Besides food, clothing, and housing, what do we live for?
Fashion! What does 3,000 yuan (US$375) mean? Maybe a black Esprit
overcoat, or the latest Lenovo PDA mobile phone, or the trendiest
iPod …According to the VOGUE China Fashion Index Research
Report in 2006 reported by yesterday's China Youth
Daily, this salary marks the starting line of fashion in
China.
Through street interviews coupled by an online investigation,
the survey, conducted by the China National Research Association
(CNRA), VOGUE and Chinaindexes.com.cn, covered 2,529 people aged
between 20 and 45 from eight key cities, including Beijing,
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Xi'an.
"China is not the avant-garde country of the world in the
fashion, but an active supporter and participator," said Xiao
Mingchao, a guest researcher from CNRA and director of
Chinaindexes.com.cn.
He said: "After basically resolving the problems of food and
clothing, the public begin to cast a glance at the modern style to
improve their life. The changes of people's attitude toward life
witness the rapid economic development and income growth."
Scoring from zero to 100, China's Fashion Index was given 65.3
based on consumers' satisfaction with fashion, brand knowledge and
recognition, and consumer participation.
Many voters think the fashion stream dates back to the beginning
of 1990s. From that time, with dresses diversifying, the boom of
telecommunications and the rise of the Internet, it gained in
influence. According to the survey, people hold great confidence in
the economy and the development of fashion.
3000 yuan (US$375) is considered to be the starting line for the
masses to purchase fashionable wares. Xiao said, "It marks off the
will and action. 'Fashion level' is so close to one's income. The
more one earns, the more modern one will be."
About 77.4 percent of voters depended on their first impressions
to judge whether someone is fashionable or not.
"What people care about is the appearance or the outside sign.
They want to use a famous fashion brand to improve their images and
social status symbols," said Xiao. "Because China is at the stage
of 'sensibility consumption', so the public focus on the change of
style and satisfaction from sense perception."
According to the survey, most people believe that fashion lies
in constant changes. 18.7 percent think that "fashion should match
the time"; 17.0 percent hold that "it is an expression of
personality"; and 15.7 percent accept that "fashion stands for
future and innovation".
Xiao said that fashion brands in China changes so much, from
packing to designing and style. Brand-recognition and seasonal
trends still dominate the domestic market and opportunities are
given to every enterprise.
(China.org.cn by Wang Ke, November 21, 2006)
