China news and archive

Saint Laurent Rive Droite, the brand's cultural concept, launches in China

Saint Laurent Rive Droite, the house's cultural concept store conceived by Anthony Vaccarello, is opening a location in Beijing, China. In the 1960s, Yves Saint-Laurent Rive Gauche democratised luxury with its ready-to-wear line, Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. In 2019, Anthony Vaccarello, the house's artistic director, launched Saint Laurent Rive...

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Luxury: 86 percent of Indian consumers plan to increase spending over next 12 months

Nearly two thirds of Indian and Chinese consumers have spent over 20,000 euros on luxury goods in the past 24 months. Additionally, 86 percent of Indian consumers plan to further increase their spending over the next 12 months, the most significant figure among all markets analysed. The data confirms that luxury growth continues, yet drivers and...

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Taxation of small Chinese parcels: EU moves to practical implementation

Brussels (Belgium) - The principle has been agreed, yet practical details remain to be settled. The 27 member states must find a provisional solution on Friday to tax the mountains of small Chinese parcels imported into the European Union “as soon as possible” in 2026. This move comes without waiting for the initial deadline set for 2028. Some...

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Chinese smart glasses firms eye overseas conquest

In China, AI glasses let the wearer pay in shops with just a glance at a QR code and a voice command, as a growing number of companies look to conquer both growing domestic and overseas markets. Interest in smart eyewear is soaring worldwide after more than a decade of stalled promise, with advances in artificial intelligence sparking a fresh...

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Kering moves to reduce reliance on Gucci

Kering is preparing for a major reset as new chief executive Luca de Meo signals the end of the group’s heavy reliance on Gucci, according to reporting by the Financial Times. The luxury conglomerate has begun an 18-month restructuring programme under a broader recovery plan, “ReconKering”, aimed at resizing operations and returning all houses...

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Luxury houses eye India, but barriers remain

The globe's biggest luxury brands have dreamt of India's vast consumer base for decades, but navigating the market has proven to be a complex task. French retailer Galeries Lafayette is the latest to try its luck, opening its first Indian store on Sunday: a sprawling five-floor outlet in Mumbai, the country's financial capital. Its splashy foray...

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EU backs small parcel duties to tackle China import flood

EU states on Thursday agreed to scrap a bloc-wide duty exemption on low-value orders from the likes of retail giants Temu and Shein to help tackle a flood of cheap Chinese imports. Currently there is no levy on packages worth less than 150 euros ($174) imported directly to consumers in the 27-nation bloc, in many cases via Chinese-founded...

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Burberry shows first signs of stabilisation as Schulman’s turnaround gains momentum

Burberry Group plc has cause for measured optimism after its interim results confirmed that a long-decline in comparable store sales has finally come to a halt. According to Robyn Duffy, senior analyst (Consumer Markets) at RSM UK, the results should bring “a sigh of relief” for the luxury brand. Flat store sales in the first half (versus a...

Retail

Rapha opens first ‘clubhouse’ store in mainland China

British cycling apparel brand Rapha has now launched its ‘Clubhouse’ retail concept in mainland China. The opening of the new store in the economic hub of Shanghai is a “milestone” for the brand and marks “the beginning of a new era for Rapha in Asia,” the company announced in a statement on Wednesday. The ‘Clubhouse’ concept, which combines...

Fashion

Kering and Shanghai Fashion Week launch new CRAFT programme

During the opening ceremony of the Kering pavilion at the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE), French luxury group Kering signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Shanghai Fashion Week to launch Kering CRAFT. This stands for “Creative Residency for Artisanship, Fashion and Technology” and is a new initiative through which Kering...

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The Lycra Company opens second production facility in China

US fibre manufacturer The Lycra Company opened its largest spandex factory in the world in the Chinese city of Yinchuan on Friday. “This milestone underscores the company's continued investment in the Chinese market and highlights its strong commitment to building localised supply and distribution networks, as well as promoting advancements in...

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US government suspends additional tariffs on China until end of 2026

The US will not implement its threatened retaliatory tariffs on Chinese imports until at least November 10, 2026. This is according to a White House summary of the results of the meeting between US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping in South Korea. The current retaliatory tariff of 10 percent will remain in effect, the US...