Vogue Business:Decoding China's Hanfu revival

The following is an edited excerpt of a story that was originally published on Vogue Business in China. Read the full article in English here or visit Vogue Business in China on WeChat.

In October, the historic city of Xitang in Eastern China was awash with 40,000 people coming from all over the country. They were dressed in Hanfu, a historical clothing style worn by members of the Han people from roughly 1600BC to 1636, to celebrate the sixth Hanfu Cultural Festival. Hanfu revival has become one of China’s many trends since the early 2000s. According to China Daily, the sector was worth around RMB 1.1 billion ($156 million) in 2019.

About three-quarters of Hanfu customers are between 16 and 24 years old. Members of this generation often see it as a way to rediscover and engage with their country’s traditional culture, and the Chinese government has been actively promoting Hanfu for those purposes. Online forums and blogs have proliferated, with popular sites and community accounts like han-fu.com and hanfuzixun reaching over one million followers. Films and television shows staged in ancient China have also contributed to the revival’s popularity, creating a specific category of key opinion leaders (KOLs) and profitable opportunities. Hanfu company Zhiyuji, founded by actress Xu Jiao in 2016, did over RMB 10 million ($1.4 million) in sales in 2018.

The trend has crossed borders. According to Wang Jiawen, chairman of the Guangdong Hanfu Culture Committee, the number of Hanfu communities worldwide grew 46 per cent between 2017 and 2019. “We have attracted a lot of followers from home and abroad,” says Jane Wang, a student at Toronto University who founded hanfu.in, a website to represent Hanfu fans overseas that is active on Instagram, Youtube, Weibo and TikTok.

As the trend continues to captivate new customers, three key areas of growth have emerged.

The rise of offline stores

According to hanfuzixun, in 2018, there were 129 offline Hanfu stores in China, compared with 815 Hanfu e-shops on Taobao.com. While e-commerce remains a preferred purchase channel, Hanfu retailers have started to diversify offline by offering “Hanfu experiences”. These stores allow customers to rent clothing, receive styling services and take part in photo shoots complete with props and backgrounds for between RMB 20 ($3) to about RMB 500 ($72). While a consumer might have previously bought just one new set from time to time, these services provide sales on a more constant basis. They also represent an opportunity to join in the trend for those who have not yet become Hanfu fans or those who can’t afford to buy the attire.

The competitive advantage of quality

Hanfu clothing can be divided into different tiers, from high-end, collectable products, which can cost over RMB 10,000 ($1,435), to affordable options priced between RMB 100 ($14) and 300 ($45). While these remain the most popular, accounting for 50 per cent of market share, there is space for the mid-range tier to evolve. Daoding Hanfu, a brand with a dedicated, 10-person design team that offers items priced at over RMB 1,000 ($145), has gained recognition among Hanfu fans because of its unique patterns, quality craftsmanship and wearability. The brand is increasingly specialising in Hanfu clothing that can be used as daywear by printing auspicious clouds pattern on pleated skirts and stitching traditional embroidery techniques on vests.

Hanfu for kids

In 2018, China only had 56 Hanfu manufacturers that were producing kidswear — representing seven per cent of all Hanfu manufacturers in the country. As the Hanfu womenswear market matures, manufacturers have turned to kidswear, which is already showing promise. Zhiyuji’s line of Hanfu for kids, called Lingjinji, successfully became a sponsor of the 2018 International Chinese Children’s Spring Festival Gala. The Semir Group, parent company of China’s top kidswear brand Balabala, has also seized the opportunity, launching its first collection of Hanfu for kids in August with four items priced at between RMB 150 ($22) to 300 ($45).