Brands criticized for monkeying with their designs
Print Edition
Some Chinese zodiac-inspired designs released ahead of the Year of the Monkey have not been well received by everyone on social media.
Moment magazine published an article on WeChat about some of the designs, including the Vuittonite monkey pendant necklace by Louis Vuitton, Dior’s monkey bracelet, Givenchy’s limited edition Chinese New Year Prisme Libre, Estee Lauder’s limited edition Monkey Powder Compact and Piaget’s limited edition timepiece featuring a monkey holding a peach.
“A big big Ugly here,” a person wrote, without specifying a product.
“Don’t forget to add the New Year edition of Nike,” wrote another.
That person was presumably commenting on the Nike Air Force I Chinese New Year 2016 edition, which features a lotus sewn on the tongue and the brand’s Chinese translation “Nai Ke” and a carp on the back.
In Chinese culture, the lotus and carp together indicate auspiciousness and prosperity, but some fashion pundits consider it rustic and passe.
Wang Chenmin, advertising manager at fashion website yoka.com, said that the designers had put a lot of effort into creativity and artistry.
“Beauty and ugliness are subjective ... a mixed response is inevitable,” he said.
The best years for creative design are the dragon and horse, partly because Chinese people like those signs and they are related to some fashion logos, he said.
Hermes’s horse pendant in 2014 was a huge success in China, he said.
“The horse was in the brand’s history and it echoed the Chinese New Year without looking too deliberate.”
Freelance “branding consultant” Wang Zhe said that he believes the top fashion brands are keen to tap into the huge purchasing power of the Chinese market.
However, “to link brands with Chinese culture is not an easy task,” he said.
“Brands have their own styles and if Chinese elements are just boldly added, the results might not always be a success,” the consultant said.
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