Why are Li Xian and Wang Yibo wearing women’s clothes? Male Chinese celebrities are leading a gender-neutral fashion trend at odds with the country’s anti-K-pop traditional values



Go Soo et al. posing for a photo: Chinese stars like Li Xian, Wang Yibo, Cai Xukun and Jackson Yee are challenging gender and fashion boundaries by wearing womenswear, but can China’s newest fashion trend take hold amid pervading cultural norms? Photo:@橘子娱乐, @这就是街舞, @PRADA普拉达, @TFBOYS-易烊千玺/Weibo


Chinese stars like Li Xian, Wang Yibo, Cai Xukun and Jackson Yee are tough gender and vogue boundaries by carrying womenswear, but can China’s newest fashion development take keep amid pervading cultural norms? Picture:@橘子娱乐, @这就是街舞, @PRADA普拉达, @TFBOYS-易烊千玺/Weibo

In the realm of gender-fluid style, women of all ages putting on men’s garments have always been additional dominant than the opposite. Drawn to their oversized matches, ladies have prolonged been rocking “boyfriend” jeans and shirts to add stylish to their wardrobe.

But currently, the developing selection of Chinese male fashionistas putting on women’s dresses is reversing the narrative. From stars to influencers, Chinese gentlemen are progressively browsing for womenswear.

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It is considerably much easier to discover nicely-developed and exciting pieces in womenswear than menswear … The reduce is greater, particulars are more effectively-assumed-out, and there are just more possibilities over-all

Jeremy Yang, trend blogger



a person wearing a hat: Wang Yibo wore a pink jacket from Chanel's pre-autumn 2020 womenswear collection on the TV show Street Dance of China. Photo: @这就是街舞/Weibo


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Wang Yibo wore a pink jacket from Chanel’s pre-autumn 2020 womenswear assortment on the Television present Road Dance of China. Picture: @这就是街舞/Weibo

Actor Wang Yibo, who was announced as Chanel’s model ambassador this June, epitomises the genderless stylish turning out to be well-known in China’s trend neighborhood. Referred to as a guy that “incarnated Chanel”, Wang has worn the brand’s legendary womenswear in Television demonstrates and on journal handles for a vogue-ahead look that defies gendered anticipations.

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For case in point, he famously paired a pink Chanel jacket with a mini purse in the present Street Dance of China and wore a tweed jacket to a red carpet occasion held by Tencent. Not only did Wang’s outfits normalise womenswear for gentlemen, but they have also encouraged females, who come across his appears shockingly awesome for a classical brand name like Chanel.



a person wearing a suit and tie: Li Xian donned a coat from Chanel's women's collection at a Vogue party. Photo: @橘子娱乐/Weibo


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Li Xian donned a coat from Chanel’s women’s assortment at a Vogue bash. Picture: @橘子娱乐/Weibo

Wang is just just one of the many male Chinese idols placing a new standard for men’s fashion. Tiffany & Co. and Armani Beauty’s spokesperson Jackson Yee wore a Chanel women’s tweed overall to the Grammy’s in 2018. Then, actor Li Xian, the spokesperson of Ermenegildo Zegna, attended a 2019 Vogue social gathering in a Chanel coat from its 2018 womenswear assortment.

Cai Xukun, Prada’s muse and ambassador since 2019, routinely wears the brand’s women’s fits to crimson carpet gatherings. And on Weibo, the hashtag #MaleCelebrityInWomenwear is an active thread, with in excess of 150 million sights and 320 thousand posts.



a man standing in a dark room: Since 2019, Cai Xukun has been Prada's muse and has been frequently spotted wearing their products on the red carpet. Photo: @PRADA普拉达/Weibo


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Given that 2019, Cai Xukun has been Prada’s muse and has been usually noticed sporting their merchandise on the purple carpet. Photograph: @PRADA普拉达/Weibo

True-existence fashionistas have been catching up with the movement, too. Jeremy Yang is an emerging blogger on Tiny Pink Ebook, and he is not shy about introducing womenswear to his day-to-working day style. “It is considerably a lot easier to locate well-built and intriguing parts in womenswear than menswear,” he stated. “The slice is far better, particulars are additional effectively-assumed-out, and there are just additional selections general.”

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Considerably from the social stigmas that normally affiliate adult men wearing womenswear with drag queens, Yang’s intentional buys of women’s dresses had been strictly driven by particular fashion. “I am drawn to manufacturers that structure for the sake of fantastic layout,” he added. “Considering that most makes continue to set a lot more hard work into womenswear presently, it is pure for me to glance at womenswear for inspiration.”



a person standing posing for the camera: Jackson Yee attended the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in a Chanel overall from the brand's spring-summer 2018 womenswear collection. Photo: @TFBOYS-易烊千玺/Weibo


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Jackson Yee attended the 60th Yearly Grammy Awards in a Chanel overall from the brand’s spring-summer time 2018 womenswear collection. Photograph: @TFBOYS-易烊千玺/Weibo

Previously this yr, Minimal Red Book unveiled its “2021 Way of living Craze Keywords and phrases” report, which rated genderless fashion as a person of the prime 10 themes on the platform. According to the info, views of genderless dressing posts experienced a 182 for every cent enhance calendar year-on-calendar year throughout 2020, whilst the selection of customers putting up about the concept grew by 83 per cent.

In China, emerging domestic firms like the clothing label Bosie and the magnificence manufacturer Hashtag are among the people leveraging profits of genderless goods to a younger generation that is more and more rejecting gender binaries. By eradicating gendered marketing and advertising, these labels have developed a perception of novelty for a current market that has yet to see many androgynous or non-binary choices.



Beauty brand Hashtag sells gender neutral make-up and skincare products. Photo: @HASHTAG井我/Weibo


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Beauty brand Hashtag sells gender neutral make-up and skincare items. Picture: @HASHTAG井我/Weibo

For luxurious and style models outside the house China, understanding the huge hole among the country’s official stance on gender and youth society ideals can be difficult. Since 2018, Chinese state media has regularly advocated for traditional gender function beliefs by criticising K-pop’s affect for the raising “feminisation” of its youthful adult men. In February this year, China’s instruction ministry issued a detect that termed for faculties to market training that can “cultivate male students’ masculinity”.

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Nonetheless despite this official and aggressive thrust for conservative values, China’s youthful generations proceed to come across new means to preserve a countermovement alive and burgeoning. Over the earlier three decades, the country’s underground ballroom culture and LGBTQ+ group have continued to grow in tandem with tightened ideological controls in the public sphere.



Bosie frequently releases fashion items which aren't specific to gender. Photo: @bosie伯喜/Weibo


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Bosie often releases fashion items which are not distinct to gender. Image: @bosie伯喜/Weibo

When leveraging womenswear alternatives stays complicated owing to issues like sizing and internet marketing campaigns, brands need to not dismiss the likelihood to talk to male Chinese fashionistas by way of a non-categorical fashion language. Far more representation of gentlemen in androgynous types, and far more products and solutions that problem standard gender norms, are all means to link much more deeply with this neighborhood. Immediately after all, what this generation finally desires is the space to experiment and enjoy. And makes that demonstrate they are much too cool for standard social categorisation will achieve an edge.

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