The House Taps Five Women Who Are Cultural Leaders to Embody Its Increasing Push into the Chinese Luxury Market
Ferragamo continues to build on its recent push into the Chinese luxury market, launching a localized campaign starring five Chinese cultural leaders, each of them celebrated as a heroine in their distinct field.
The campaign, titled “Ferragamo Women Leading Their Own Ways,” features five Chinese creatives from different backgrounds, including Chinese fashion photographer Chen Man; Shen Li, cofounder of the L’Oréal-backed Chinese fragrance label To Summer; singer Jike Junyi; and Taiwanese actresses Ariel Lin and Cheryl Yang.
Sharing their thoughts and perspectives on female personal growth and style evolution, the “heroines” were featured in interview-style videos against architectural backdrop’s reflecting creative director Maximilian Davis’ refined and angular aesthetic.
The campaign also addresses issues that modern women face, from disparate societal expectations to the way emerging technologies shape perception. “When I’m on set, I turn into human AI, scanning my subject matters intensely,” said Chen, the photographer.
“Confident women are carefree — I guess I’m getting there,” said Li, the beauty entrepreneur.
“You will have different problems at every age; the only thing you can do is to stand unafraid,” said Yang, the model-turned-actress.
“I don’t like how our culture defines beauty; I want to feel special,” said Wang, the singer.
“Anxiety is inevitable…but you can step outside of yourself and watch yourself; this is my actor’s instinct at work,” said Lin, the actress.
The characters were styled in tank tops, jeans, the brand’s Vara ballet flats, and carrying the trending Hug bag or the star-shaped Handbag, promoting the minimally chic outfit known as “Ferra-chic” on Xiaohongshu, a popular Chinese social commerce platform.
The campaign, promoted on major Chinese social media channels like Weibo, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and the e-commerce platform Tmall, has garnered over 170 million online views. The video series was produced by Bay Picture, the production branch of Huasheng Media, which publishes Chinese editions of various glossy magazines.
This localized campaign marks one of Ferragamo’s first initiatives in the Chinese market, where the brand has been experiencing sluggish sales amid tough economic conditions. In the first quarter, overall revenues of the Florence-based luxury company were down 18.3 percent to 227 million euros compared with 278 million euros in the same period last year.