A note to Asian models looking for work: send resumes to Giorgio Armani.
Of the 185 models strutting Armani’s fall and winter collections at the Italian fashion house’s runway show in Beijing Thursday, almost two-thirds were Asian—a remarkable figure in an industry that has long cast aside Asian models or employed them pointedly for diversification purposes.
The Milan-based company, one of the first major fashion companies to tap an Asian model for its ads, is using more Eastern faces to debut its collections as it realizes that Asian consumers, Chinese in particular, are determining its fate. Last year, Louis Vuitton launched an ad campaign that featured an Asian man, Taiwanese-Canadian actor Godfrey Gao, for the first time.
OP's note: Godfrey Gao was the first Asian male face for a Louis Vuitton ad.
China is poised to become one of the world’s biggest fashion markets, driving 30% of the market’s growth over the next five years, according to market research firm Boston Consulting Group. Sales of clothing in China rose to 460 billion yuan (US$73 billion) in 2011, up 15% from a year earlier, according to the group, and are projected to exceed 800 billion yuan by 2015.
OP's note: 101 celebrities paid money to promote joined Louis Vuitton's Grand Opening in Taipei 101 this year.
That explains why a spate of fashion companies has been showing off wares in the country recently, bringing in top stars to lure in consumers who are just learning about designer clothing. It also accounts for the recent rise in demand for Asian models.
OP's note: Lui Wen was the first Asian model on the Victoria's Secret fashion walks.
Armani, which is known for its epic-long fashion events, trumpeted its fall and winter Emporio Armani collection by bringing in singers Mary J. Blige and Tina Turner and Chinese actresses Shu Qi, Fan Bingbing and Gui Lunmei to Beijing’s 798 art district. The company aims to maintain growth rates in China, where sales last year jumped 45%.
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