Farfetch pairs British designers with Chinese influencers to boost sales
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The luxury clothing platform is expanding its offering in China with a marketing drive tailored at influencers
Spotted: Chinese online influencers have been growing in popularity, a fact that has not escaped the notice of Western luxury retailers anxious to improve their reach in China. Now, online luxury retail platform Farfetch is teaming British fashion designers with four top Chinese influencers for the London Fashion Week digital showcase.
The Chinese influencers, who have a combined following of 22.6 million on Weibo, will be showcasing designs from Roksanda Ilinčić, Erdem Moralıoğlu, Charles Jeffrey, Marco Capaldo and Kikka Cavenati. Farfetch reports that British designers perform particularly well with China’s young consumers. The partnership is a chance for brands to showcase their latest designs and increase brand awareness across the country.
Under normal conditions, Farfetch would have flown the influencers to London for Fashion Week events. But with as London Fashion Week will be digitalised this year due to COVID-19, the company decided on a digital partnership. Each designer was paired with an influencer that best matched their brand identity; for example, influencer Anny Fan has a graceful and arty image, so she was matched with Erdem Moralıoğlu, who has a similar look.
Each of the designers was interviewed by an influencer in a short video. China is a top priority for Farfetch, explains Judy Liu, managing director at Farfetch China. She added that even before they knew London Fashion Week was going online, “we were already thinking of ways to involve Chinese influencers with the designers.”
Farfetch is just one of many retailers who are adjusting their marketing techniques to suit the Chinese consumer. Other innovations covered recently on Springwise include a platform selling collectables exclusively in China and product launches live-streamed on Chinese platforms.
Explore more: Retail Innovations | COVID-19 Innovations