Reprinted from: WWD International Fashion News
Original title: Fashion Culture | Through the Li Ning incident, how should fashion brands understand “cultural symbols” and consumer sentiment?
The cultural ambiguity caused by product design has once again sounded a wake-up call for the Chinese fashion industry.
At the end of last month, Li Ning Group held a new autumn and winter show with the theme of “Dream-following”, in which the design of several show models in the “Sacred Artifacts” section caused great controversy. The voice from the Internet pointed directly: the style is superimposed on the style, which is suspected to be Japanese military clothing. Immediately, a screenshot of “Li Ning executives’ circle of friends” started a new round of fermentation. In this screenshot circulating on the Internet, in addition to the picture of the “li-shaped helmet”, there is also a paragraph of text: “Our consumers, for the precipitation of Chinese culture, the inheritance of educational knowledge is still less. At the same time, we should introspect ourselves and how to guide them correctly. In the process of consumers, avoid more misunderstandings.” At this point, public opinion was once again in an uproar.
Until yesterday, Li Ning’s official Weibo issued a statement, clearly pointing out that this “Dream Walk” show is based on the theme of “flying”, drawing inspiration from pilot equipment and showing the dream of human beings to explore the sky. The design of the flying cap comes from ancient Chinese helmets, outdoor protective caps and cotton caps. The products are presented in a variety of colors and styles, and have professional functions such as wind protection and warmth.
In fact, from last year’s JNBY to this year’s Li Ning, it is not even limited to the fashion industry. Those local enterprises that have always focused on the Chinese local market, especially content dissemination and brand building, have always been closely related to traditional culture or national spirit. This is not the first time that Chinese cultural ambiguity caused by design symbols.
Although the consumer side and the brand side seem to hold their own opinions on the “historical facts” they understand, from the perspective of brand building – this event once again verifies the importance of culture to brands. Behind another cultural ambiguity incident, in the process of brand building, how to correctly use culture in order to achieve cultural aesthetic identity with consumers? What this means for the industry is the more important revelation:
01. Culture is a precipitation through history. Only by understanding the full picture of history can we not only “make no mistakes” but also “have something to say” in cultural inheritance and innovation;
02. Brand communication is as important as brand upgrading. The application of cultural elements to design and marketing requires a laying out process. The process of interpreting the design is the key step in communicating with consumers.
Culture is the precipitation through history, and Chinese traditional culture has a pivotal influence and evolution process in the global context. Only by understanding the whole process of historical development and evolution can we be cautious in words and deeds while consolidating the cultural heritage of the brand.
This is the starting point of this Li Ning turmoil.
It is based on the ancient Chinese “脄”, which has been constantly changing in terms of materials, shapes and uses in the historical evolution. In modern times, “脄” has even begun to appear widely in troops all over Southeast Asia, including Japanese troops.
Looking at this kind of spread from another angle, it is the historical fact that Chinese clothing culture has spread overseas in different periods.
In fact, Japanese kimonos are similar to Tang Dynasty clothing, and they were also deeply influenced by Chinese culture at that time. In Japan, samurai helmets are collectively referred to as “kabuto”, which is derived from the ancient Chinese name for helmets “dou-sun (mou two tones)”. From the original “star pocket” to the “official hood” at the end of the Warring States period, the aesthetics of martial arts gradually became more open in the fierce war and the frequent collision of Eastern and Western cultures. Classes spread rapidly. Until the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, the design aesthetics, which took a century to develop, met the strict new regulations of the shogunate. However, during the shogunate era, the Japanese musketeers learned French-style military uniforms, and still retained the array of hats and neck guards. The “neck guard” inherits the spirit of Japanese Bushido and has become a “symbol”. In the face of such history, such “symbols” will certainly challenge the “national sentiment” of the public today.
In modern Chinese history, Mr. Gu Hongming, one of the few scholars who is erudite in traditional Chinese culture and proficient in Western language and culture, once wrote in the book “On the Spirit of the Chinese People”: “Chinese people live an emotional or A life of human love, a life of the soul.” Indeed, Chinese people tend to have enough empathy when dealing with others and know how to understand the suffering of others, so it is easier to form a consensus on “emotional symbols”.
And it is worth noting that Li Ning, who has just turned 32 years since its establishment this year, looks back on those “highlight moments” in the past, which are more driven by its cultural strategy of advocating national feelings. Making mistakes in the core concept, or the strong contrast of brand recognition, to some extent, further aggravated the public opinion turmoil that came with cultural ambiguity. The stock price of Li Ning’s Hong Kong stock market plunged by more than 13% during the session on the 17th. After the apology statement was issued on the 19th, the share price still fell by more than 5%.
Not only for Li Ning, but also for the cultural construction of China’s fashion industry, and for the transnational cultural narrative of international brands, it is an important wake-up call. For example, Louis Vuitton caused a storm of public opinion in Hinduism because the shoulder straps were made of cowhide. Yoga is an Indian culture based on ancient Indian philosophy, while cows are known as “divine beasts” in Hindu culture. It is sacred and inviolable in the eyes of some Hindus.
It is also the Otto cartoon image product launched by Prada earlier, which is accused of being very similar to the racist cartoons that dehumanize black people in history, and is suspected of discriminating against black people; Gucci’s sweater “Balaclava” is due to black background and exaggerated red lips. Netizens think that it alludes to the facial features of black people and is also suspected of racial discrimination.
Secondly, from the perspective of brand communication and consumer communication, the so-called “consumer education” does not mean that the consumer side must “accept all the bills” – the modern fashion industry, as the messenger of cultural dissemination, communicates closely with the consumer side. It is not just completed in a fashion show or a new product release, but a laying out process that needs to connect the past and the future, and give inspection and feedback. This can not only consolidate the professionalism of brand culture construction, but also lay out the content step by step with the mass consumer groups.
Otherwise, a brand perception of “cultural arrogance” will form.
Although the brand-new clothing printed with the four characters of “China Lining” landed at New York Fashion Week in 2018, it once attracted the attention of major social media, and achieved step-by-step market expansion; The products are inspired by the philosophical thinking of “The Situation of Wood and Stone” in “Sun Tzu’s Art of War: The Situation”, using modern trend design techniques to present Chinese Kung Fu culture; or the first urban customization of Li Ning in China located in Beijing Xidan Juntai Department Store store, and the Li Ning Kuanzhai Alley concept store opened in Chengdu in June last year…. Li Ning’s traditional cultural narrative and local characteristics have always been its core business philosophy.
But for the current increasingly homogeneous market structure, it is better to tell a good cultural story than to tell a good cultural story professionally and coherently. From an objective point of view, the appearance of the “scorpion” on the Li Ning fashion show, for the consumer side, is sudden.
The same is true for the cultural ambiguity that JNBY, a local company founded in 1994, faces. Despite its unique product creativity and retail network layout, as well as its ever-expanding brand matrix scale, the Chinese market has shown promising growth in the past few years. momentum. However, the “cultural dilemma” that came with the inappropriate patterns on JNBY children’s clothing last year was actually not only divorced from the particularity of the consumer audience, but also lacked communication feedback at the cultural and creative level.
Therefore, focusing on the current Chinese fashion industry, understanding of modern history and the history of Chinese and foreign clothing, and in-depth understanding and comprehensive interpretation of etiquette clothing and clothing are essential.
Just as an industry insider who has been rooted in Chinese shoe and apparel brand research for more than ten years believes that the Li Ning incident is a wake-up call for the entire industry: the development of the brand is the same as the development of the times, and behind the trend is accumulation. Exactly how to accumulate, seize the opportunity of the revival of the national tide, and seize the consumer psychology is an opportunity, but whether or not to firmly grasp this trend also depends on accumulation and precipitation, the accumulation of cultural heritage and innovation, and the consumption sentiment of the public consumption psychology. The cognitive precipitation of the people should not be superficially played with the concept of “national tide”.
Previously, the China National Garment Association and the Chinese version of WWD jointly published the “White Paper on Chinese Etiquette and Clothing” in 2021, emphasizing that the “symbolization” of Chinese culture in the international market should adhere to the correct orientation.
A lot of things happen, and in the end, it boils down to two things: attitude issues and results issues. In the face of public sentiment, the most important thing is attitude. Never stand on the opposite side of consumers. The development of a brand is a process of synergy with the times and consumers. On the way of brand growth and climbing, the consumption of every drop and recovery should be recorded and become a wake-up call for the future, so as to form compound interest in the process of brand exploration.
China’s modern industry developed late, and among the shoes and clothing that are still the mainstream of the market and even all fashion brands, those born in the 1970s and 1980s are already quite historical “fashion heavy tools”. If it only takes 30 years, there are very few brands that can really go through the cycle. In the process of a brand from birth to development, competition is multi-dimensional. The so-called highlight moment that really stands out is often the trend of the times, but it is essential to accurately grasp the psychology of consumers. In the process of communicating with consumers, culture is the realization of empathy. The best bridge and tool for resonance, but if used incorrectly, it will backfire. The so-called right time, place and people can make a successful brand.
Crisis crisis, every “crisis” has “opportunity” in it. Li Ning, who has experienced ups and downs and tried transformation since the 1990s, has a history of 32 years, and once became a leading sports brand representing China and the world. I hope that this time, we will seize the “opportunity” from the “crisis” and avoid the Yu Zheji has become a brand that truly goes through cycles. WWD
Written by Li Jun and Du Mingwei
Edited by Du Mingwei
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