There’s a lot of hand-wringing about the Chinese economy at the moment, but anyone who thinks the Chinese luxury buyer is going to be cowed by Xi Jinping’s rhetoric about the need for wealth distribution does not understand how sophisticated the luxury buyer there has become, or the incredible power of what luxury represents in China. 

We have carefully curated a group of 100 young female luxury buyers across top tier markets in China (and are continuing to grow this base organically) so that we can talk to them one-on-one with MyLookLook, our WeChat integration of the LookLook platform.

It’s exhilarating when we can collect this zero-party data on behalf of our luxury clients.

Last month, we asked this Luxury Collective in China a number of juicy questions, including whether or not their spending has slowed, what brands make them dream and what they are coveting right now.

A few key takeaways:

• There is a spending pause at the moment, but it’s a pause, not a slowdown. After healthy levels of spending on luxury skincare, handbags and jewelry in early 2021, the Chinese luxury buyer is recalibrating to global caution around the Delta variant. Feeling less urgency to purchase due to travel restrictions, she’s waiting until she can resume her luxury spending abroad. When borders reopen, expect luxury ready-to-wear sales in particular to jump dramatically.

• China Chic is rising. She’s proud of the way China has mastered Covid in ways few nations have. She is also assured of her own financial future and interest in luxury goods. Enthusiasm for native luxury brands from the East, such as Cindy Chao and Florasis, is growing. Beauty is the category that seems most vulnerable to the growing influence of Chinese brands.

• An unmet need for social, virtual luxury. She likes digital try-on experiences and sees virtual fashion as the new wave to come. Accustomed to gaming and obsessed with avatars, she welcomes a metaverse where she can have access globally to collections and play with looks from designers from the comfort of home. One of the key points of appeal: shopping virtual fashion with friends and posting it on social media.

I’m indebted to Jia LIN, our Paris-based data analyst for MyLookLook in China, for her insights and the creative design of this study. She asked the right questions and follow ups and coaxed out hundreds of pictures and screenshots that make it possible to see into the real lives of luxury buyers in China. It is immensely exciting to be able to connect one-on-one in this way. Chinese luxury buyers are eager to share their experiences and opinions and they are proud of their country and their culture. At once pragmatic and intensely romantic about their favorite luxury brands, they are THE source for what to anticipate this holiday season, next year and beyond.

Curious about the personal nature of the insights we gather? If you would like a copy of the full set of findings, please email: chinanow@looklook.app and include your name, company, position.