Spring has arrived and the temperature is gradually rising. This season, many beauty-loving women have chosen "new Chinese" style clothing such as horse-faced skirts as their new clothes for the spring. JD.com data shows that since the live broadcast of the Year of the Dragon Spring Festival Gala, the transaction volume of "new Chinese-style" clothing has increased by 215% year-on-year, and the transaction volume of Hanfu category has increased by 325% year-on-year.
This year's "Government Work Report" proposed that cultivating domestic products should be one of the important ways to promote consumption. Now is the peak season for spring clothing. Can "New Chinese Style" continue this wave of popularity and open up a larger market?
The horse-faced skirt makes its "C position" debut this spring
"This spring, more and more people are wearing horse-faced skirts on the streets of Changsha." Xiao Wen, a citizen, is a Hanfu "enthusiast". She said that from last year to this year, she has 10 horse-faced skirts. "Every month You have to spend about a thousand yuan to buy Hanfu, which can be paired with sweaters, shirts, and some Han elements. You can also wear a full set of traditional jackets to match it." She said that now the scenes where you can wear it have become more and more diverse. .
On social platforms, the style of wearing horse-faced skirts to check in is more "letting a hundred flowers bloom": some are more ancient style, holding a folding fan in Martyrs Park and Tongguanyao Ancient Town, giving a dignified atmosphere of peace and prosperity for the country and the people; some are more modern. , wearing a black horse-faced skirt and a white shirt, walking striding among high-rise buildings in the International Financial Center, Beichen Delta and other places, her aura was instantly full.
The reporter inquired about relevant information and learned that the horse-faced skirt, also known as the "horse-faced pleated skirt", is one of the common skirt styles for women in ancient China. "Ma Mian" originally refers to a tower-like building in ancient times. The spiral skirt of the Song Dynasty developed into the Ming Dynasty, and the horse-faced skirt gradually formed.
"Unlike some Hanfu, which consists of 3-piece or 4-piece sets, which are a bit cumbersome to wear, horse-faced skirts are simple and versatile to wear, making it easier to integrate into modern life." said Tang Ling, a junior who just entered the trap this year. , as a kind of skirt, the horse skirt is compatible with a variety of body shapes and sizes. “Basically, I don’t care about fatness or thinness. With certain makeup, everything looks good.”
National trend "top trend" empowers new consumption
With blue bricks, gray tiles and granite paths, on Duzheng Street, which is rich in history and culture, there is the Xinghanting Hanfu Experience Center, where the horse-faced skirt is the most popular item at the moment. "Wearing a horse-faced skirt and walking through the ancient alleys, it seems that you can better feel the charm of the ancient city under the Tianxin Pavilion city wall and the tranquil atmosphere of the city." said Guo Tang, a consumer who was choosing a horse-faced skirt in the store.
"This year's horse-faced skirts have a high rate of appearance, especially among engaged girls and tourists taking photos." The clerk Xiao Li said that considering the price, style, and upper body effects, woven gold, bronzing, imitation makeup flowers, and dark patterns are all available. Many people like these jacquard horse-face skirts. The reporter visited many Hanfu stores in Changsha and found that warm and elegant horse-faced skirts are the first choice of most customers.
Offline trends are also reflected online. In the official clothing flagship store of "Weaving Division" on Taobao platform, the reporter saw that the top 10 products were all horse-face skirts, which were paired with daily clothing such as shirts and sweaters. Xie Linglong, founder of the Weaving Department, said that because the structure of horse-faced skirts is very close to that of daily skirts, it is an emerging category that grew out of Hanfu to cater to consumers' daily needs.
As one of the brands that has benefited from new Chinese traffic, "Weaving Division" is not a special case. On major e-commerce platforms, Chinese-style clothing such as Hanfu has become one of the popular products in the past two years, with the industry’s annual growth rate exceeding 230%. Tmall data shows that since January 2024, horse-faced skirts have become the most popular item in the Hanfu category. The reporter searched the platform and found that the average price of horse-faced skirts is about 300 yuan. The relatively affordable price is also an important reason why horse-faced skirts are popular among young people.
"New Chinese style" is popular in daily life
In fact, "new Chinese-style" clothing has not yet formed a unified standard. Broadly speaking, the integration of traditional Chinese elements and modern fashion design can be called "New Chinese Style". The popularity of the horse-faced skirt is precisely because it does not simply copy ancient elements, but combines its form with modern popular elements to create a unique style that is both traditional and modern.
In Changsha Wangfujing Department Store, spring clothing has been fully updated. The reporter saw that in these new spring clothes, all kinds of buckles, embroidery, jacquard"New Chinese" elements with oriental aesthetics such as fabrics are very conspicuous. Even if they are not a brand that specializes in this style, most of them will incorporate "new Chinese" elements into individual items to follow the fashion trend.
For example, "Ordos 1980" launched a special spring series, with Chinese red cashmere cardigans paired with Chinese buckles, showing oriental charm; Bosideng launched ink "dragon pattern" clothing, Chinese aesthetics "catches" young people; Adidas uses "new Chinese style" "The joint branding method combines classic Chinese knot elements with black and red contrasting colors, and launches Chinese-style casual jackets with stand-collar Tang suits, integrating traditional Chinese craftsmanship details and modern style... It is not difficult to find that it brings together traditional Chinese elements and current aesthetics. The "new Chinese style" outfits are "thriving" this spring with a chic yet oriental charm, and are "seamlessly" integrated into consumers' daily scenes such as going to work and shopping.
Nowadays, more and more consumers wear horse-faced skirts confidently and calmly to express their love for traditional Chinese culture; merchants are also constantly trying in the "new Chinese" style, creating a personal style for the daily use of traditional clothing. New consumption and new samples.
Reporter's Notes
In 2024, "new Chinese style" has become a fashion trend in clothing circles. Many netizens call it "bloodline awakening" and "uniquely Chinese romance." With the "New Chinese Style" blowing strongly, traditional culture no longer only exists in the display windows of museums, but has begun to be integrated into the hot modern life. And its own cultural attributes and social value have also allowed more consumers to see the confidence and rise of oriental elements and oriental aesthetics.
In the face of more confident and tasteful consumers, how to refuse to simply repeat tradition, continue to build national fashion brands, innovate marketing models, and upgrade consumer experience is a major challenge for businesses. There may be a certain amount of luck involved in the popularity of a "super item", but if you want to continue to get out of the circle and achieve great development, it is far from enough to rely on the enthusiasm of consumers. You must find more "horse-faced skirts" to gain popularity. The market is finding its footing.
