Leading British fashion brands entice China’s nouveau riche
Vivienne Westwood and Burberry open more boutiques to meet demand for luxury clothes
Visitors to a Shanghai exhibition of footwear designs by Vivienne Westwood. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
For decades western fashion brands have looked to China for cheap materials and labour. But in recent months the country has caught the attention of the fashion industry for a different reason: thanks to its booming economy, numerous high-profile fashion houses have announced their intention to expand operations on the Chinese mainland.
Vivienne Westwood is to open 20 boutiques in China, and fellow British fashion house Burberry has confirmed that it will add 66 stores to its current 44 Chinese outlets by 2012. more…
