After making its runway debut at Milan Fashion Week last year, China’s largest direct sales online retailer JD.com is continuing its high-fashion push with an upcoming New York Fashion Week show that highlights emerging Chinese designers.
Taking place on February 17, the event will feature the collections of five designers chosen in collaboration with the Milan-based Europe Design Center. In addition to mainland Chinese designers Alicia Lee, Ruiping Guo, and Chi Zhang, the show will feature the looks of Taiwanese label Gioia Pan and the sporty designs of soccer star Tim Cahill, who plays on the Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League and the Australian national football team.
The move is likely aimed at upping JD.com’s fashion credentials and encouraging Chinese consumers to see the site as a go-to shop for high-end goods. “Not only do we have the pleasure of helping to celebrate a talented group of designers at our show,” says Lijun Xin, the president of JD.com’s Apparel and Home Furnishing Business Unit, “we are also able to offer their new collections to our 132 million customers in China, where shoppers are increasingly interested in the latest fashions and eager to buy them” from JD.com.