A man walks past a Bosideng store in China. Photo: IC

Chinese brand Bosideng might be the most shining star this winter as it created a new fashion trend after jointly launching a clothing line with Jean Paul Gaultier, the former creative director for French luxury house Hermès.

The new clothing line, launched online on the Bosideng flagship store on Chinese ecommerce platform Tmall and physical retails stores in late October, consists of 12 items selling for an average price of 3,000 yuan ($452).

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, many traditional clothing brands have been facing challenges, but Bosideng has shown itself to be a winner.

The brand topped the pre-sale list for Tmall's promotional sales during the run up to Wednesday's Singles' Day festival, a major online shopping holiday akin to Cyber Monday. Many popular designs sold out soon after going online, while offline stores were full of customers, including several internet celebrities who made appearances as part of promotional events. 

With years of experience in the down apparel field, Bosideng has moved ahead and become a well-deserved leader in the industry. It has successively taken part in the major international fashion weeks in New York, Milan, and London, and has continued to cooperate with top international designers to launch joint clothing lines.

Models take to the catwalk for the Bosideng show during London Fashion Week on February 16. Photo: IC

Models take to the catwalk for the Bosideng show during London Fashion Week on February 16. Photo: IC

In 2018, Bosideng officially took its first step toward cross-industry cooperation, successfully launching products featuring major IPs from Disney, Marvel and Wreck-It Ralph. It was also the year that Bosideng made its New York Fashion Week debut and officially began exploring the international fashion market. 

In 2019, Bosideng took aim at Milan Fashion Week. The appearance of stars like Tom Hiddleston and Scarlett Johansson captured the attention of audiences. The company later cooperated with Antonin Tron, a former designer at Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga, and Tim Coppens, former design director at Ralph Lauren, to launch new product lines.

The company also made it on the cover of five top fashion magazines including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Marie Claire, setting off an upsurge of down jacket purchases throughout fashion circles.

For a time, Bosideng went from "the down jacket that elderly Chinese love to wear" to the "down jacket that all the Hollywood stars are wearing."  

In addition, Bosideng's product structure has also begun leaning toward mid-to-high-end products.

It is worth mentioning that Bosideng has achieved double growth in operating income and net profit for four consecutive years. 

However, to enter the high-end market, it will have to compete with high-end down jacket brands such as Canada Goose and Moncler, which means Bosideng still has a long way to go. 


Newspaper headline: Exploring new horizons