers, adding value to the culture of the brand. A very special item released by Shanghai Tang is a pair of reg and magenta tiger-motif chopsticks which come in a luxurious red box for the Year of the Tiger (Coleman, no date). This brought an opportunity for Shanghai Tang to understand and showcase brand art and Chinese traditional culture to customers around the world.

In the Year of the Tiger, Shanghai Tang continued its collaboration with a global wildlife conservation organisation. Shanghai Tang donated a portion of the proceeds of the brand's tiger-themed merchandise across all its retails and online platforms between 21 July and 31 December 2022 to Save Wild Tigers (Soriano, 2021). The Shanghai Tang X SWT campaign included clothing with the tiger as a prominent design, such as the tiger-embroidered Mandarin collar polo shirt and T-shirt, and the "Hide & Seek" Chinese zodiac print silk scarf, which is hand-illustrated with all 12 Chinese zodiac animals (ibid.). This campaign shows the brand’s commitment to protecting the tigers and the environment to some extent, which has had a positive effect on its business promotion and marketing to increase brand awareness and customer base. During the same period, the Shanghai Tang store in Shanghai Xingye Taikoo Hui displayed three Yinhu New Year paintings customised by young artist Di Long for the brand (CRR, 2022). All these artworks could be purchased and collected as artworks, and all the money from the sales was used to support the Beijing Ullens Art Foundation public welfare project activities.

Threats

However, some threats cannot be ignored. The first threat is that many other luxury brands, especially Chinese luxury brands, also launched limited products for their promotion and marketing campaigns in the same festival period. This made the market very competitive for Shanghai Tang. The second threat is about the challenges the brand had to face to balance its Chinese and foreign customer groups. Expanding the brand into emerging markets requires to balance traditional values and foreign aesthetic tastes. The third thread is related to pricing. Many products from other merchants have a significant lower price compared to Shanghai Tang. For instance, a Shanghai Tang qipao costs at least $600, while a cheaper alternative can easily be found on China’s leading e-commerce platform Taobao for as little as 30 RMB ($5) (Deng, 2018). When Chinese consumers hear the phrase "luxury fashion brand", they tend to connect it to Western, contemporary clothing rather than a signed, traditional Chinese qipao (ibid.). This may be one of the reasons why this basic design concept has not resonated with Chinese millennial consumers, although the majority of its consumers come from mainland China.

Weakness

The main weakness of Shanghai Tang’s Year of the Tiger campaign is related to the number of products and promotions released. There were only a few products and promotions on offer. Shanghai Tang did not seize this opportunity to promote the brand by publicising its donation to SWT. The company was more inclined to build brand concept stores in the Year of the Tiger, empowering future sustainable development.

The Year of the Rabbit Campaign SWOT analysis

Opportunities

Strengths

In this campaign Shanghai Tang had the opportunity to collaborate with artists to develop the print. Moreover, Shanghai Tang presented furniture series in the Year of the Rabbit. As Women’s Wear Daily (2022) explained, fashion enthusiasts have turned to collecting furniture that combines a sense of history and scarcity, in order to showcase a class taste. This provides many possibilities and opportunities for brand cross-border cooperation.

For the Year of the Rabbit Campaign, one of the strengths is Shanghai Tang increased the scope of its marketing, which concurrently combines online and offline modes. The brand released limited products in collaboration with Di Long. Detailed information about the products was published on the brand’ official WeChat account, where limited edition red packets covers were also released. By handing out red packets covers, more people became aware of the brand. These low-cost red packets served well for a limited promotional purpose.

Threats

Weakness

The main weakness of this campaign is that only one piece of limited-edition clothing was released on the brand’s website. It seems that the brand tends to focus more on the artwork associated with Chinese traditional art.

The major threat of this campaign is that competing luxury brands also released limited- edition items in conjunction with the Year of the Rabbit. For example, Shangxia presented its furniture series in 2023.

Competitor analysis

Shanghai Tang

In its Year of the Rabbit campaign, Shanghai Tang collaborated with artist Di Long to launch the Ruitu Maochun series. Social media platforms including RED, Weibo, Instagram, and Facebook were used for the product promotion.On WeChat Official Accounts, information about the history and artistic works of rabbits in traditional Chinese art and culture from ancient times to the present was published. There is also a post introducing the Year of the Rabbit prints by artist Di Long and Shanghai Tang. There has been about 4100 views by August 2023, showing the wide interest of this series. On RED, there are 14 posts about The Chinese Year of the Rabbit. Some posts contain images and short videos. Shanghai Tang, together with UCCA Centre for Contemporary Art, had a special "Ji · Chun" art exhibition pop-up between 10 January and 12 February 2023 at Singapore Marina Bay Sands (B2M-232) boutique, where installation works of artists Yilun Zhou and Wei Chen, as well as the prints of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit by Di Long were on display. On Weibo, an image of the Year of the Rabbit was posted by Shanghai Tang (2023). Shanghai Tang and AlibabaDesign formed 100 mystery box-style New Year gifts, which were randomly paired with air drops, and issued 100 unique New Year wishes. Users could forward, like, comment, and post blessings. Then, a lucky fan was randomly picked up after the New Year, who was presented with an exquisite New Year gift from Shanghai Tang. However, the post shows that the data is not ideal. It was published on 16th January. There were only 9 reposts, 11 comments, and 9 likes, showing the lack of participation in this campaign. Moreover, SHANGHAI TANG X Di Long's "Embrace the Year of the Rabbit" embroidered bag was also posted on Weibo on 7th March, but the data is not optimal. It was only 2 reposts, 1 comment, and 8 likes. On Instagram, the Year of the Rabbit series also launched a series of Lantern Festival and Valentine's Day between 21 January and 13 February while celebrating the New Year. However, it only has one reel on Instagram, which means there is less promotion about the New Year. On Facebook, there were 11 posts about the Year of the Rabbit, of which five showcase the works of artist Di Long and Shanghai Tang. The pop-up was mentioned in these posts.

Shanghai Tang released 15 products in the Year of the Rabbit series. The series includes a female jacket, sweater, plate, bowl set, silk, candy box, and chopsticks.The price is 20% higher than the general series and the products were for sale both online and offline. In terms of product sales, Shanghai Tang has adopted an "online with offline" channel model. The brand has specialty stores, as well as online stores. At present, there are over 40 global specialty stores in Shanghai (Yan, 2011). The decoration of the stores’ storefront is very elegant and luxurious, reflecting the style of old Shanghai in the 1930s, and the stores are located in international airports and hotels (ibid.). Shanghai Tang has moved its whole product catalogues to its official website and WeChat Programme to allow consumers across the world to purchase “Shanghai Tang” products online. The choice of its setting and location reflects the style and taste of the brand. Combining online and offline marketing has helped the brand to expand its consumer base and enhanced the appeal of its ideas and products.

Figure 7

Shangxia

Shangxia released five products in the Year of the Rabbit series, which include a Female T-shirt, sweater, red rope bracelets, Paper Cuttings series tea gift box, Chinese checkers, go, and Mahjong. The price is 20% more than the standard series, and the products were for sale both online and offline.Regarding product sales, Shangxia adopted an "online with offline" channel model. The brand’s official website and a WeChat programme were used for online sales; For offline sales, the brand has 10 stores in China, one store in Singapore, and one store in France. Social media platforms including RED, Instagram, and Facebook were used for advertising the Year of the Rabbit series. On Shangxia's WeChat Official Accounts, various posts were published by Shangxia introducing its goods, details contained in the limited Paper Cuttings series gift box for the Year of the Rabbit, and the source of design inspiration. The posts have attracted about 19.3k views, which shows Shangxia has successfully attracted wider attention. On RED, there are 10 posts about the Chinese Year of the Rabbit series. Some posts contain images and short videos. There are four short videos showing the paper cuttings series and Chinese traditional art.On Weibo, there are four images about the Year of the Rabbit series posted by Shangxia (2023). However, the images only show a leather skirt with intarsia techniques from the New Year series.

Figure 8

On Instagram, there are 12 posts about bloggers wearing Shangxia garments or accessories from the Chinese Year of Rabbit series. In the Instagram Stories section, Shangxia has an individual story for the Year of the Rabbit series. Many celebrities published their stories and posts, which have been officially forwarded and gathered into one collective story. The story plays an important role in promoting the brand and Chinese traditional culture. Some stories in the collection are not directly related to Shangxia clothing or even the Chinese New Year. So, there is also a way for the brand to promote and increase their potential customers. However, it is better to relate to the Chinese New Year. The brand has not updated the content on Facebook since 2020.

DUANMU

In its Year of the Rabbit series, DUANMU launched a pair of earrings with three colours, using intarsia techniques. The product was for sale both online and offline, and the price is 70% more than the usual series.DUANMU products are sold online on its official website and WeChat programme, as well as offline in stores in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Nanjing. In its Year of the Rabbit campaign, DUANMU launched a special customised limited-edition red packets cover for the Year of the "Rabbit over Grass". On its WeChat Official Accounts, DUANMU published an article showcasing this limited-edition product and users had limited access to red packets. On its WeChat platform, information of the number of views is not available, but all its red packets have been claimed. Similarly, DUANMU also released pictures of Paper Cuttings decorating windows on RED, and offered a limited number of New Year gifts for some VIPs. On Weibo, no product images about the New Year series have been posted. Also, DUANMU does not have a Facebook page and its Instagram content has not been updated since 2021.

Figure 9

6. Finding and Analysis

Identify Yue embroidery:

Identify embroidery:

Gavin (2021) states that Yue embroidery (Cantonese Embroidery) is associated with present-day Guangdong Province. Yue embroidery includes two branches with different stitching styles: the Guang branch and the Chao branch (China Culture, no date). Guangxiu, also known as Cantonese embroidery, is a folk embroidery technique cantered around Guangzhou, Chaozhou, Nanhai, Panyu, Shunde, and other places in Guangdong Province (Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology Museum, no date). Its history spans more than a millennium at the present time (21 Finance and Economics, 2022). Needlework and silk texture are often used in Guangxiu to express the texture of objects, creating vivid and realistic images. The themes of Guangxiu works are often based on popular bird- and flower-related patterns such as birds paying homage to the phoenix and peacocks opening feathers. Guangxiu usually features patterns with strong Lingnan characteristics, such as lychees, red cotton, flowers, and birds, as its main themes, while it also incorporates Western painting lines and light and dark colour modes, which makes Guangxiu artworks very three-dimensional and ornamental.

The earliest examples of Chinese embroidery stem from the Zhou Dynasty (1027 – 221 BC) (Gavin, 2021). Embroidery is an ancient technique that uses embroidery needles to guide coloured threads and pierce designed patterns onto thin silk threads, forming patterns with embroidery marks (21 Finance and Economics, 2022). Su embroidery, Xiang embroidery, Shu embroidery, and Yue embroidery are collectively known as representatives of China's "Four Famous Embroideries". They represent different regions: Shu embroidery is associated with the city of Chengdu; Xiang embroidery is associated with Hunan Province. Shu embroidery has bright colors, sparse and clear composition, and is rich and round. The themes are mostly flowers and birds, animals, landscapes, fish and insects, or characters. Xiang embroidery is mainly made of pure silk, hard satin, soft satin, transparent yarn, and various colored silk and velvet threads. Embroidery has a long history in Chinese traditional art, and has had a huge impact on Chinese inheritance.

Techniques:

Artisans:

Yue embroidery techniques emphasise the combination of material form and quality, including four major styles: silk velvet embroidery, gold and silver thread embroidery, thread embroidery, and bead embroidery (A Hundred Famous Craftsmen, 2020). Real velvet embroidery is the oldest and most complete Guangdong embroidery variety in terms of skill inheritance, where silk is used as the material to show strong expressive power. The needle techniques of gold and silver thread embroidery are unique, with seven categories and sixty types, including flat embroidery, weaving embroidery, winding embroidery, convex embroidery, pad embroidery, applique embroidery, and brocade weaving. Pearl embroidery is a new variety of Yue embroidery that has only been developed and applied by Yue embroidery artists in recent decades. Guangxiu has two major varieties: wired embroidery and velvet embroidery (A Hundred Famous Craftsmen, 2020). Thread embroidery is only suitable for daily use, with twisted threads that cannot be split apart, and the colour of embroidery changes are not significant. Suede embroidery is the most famous Guangxiu, which is an appreciation painting for home decoration. The shape of Suede embroidery is realistic in three dimensions, showing a high cultural taste with permanent collection value. According to Guangfu Cultural Research Network (2012), although mixed fibre embroidery materials such as nylon have been more commonly used in recent years, traditional techniques such as gold and silver embroidery thread and gold velvet mixed are still in use. Taiwan embroidery are the most famous and loved embroidery by people, becoming the representative of Guangxiu.

Guangzhou is the birthplace of the Maritime Silk Road (Southern Metropolis Daily, 2021). In the 17th century, a two-century-long "Chinese style" emerged in Europe, of which Guangxiu has the longest and most competitive export history. Tingnan Qu points out that “The French have a term that describes the aesthetic style of Chinese art, called Chinoiserie. It is a proprietary term translated from the Cantonese embroidery at the exit of the Thirteen Elements" (Southern Metropolis Daily, 2021).Shaofang Chen, Chiguang Xu, Zhanpeng Tan, Xinyuan Wang, Tingnan Qu, and Xiaoman Liang are current Guangxiu artisans. Their works share some similarities, but each of them has a unique perspective on the production and inheritance of Guangxiu.

Figure 10

Tradition:

Cantonese embroidery originated from the Tang Dynasty (Chinese Culture Online, 2020). According to Li (2015), the regional culture in Lingnan was enhanced by the influence of the Central Plains culture from advanced regions through communication and mutual learning among various ethnic groups and tribes, coupled with the unification of Lingnan by the Qin Dynasty. This gradually formed a distinctive Lingnan culture. Embroidery benefits from the influence of this blended cultural environment. Long-term cultural exchange, sharing experiences and skills, and learning from each other have resulted in highly aesthetic handicrafts. In the Tang Dynasty, Lingnan once became a tribute for the royal family. In ancient China, embroidery was always gendered as female. However, in the industry of Guangxiu, the majority of embroidery workers are male. This is because Guangxiu mainly involves large-scale artworks, requiring workers to stand and work for a long period of time. Men with superior physical strength and endurance naturally become the main force of Guangxiu.

Located:

Beiting Village, Xiaoguwei Island, Panyu, Guangzhou (now within the university city) is one of the birthplaces of Guangxiu embroidery (Southern Metropolis Daily, 2021).

Figure 11

Materials and processes:

“Four complexities" refer to the rich complexities of the corresponding decorative patterns used in Cantonese embroidery. Its unique composition method can achieve a complex but not chaotic pattern, making the atmosphere of the work rich, lively and cheerful. Unique themes such as birds paying homage to the phoenix and peacocks opening feathers are commonly seen to highlight local characteristics.

Guangxiu relies on a single thread and needle, and there is no shortage of materials (Southern Metropolis Daily, 2021). The reason why Guangzhou can produce silk fabrics is because Guangdong has a warm and humid climate, and the Pearl River Delta plain is densely covered with river networks, which is suitable for planting mulberry and sericulture (Guangzhou Daily, 2022). Guangdong's sericulture industry has a long history of more than 2000 years and is one of the four traditional cocoon-producing areas in China (ibid.).Key features of Cantonese embroidery can be summarised as "one line", "two colours", "three gold", and "four complexes" ( SOHU, 2021). “One line' means that there are various ways to use thread. For example, in addition to using silk or velvet, there are also ways to use peacock hair for twisting threads as thread, and horsetail for winding down as thread. "Two colours" refers to the use of red, green. Sometimes with other contrasting and bright colours. Through clever delineation, the colours are full of richness, but without lacking vulgarity, and the overall emphasis is on the artistic effect of beauty. "Three gold" refers to the use of gold thread to create an overall outline of embroidery patterns, and then use materials such as gold and silver thread to overlay them. This style gradually developed into a unique new type of embroidery, such as nail gold embroidery and gold and silver thread embroidery. Among these new type of embroidery, gold velvet embroidery with high relief and the lining is the most popular, magnificent and imposing.

Figure 12

Finding:

According to Unibox (no date), concept stores frequently provide a diverse range of goods, including books, cosmetics, clothing, cuisine, and home furnishings, which have been chosen because they appeal to a particular target market. In addition, several concept shops provide innovative features like cafés or exhibition spaces to attract customers looking for a certain lifestyle. According to Saladich (2019), the concept store has many advantages. Firstly, the concept shop fosters a feeling of community among customers, which promotes brand engagement. The second advantage of the concept store is that it enables brands to stand out from their rivals and set themselves apart from the conventional ideals regarding how consumers may connect with brands. Shanghai Tang has a concept store that has been used to display the New Year collection and Chinese traditional artworks. The store presents lifestyle products every year, which offers an opportunity to promote Yue embroidery and thus improve the development of this intangible cultural heritage. Following an interview, artisan Xinyuan Wang also claims that taking the advantage of the Year of the Dragon to promote Yue embroidery in foreign markets is a wise move, given how weak its promotion has been. A few Yue embroidery inheritors have emigrated outside of China. Yue embroidery was most often delivered to England during the Qing Dynasty. The capacity to promote Yue embroidery has diminished with time, and sometimes it may not even have the effect of promotion. The promotion of Yue embroidery during the Year of the Dragon, in the opinion of Xinyuan Wang, is a great idea.

Brand limited series2024 is the Year of the Dragon and Yue embroidery’s representative patterns include the dragon. A range of tasks will be conducted to find and define the style of Shanghai Tang brand, including browsing Shanghai Tang's official website, identifying the promotional videos on its social media sites, selecting some existing products from its website, and applying Yue embroidery to the selected products. Yellow will be the colour scheme as yellow is one of the symbols of the dragon.

Analysis:

Why is Yue embroidery chosen for Shanghai Tang products? Markarian (2023) points out that the Chinese zodiac, also known as Shengxiao ("born resembling"), is a cycle of 12 years that repeats itself. Each year is represented by a different animal. In order, the 12 animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Moreover, the first year of the 12-year cycle was given to the winner of a race, who turned out to be the rat. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. The dragon is incredibly important to Chinese culture and Chinese art has used dragons for as long as Chinese culture has existed (Markarian, 2023). This species has been portrayed in almost every type of Chinese artwork, including sculpture and paintings. Additionally, different colours are used to represent dragons for various symbolic reasons. The red dragon is often viewed as a symbol of success and fortune, whereas the yellow dragon is a symbol of royalty.

7. Conclusion and Outcome

7.1 Conclusion

Lifestyle

In conclusion, luxury brands should increase their awareness of the sustainable development of traditional culture and art. How brand style may be combined with traditional art is not only a test of the brand, but also a test of the market. On the other hand, luxury brands should also consider how to choose most suitable marketing content and strategies, and how to improve their brand visibility on social media platforms. Finally, luxury brands should also consider how to attract and consolidate their customer base while aligning with their brand positioning and market trends.

7.2 Outcome

7.2.1 Shanghai Tang x Yue embroidery products

Shanghai Tang x Yue embroidery New Year series includes products for both men and women, including T-shirt, shirt, shoes, and jacket. Lifestyle products include bottle stopper and mirror.

Bottlestopper

Photo Frame

Women

Shoes

Shirt

Jacket

T-shirt

Men

T-shirt

Jacket

Shirt

Shoes

Shanghai Tang x Yue embroidery products

T-shirt

Shoes

7.2.2 Shanghai Tang x Yue embroidery Instagram reel

Shanghai Tang x Yue embroidery Instagram reel aims to promote the brand and Yue embroidery.

https://www.capcut.com/view/7273511225399443970?workspaceId=7261985666240724994

https://www.capcut.com/view/7273511586822619649?workspaceId=7261985666240724994

https://www.capcut.com/view/7273511683258057218?workspaceId=7261985666240724994

7. Conclusion and Outcome

7.2.3 Marketing Plan

Political

Situation analysis SWOT analysis

The Chinese consumer market is gaining strength to welcome the long-awaited recovery after the epidemic. With the recovery of the Chinese market in 2023, it is anticipated that shopping mall passenger flow and consumer confidence will rebound, and that the high-end consumer goods market will return to the right track. Sales of high-end consumer goods returned to the level of 2021 in the middle of 2023. Local brands lack some essential features such as luxury brand history, brand propositions, design concepts, and national image. Chinese consumers also show a stronger sense of national pride and love for traditional Chinese culture in luxury consumption. Creating a sound and consistent digital shopping experience across different channels should be considered. With the optimisation of epidemic prevention and control measures, confidence in luxury goods consumption in China has rebounded strongly, and market activity is expected to recover within the year.

Economic

Strength

Currently, few Chinese luxury brands in China cooperate with traditional handicrafts. The high price of the limited edition series may lead to customers reducing their purchases. The theme of the Year of the Dragon is in line with both the brand culture and the main patterns of Yue embroidery, making it an excellent opportunity for collaboration. Other competing brands also simultaneously launched the Year of the Dragon exclusive series.

Weakness

Sociological

Opportunity

Technological

Threat

Legal

Segmentation

Age: 30-40 agesMarital status: married Gender: Male and Female Parental status: with no children Country: China City: Beijing or Shanghai Habits: Big shopper Lifestyle: Regularly participate in social activities, extroverted. Interests: Likes to follow hot topics and trendy new things Values: Family-centred Salary: ¥60,0000 per year Occupation: Financial Industry Home Environment: Lives in an expensive house in an affluent area Education: BSc in marketing

Figure 13

Positioning

Categories

The competitors are luxury brands and high-end independent designer brands with products for the Year of the Dragon marketing. The products are different in term of categories and design. Shanghai Tang’s products include bottle stopper and mirror. Yue embroidery pattern is embedded in the design of these products. For market position, as Fashion Network (2011) stated, the largest market size now and in the future should still be Shanghai Tang, which has opened three specialty stores in two terminals of Pudong Airport. The author also mentioned that a problem, which is stores has always been a weakness for Chinese brands, as they are not just selling products, but also atmosphere building about stores.There are many details that need to pay attention to. For example, to improve the personal performance of the store staff requires a lot of investment and experience accumulation. At present, the Chinese market is still being surrounded by international first-tier brands in second and third-tier markets, making it difficult for Chinese luxury brands to compete.

Gucci

Louis Vuitton

Valentino

Dior

Burberry

LABELHOOD

Loewe

Susan Fang

Balenciaga

High price

Low price

Shangxia

DUANMU

Objectives

Shanghai Tang will invite artist Xinyuan Wang to a pop-up concept store between 1 January and 1 February 2024, where customers who are interested in Yue embroidery will be asked to choose existing finished products and embroider smaller patterns for their chosen products. Promotional posts will be published on RED platform on Christmas 2023, 5 January 2024, and 15 January 2024.

KOL list: @arryuu @christylaiii @zelia @joycengai @zoe-yuying @angiengcl

Marketing objectives:

UCCA in Beijing is one of China's best-known museums for contemporary art. Shanghai Tang will showcase and sell the Year of the Dragon clothing and lifestyle products at UCCA's pop-up store between 2 February and 8 February 2024 and between 16 February and 1 April.2024.If RED posts receive over 2000 likes, Shanghai Tang will send out one of the Shanghai Tang x Yue embroidery series lifestyle products. 2. If RED posts receive over 1000 likes, Shanghai Tang will send out one Shanghai Tang x Yue embroidery exclusive customised the Year of the Dragon series shopping bag.

• Specific: Increase brand awareness and product promotion
• Measurable: Increase 40% views on social media platforms
• Attainable: Keep up with the recent trendy topics and improve the attractiveness and frequency of content releases.
• Realistic: Participate more in other workshops and exhibitions related to handicrafts, browse their social platforms and read their posts.
• Time-based: 1 month
• Products (based on Shanghai Tang products with Yue embroidery in the Year of the Dragon),
• Customers (based on Shanghai Tang's existing and potential customers) and
• KOLs (based on Shanghai Tang existing and potential KOLs)

Marketing objectives

Time-bound

• Specific: Increase brand awareness and product promotion • Measurable: Increase sales by 10% over the next 6 months • Attainable: Keep up with recent hot topics; increase the attractiveness and frequency of content being published; organise limited-time events. • Realistic: Collect available suggestions and adjust some exhibition products based on the comments on posts that have been liked. • Time-based: 2 months Products (based on Shanghai Tang products with Yue embroidery in the Year of the Dragon), Customers (based on Shanghai Tang's current and potential customers) and KOLs (based on Shanghai Tang current and potential KOLs) KOL list: @arryuu @christylaiii @zelia @joycengai @zoe-yuying @angiengcl

Short-time goal: 1. 1.12.2023 – 1.1.2024 Plan to sell 500 items 2. After the 10.2023 –2.2024 campaign, Shanghai Tang exposure on all its social media platforms can increase by more than 5 million and Shanghai Tang’s entire official social media followers can grow by 50,000+. Long-time goal: 1. To promote the development of traditional Chinese art. 2. To promote the marketing of luxury goods in China. 3. To improve sustainable development in luxury fashion.

Budget allocation

• Offline launch: 1.12.2023 – 1.4.2023 • Launch platform Offline: Shanghai Tang concept store, UCCA pop-up store. Online: Official website, WeChat Programme, Instagram.

Communication objectives

Hierarchy of effects

The five stages (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Purchase, and Post-purchase) demonstrate the priority order of the five methods in each stage of the marketing process. The five methods are Direct message, Advertisement, Public relation, Sales promotion and Personal sale.

Marcom objectives

Marketing media: Digital: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/shanghaitang/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/shanghaitang) Red (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dca428b000000000100988e?xhsshare=CopyLink&appuid=5b58488d11be101ee0b8b163&apptime=1691661608) Weibo (https://www.weibo.com/shanghaitangchina)

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SEO Agency China (2020) Why do some luxury brands fail in China? A lesson of Shanghai Tang. Available at: https://seoagencychina.com/why-some-luxury-brands-do-not-work-in-china-a-lesson-of-shanghai-tang/ (Accessed: 12 June 2023) Shanghai Tang (2023) ‘The Year of the Rabbit is coming soon’ [Weibo] 16 January. Available at: https://weibo.com/2047627897/MoAbIkJYG?type=repost (Accessed: 4 August 2023) Shanghai Tang (no date) Our Story. Available at: https://www.shanghaitang.com/en-uk/our-story (Accessed: 1 August 2023) Shangxia (2023) ‘New Year of the Rabbit Fashion Attitude’ [Weibo] 18 February. Available at: https://weibo.com/u/1670480830 (Accessed: 4 August 2023) SOHU (2021) Embroidering the unparalleled style of Cantonese embroidery with every stitch and thread. Available at: https://www.sohu.com/a/485303512_120998614 (Accessed: 9 August 2023) Soriano, J. (2021) Shanghai Tang And Save Wild Tigers Team Up To Boost Conservation Efforts. Available at: https://www.tatlerasia.com/style/fashion/shanghai-tang-save-wild-tigers-conservation (Accessed: 9 June 2023) Southern Metropolis Daily (2021) Guangxiu: Ten Fingers of Spring Breeze Blooming with Prosperity, New Biography of Embroidery Art for a Thousand Years. Available at: https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20211031A01HAZ00 (Accessed: 8 August 2023) Southern Metropolis Daily (2021) High end and mass, integrity and innovation, creation and preaching coexist! A Way to Revitalize Thousand Year Embroidery. Available at: https://m.mp.oeeee.com/a/BAAFRD000020211029618355.html (Accessed: 24 June 2023) Tan, H. (2023) Living Inheritance in Change: Rethinking on the Productive Protection of Traditional Handicrafts in the New Era. Available at: https://www.ihchina.cn/luntan_details/26544.html (Accessed: 6 June 2023)

Unibox (no date) What Makes A Successful Concept Store? Available at: https://unibox.co.uk/blog/what-makes-a-successful-concept-store (Accessed: 8 August 2023) Valentino (no date) MAISON. Available at: https://www.valentino.com/en-us/world-of-valentino/maison (Accessed: 30 June 2023) Vogue Business (2023) China’s luxury spending revives in Q1 following lockdown disruption. Available at: https://www.voguebusiness.com/consumers/chinas-luxury-spending-revives-in-q1-following-lockdown-disruption (Accessed: 22 May 2023) Vogue China (2022) Keeping traditional craftsmanship is a must for us. Available at: https://www.vogue.com.cn/culture/art/news_18340c289a27a2ef.html (Accessed: 8 June 2023) Wang, J. (2022) Jumping out of the "year of the birth" mindset, luxury goods are gradually entering a better interpretation of Spring Festival culture. Available at: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/j1S49oyRdnmSzVkPfq8Qkg (Accessed: 28 May 2023) Wang, Z. (2023) How Luxury Brands Are Reviving Chinese Artisanal Traditions For Contemporary Tastes. Available at: https://jingdaily.com/brands-reviving-chinese-artisanal-traditions/ (Accessed: 6 June 2023) Women’s Wear Daily (2022) Depth | Why is the furniture series a key puzzle that luxury brands urgently need to add? Available at: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/shNxKtNEpa1993dn1I6IxQ (Accessed: 8 August 2023) Wong, A. (2022) CNY 2022: Luxury fashion brands pay homage to the Year of the Tiger. Available at: https://www.optionstheedge.com/topic/style/cny-2022-luxury-fashion-brands-pay-homage-year-tiger (Accessed: 25 May 2023) Wu, W. (2021) Dior Adds An Oriental Aesthetic To Their Chinese New Year 2021 Collection. Available at: https://jingdaily.com/dior-chinese-new-year-2021/ (Accessed: 24 May 2023)

Wu, W. (2022a) Loewe Sets The Bar For Chinese Cultural Marketing. Available at: https://jingdaily.com/loewe-chinese-ceramics-cultural-marketing/ (Accessed: 24 May 2023) Wu, W. (2022b) The Year of the Tiger is the Tear of Gucci. Available at: https://jingdaily.com/gucci-tiger-chinese-new-year-campaign/ (Accessed: 28 May 2023) Wu, W. (2023a) Chinese New Year 2023: Which Leading Luxury Brand Campaigns Are Winning The Year Of The Rabbit. Available at: https://jingdaily.com/chinese-new-year-2023-rabbit-luxury-campaigns/ (Accessed: 26 May 2023) Wu, W. (2023b) How Does Valentino’s Lunar New Year Campaign Stand Out In China? Available at: https://jingdaily.com/valentino-lunar-new-year-china/ (Accessed: 23 May 2023) Wu, W. (2023c) Luxury Brands Shun Valentine’s Day, Set To Double Down On Romantic Chinese Festivals. Available at: https://jingdaily.com/luxury-brands-shun-valentines-day/ (Accessed: 31 May 2023) Yan, L. (2011) Viewpoint: The Legend of Luxury Brands Represented by Chinese Elements in Shanghai Beach. Available at: https://www.p5w.net/news/xwpl/201104/t3555330.htm (Accessed: 2 August 2023) Yinghe Fashion Business Review (2023) What inspiration does' Year of the Rabbit 'bring to luxury brands? Check out the Spring Festival exclusive edition of the top 10 luxury brands such as Gucci and LV. Available at: http://news.winshang.com/html/070/9486.html (Accessed: 27 May 2023) Zheng, R. (2018) Coming Home: Luxury Brand Shanghai Tang Acquired by Chinese Investment Fund. Available at: https://jingdaily.com/shanghai-tang-acquired-by-chinese-investment-fund/ (Accessed: 8 June 2023)

9. Image Reference

Figure 1 KPMG (2023) Luxury Redefined. Available at: https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/cn/pdf/en/2023/01/luxury-redefined.pdf (Accessed: 22 May 2023) Figure 2 Vogue Business (2023) China’s luxury spending revives in Q1 following lockdown disruption. Available at: https://www.voguebusiness.com/consumers/chinas-luxury-spending-revives-in-q1-following-lockdown-disruption (Accessed: 22 May 2023) Figure 3 0726 Process Research Institute (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377850832/ (Accessed: 22 May 2023) Figure 4 DIGITALING (2022) Do luxury brands understand China better this Spring Festival? Available at: https://www.digitaling.com/articles/696709.html (Accessed: 4 July 2023) NOWRE (2023) VALENTINO Valentino x KARORO Special Cooperation 2023 Spring Festival Plan. Available at: http://nowre.com/fashion/742839/valentino-hualuntiannu-x-karoro-tebiehezuo-2023-xinchunqihua/ (Accessed: 5 July 2023) Figure 5 Loewe (no date) The Chinese Monochrome collection. Available at: https://www.loewe.com/eur/en/women/ss23-womens-precollection/the-chinese-monochrome-collection?start=0&sz=64 (Accessed: 5 July 2023) Figure 6 Keeping traditional craftsmanship is a must for us (2022) Available at: https://www.vogue.com.cn/culture/art/news_18340c289a27a2ef.html (Accessed: 8 June 2023)

Figure 7 Shanghai Tang (no date) Home page. Available at: https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dca428b000000000100988e?xhsshare=CopyLink&appuid=5b58488d11be101ee0b8b163&apptime=1689630417 (Accessed: 6 July 2023) Shanghai Tang (no date) Home page. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/shanghaitang/ (Accessed: 6 July 2023) Shanghai Tang (no date) Home page. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/shanghaitang (Accessed: 6 July 2023) Figure 8 Shangxia (no date) Home page. Available at: https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/6107c0cb0000000001003b5a?xhsshare=CopyLink&appuid=5b58488d11be101ee0b8b163&apptime=1689630520 (Accessed: 6 July 2023) Shangxia (no date) Home page. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/shangxia/ (Accessed: 6 July 2023) Shangxia (no date) Home page. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/ShangXiaParis (Accessed: 6 July 2023) Figure 9 DUANMU (no date) Home page. Available at: https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5bae329f6611e900011c4a1b?xhsshare=CopyLink&appuid=5b58488d11be101ee0b8b163&apptime=1689630706 (Accessed: 6 July 2023) DUANMU (no date) Home page. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/dmljstudio/ (Accessed: 6 July 2023)

Dragon Embroidery Design (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377889190/ (Accessed: 9 July 2023) Large Chinese Dragon Sew On Back Patch Embroidered Notion Applique Motif Men Women Clothing Jacket Shoulder Denim Pant Backpack Decoration (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377949337/ (Accessed: 9 July 2023) (#219) A RARE YELLOW EMBROIDERED TWELVE-SYMBOL SEMI-FORMAL ‘DRAGON’ BORE QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377949386/ (Accessed: 9 July 2023) Canva (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/canva/ (Accessed: 9 August 2023) Xmind (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/xmindofficial/ (Accessed: Aug 9 2023) Procreate (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/772085929856441209/ (Accessed: 9 August 2023) Grammerly (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062379261407/ (Accessed: 9 August 2023) Do luxury brands understand China better this Spring Festival? (2022) Available at: https://www.digitaling.com/articles/696709.html (Accessed: 10 August 2023) The Chinese Monochrome collection (2023) Available at: https://www.loewe.com/eur/en/women/ss23-womens-precollection/the-chinese-monochrome-collection (Accessed: 10 August 2023)

Shanghai Tang embroidery products reference0726 Process Research Institute (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377850710/ (Accessed: 8 July 2023) 0726 Process Research Institute (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377850753/ (Accessed: 8 July 2023) GiseleChristensen (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377850750/ (Accessed: 8 July 2023) Flaming Flying Dragon – Machine Embroidery Design – 2 Sizes (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377888715/ (Accessed: 8 July 2023) Sexy Mini Dress with Kinds of Hot、Micro、Short Styles (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377888921/ (Accessed: 8 July 2023) Chinese Dragon Machine Embroidery Design Instantly Download – Etsy (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377888812/ (Accessed: 8 July 2023) Gold Chinese dragon Machine Embroidery Design (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377888916/ (Accessed: 9 July 2023) 4213 Thai Dragon Utility Shirt Golden Black – M/Golden Black (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377888961/ (Accessed: 9 July 2023) Dragon – Machine Embroidery Design – 3 Designs Pack – Chinese Dragon Embroidery – 4x4 and 5x5 Hoop – Instant Download (no date) Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/606086062377889148/ (Accessed: 9 July 2023)

10. Interview

Q: Do you have any opinion on the direction of Guangdong embroidery cooperation among Chinese luxury brands in the Dragon Year series? A: The Year of the Dragon is a traditional Chinese culture, and Cantonese embroidery is also an intangible cultural heritage of China. It was rated as a national intangible cultural heritage on May 20, 2006. Using the Year of the Dragon to promote Cantonese embroidery in overseas markets is a good direction. The promotion of Cantonese embroidery in overseas markets is currently very weak. There are also very few inheritors of Cantonese embroidery who have gone abroad. During the Qing Dynasty, the export volume of Cantonese embroidery to England was the highest. With the changes of the times, the power of promoting Cantonese embroidery has become weak, even negligible. I think the idea of promoting Cantonese embroidery through the Year of the Dragon is very good. Q: Do you think this idea is actionable in the face of the Chinese market? Is there a possibility of implementation? A: There is no problem targeting the domestic market, but I believe it is better to promote it to overseas markets. As the inheritor of Guangxiu, I suggest promoting it more in overseas markets. : How do you think the brand side will support Guangzhou Embroidery in the cooperation between Chinese luxury brands and Guangzhou Embroidery? A: For example, in Chinese tea brands, the surface of the tea boxes in their products can be embroidered with embroidered patterns. Overall, cross-border cooperation between the two parties requires communication and mutual empowerment and support, which is very good.

Q: When did you start to delve deeper into and learn about Guangxiu? A: I have been studying Guangxiu for over twenty years, and I am also a retired soldier. Because of his love for hobbies, he later became a inheritor and discovered that Guangxiu was facing the problem of being lost. To solve the problem of transmission loss, it is necessary to rely on the efforts of society, government, and various sectors. Because Guangxiu is an intangible cultural heritage, it is not only a Chinese intangible cultural heritage, but also a world intangible cultural heritage. So we hope that interested overseas people will also come to study, and I have also conducted teaching activities overseas in Australia and other places. Q: What are the traditional and modern colors of Guangxiu? A: Since the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the traditional colors of Guangxiu have been related to dye colors. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the colors were relatively simple and simple, with more ivory white colors, which was also related to the technology and technology at that time. Most of them are water dyed, vat dyed, plant dyed, and mostly plain and some gradient colors. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the improvement of dyeing technology, the colors of mulberry silk became more diverse. From the high saturation of red, purple, and green in the 1950s and 1960s, it gradually presents elegance and heaviness today. And the current colors can achieve physical effects based on different materials and themes. The colors embroidered on the items around you are almost the same, and the richness of the colors has now become ever-changing. It can achieve both traditional simplicity and noble elegance, highlighting a profound sense of history. Q: How long does it take for different sizes of embroidery decorations, such as in clothing or lifestyle products? A: Guangxiu decorations of the size of cultural and creative works can be repaired in one to three days. If it is an artwork, it will take one year or more. Negotiated based on the work.