Born in Beijing in 1999, Yuqi first entered the industry through Cube Entertainment, debuting in 2018 as a member of (G)I-DLE. The group’s success gave her an early global platform, but Song Yuqi’s individual appeal has been built just as much outside music. Appearances on Chinese variety shows such as Keep Running and her own hosting roles have positioned her as an all-round entertainer, known for linguistic fluency and a distinctly extroverted on-screen presence.  

That breadth has fed directly into her commercial value. In just the past two years, Yuqi has accumulated a portfolio of brand partnerships spanning luxury fashion, sportswear and beauty. That includes roles with Fendi, Tory Burch and Adidas. And so, a pattern: brands tap into her ability to move between markets, aesthetics and formats without losing recognisability. 

The L’Oréal Paris appointment plays on that theme but brings it to haircare. Rather than introducing a new narrative, the collaboration leans into what Song Yuqi already represents – versatility, visibility, and a kind of high-energy self-assurance that aligns with the brand’s long-running ‘Because I’m worth it’ positioning. 

More broadly, it’s a lesson on how beauty brands are sourcing ambassadors. Technical expertise or your traditional actress-led type credibility is no longer the default. Instead, what you might call cultural elasticity – the ability to operate across music, fashion, content and even boarders – is becoming the valuable option. 

Yuqi fits that brief. But the question with this kind of ambassadorship will always be that multidimensional visibility can be translated into something with long-term payout. Marketing is not just about recognition. Relevance plays a big part too. Especially in an increasingly crowded beauty market. 

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The campaign builds on what the first film started. That earlier instalment, produced in March 2025 with Xinhua News Agency to mark the 20th anniversary of Balabala’s bala T product line, centred on children’s emotional development, highlighting how they process setbacks and turn them into part of growing up. 

In the new film, Balabala documents a range of children’s interests, including insects, traditional instruments such as the pipa, lion dancing, painting, boxing and seal carving. The film presents these pursuits without hierarchy, framing them as self-directed expressions rather than performance-driven activities. 

Alongside these moments, the film also depicts the challenges that accompany children’s interests. Scenes include children feeling misunderstood by peers, resisting pressure to perform, or seeing their work altered or erased. The narrative positions passion as something that involves uncertainty and persistence, rather than a straightforward or purely positive experience. 

A notable change from the first instalment is the inclusion of individual names for each child featured. The campaign also extends beyond the film itself, with Balabala publishing letters written by parents to their children, adding a layer of intergenerational perspective. 

Through the series, Balabala continues to position its bala T line as part of children’s everyday lives, framing the product as a long-term presence rather than a seasonal item. The approach aligns with broader brand moves toward emotional storytelling and sustained narrative building. We’ve seen it recently with 999 Ausnutria and FILA KIDS. It’s hardly a subtle tactic, given the emotional bonds between parents and children, but can you knock an approach that hits home? Probably not.  

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The runway, the Folders project, a Xiaomi tie-in, all look in the same direction: Margiela is done being obscure by default. It’s moving on to translating its message for a market in which it wants to be understood.  

A slow burn: Maison Margiela in China 

For most of its time in China, Margiela has operated in the margins. Not invisible, but never loud enough to go head-to-head with logo-heavy luxury. Early access came through multi-brand stores and word-of-mouth, with the audience skewing toward stylists, editors, and people who already knew what they were looking at. 

While others pushed visibility, Margiela leaned into opacity. Anonymity, deconstruction, and anti-branding aren’t ideas that translate cleanly in a market built on recognition. Especially in China where bold statements about luxury have typically been the norm.  

Things loosened in the mid-2010s. Retail expanded into Shanghai and Beijing, still controlled, still selective. The arrival of John Galliano added drama without dilution. Basically, the ideas didn’t change, but they did become easier for the fashion-conscious consumer to see. 

Growth didn’t come through a big footprint or loud campaigning. Online, the brand showed up where it had to – WeChat, Tmall, Rednote – but never overexplained itself. Replica fragrances, being narrative-rich, easy to buy and distribute, did much of the work on the product side. Accessories filled the gaps. Split-toe Tabi shoes came into circulation next – another anti-mainstream look, but unmistakable in an IYKYK kind of way.  

Decoding Margiela: the Shanghai show and four-city exhibition 

Set inside a container yard in Baoshan, the Shanghai show leans hard into atmosphere. There’s raw steel, open space, and a refusal to polish things up. It’s on brand, but also strategic. Margiela isn’t just presenting a collection; it’s staging its logic.

Over 70 looks move between ready-to-wear and Artisanal couture, pulling apart and recombining references like Edwardian silhouettes, antique fragments, garments that look halfway between archive and experiment. 

The real shift sits around the runway. The Maison Margiela / Folders project breaks the brand into four parts and distributes them across cities. Shanghai gets Artisanal and the archive. Beijing takes on anonymity. Chengdu works with Tabi. Shenzhen turns Bianchetto – a hand-applied white paint coating that’s a signature of the maison’s style – into something you can try yourself.  

Then comes Xiaomi. VIP cars, co-branded devices, and – more interestingly – a kit: white paint and brushes for Bianchetto. Guests are invited to apply the paint themselves. Broken up, each piece is easier for audiences to grasp than the whole. And as a whole, it looks a lot like a reflection of Margiela’s entry point strategy.  

Luxury learning 

For years, Margiela’s distance filtered out anyone that didn’t love the brand. If you got it, you got it. If you didn’t, well, you just didn’t, and it wasn’t for you.  

The Folders project suggests that this might be about to change. It’s not necessarily louder, or even broader. More like clearer. The brand is still resistant to easy reads, but now it offers a way in for those on the outside.  

The Chinese luxury market is moving past surface-level recognition. Many consumers now want to know what they’re spending their money on – and are unwilling to spend it on anything that’s not providing something clear, be that utility or emotional connection. Understanding has started to carry its own weight.  

This change may have been the reason Margiela is upping its visibility. But it’s doing so in its own way. Nothing high-spectacle, but a lens to help consumers see what they’re offering.  

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The activation taps into a specific generational experience. For many Chinese people, the neighbourhood corner shop was an early taste of independence. It was that space just outside adult control. Nike uses that setting as a physical metaphor for the Air Max ethos: self-expression, autonomy, not playing by the rules. 

Created with designer Jose Wong (王梓迪), the Shanghai corner shop leans into that nostalgia. Inside, more than 60 ‘Air Max snacks’ rethink the sneaker through distinctly local cues. These snacks sit alongside retro games and installations from emerging artists. Think of the Nike Shanghai corner shop more like an exhibition, where product is embedded into a broader street culture narrative. 

The play forms part of a wider, dual-city rollout. In Beijing, Nike has partnered with creative Marc Su (苏庆森) to build a ‘ghost market’ (鬼市), drawing on the informal, open-ended trading culture historically tied to the format. Using Air Max silhouettes as a base, the space brings together graffiti, installations, workshops and music to create an open creative platform for sneaker and design communities. 

The two activations follow a familiar Nike China pattern: localise global product moments through culturally specific, emotionally resonant framings. Air Max fits this bill perfectly. For he 80s and 90s kids that grew up wearing the trainers, nostalgia is framing that clicks.  

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The Jeanswest launch ad has Zhang Ruonan moving through scenes lightly, free of high-fashion attitude. That idea carries into product. The campaign spotlights Jeanswest’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, titled Urban Roaming · Light Oxygen Girl (城市漫游·轻氧少女).  

There’s quite a bit to unpack in that name. The term ‘light oxygen’ is an emerging piece of marketing language in China. It’s used by some brands to signal breathability, but it’s also got connotations of low pressure and a softer, more relaxed lifestyle aesthetic, which is exactly what Jeanswest are going for here.  

Design-wise, the collection leans into low-saturation colour palettes, relaxed silhouettes and soft, skin-friendly fabrics. Pieces sit lightly on the body rather than structure it. The brand frames this as clothing that holds a more relaxed way of living.  

It’s an increasingly common pitch in China. Brands like Lululemon have done roaring business off of this comfortable-chic trend. Conversely, Triumph recently pulled out of the China market largely because traditional wire-frame bras were no longer top priority for Chinese women.  

Zhang is a neat fit for the shift. Her public image skews natural and approachable, making her a credible carrier for the brand message. There is also a commercial hook. Shoppers who buy the clothes in the campaign ads through official channels will receive a limited-edition badge featuring the new ambassador. It’s a small layer of collectability to an otherwise unflashy drop. 

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• ‘This plump white cotton is strong – you can’t tear it, it stretches long.’ (白胖棉的劲儿足，扯不断，拉得长)   

• ‘Soft, like a mother’s heart.’ (就像阿妈的心一样软)   

• ‘Hot in the day, cool at night – the cotton looks like it’s dusted with frost sugar.’ (白天热夜里凉，棉花像是裹霜糖) 

Hemingway used to talk about writing one true sentence – the truest sentence you know. It’s solid advice on descriptive writing. Advice that forces you to examine what you truly know. This cotton farmer copy has exactly that kind of charm, the kind that comes from years of lived experience.  

Bananain Xinjiang cotton: A bit of context  

None of this is without context. Xinjiang is China’s key cotton-producing region, with long-staple cotton often labelled the textile industry’s ‘soft gold’ for its strength, length and sheen. Within these ad lines there are signals of top-tier quality.  

But Xinjiang cotton has also come under criticism in the west for links to the oppression of Uyghur minorities. Notably Nike and H&M refused to use Xinjiang cotton in their products over exactly these concerns. Boycotts from Chinese consumers followed.  

The issue was divisive. Now, within China, support for brands using Xinjiang cotton can be seen as a consumer stance, one sharp with the fumes of patriotism. So while politically charged outside of China, proud use of Xinjiang cotton can strengthen domestic consumers’ affinity for a brand.  

This is not an investigation into the provenance of Bananain’s cotton. Nor is it an attempt to scrutinise their supply chain. Rather, it is an appreciation of language, and on that front the lines these cotton farmers provided were undeniably brilliant. 

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MUJI says the closure of its Huaihai Road flagship is part of an adjustment to its retail network rather than a pull-back from the China market. The company has been reshaping its store footprint, closing some older locations while planning to open dozens of new ones nationwide. But true to a brand synonymous with good taste, they’ve managed to make tis pull-out of a prime location into an artfully smooth exit.  

How did MUJI spin the closing of its Shanghai flagship? 

Rather than launching the typical closing sale spectacle, MUJI has chosen something far more in character with that vision of minimalism: a quiet goodbye. On the exterior wall of the store, the brand installed a large farewell poster, bold print stating: goodbye, see you again (再见，在见) employing a Chinese linguistic twist. While 再见 literally means ‘goodbye,’ it can also be read as ‘see you again.’ The dual meaning puts a softer spin on the departure. It’s not a forever goodbye.  

The visual language also follows that stylistic restraint. Sparse typography sits against areas of blank space, while the copy inserts everyday scenes between the characters ‘在’ (to exist) and ‘见’ (to meet).  

Mountains, lakes, fields and dining tables appear alongside moments such as solitude, gatherings, mornings and nights. The message reframes the brand’s relationship with customers not as a retail transaction, but as a series of small encounters woven through daily life. MUJI also released a short film to accompany the campaign. Set against shifting natural light and tree shadows, text slowly emerges on screen, creating a gentle, almost meditative rhythm. 

MUJI’s other great moments 

The approach echoes MUJI’s long-standing visual style. From the brand’s famous ‘Horizon’ poster series – which featured vast landscapes with barely any product visible – to lifestyle campaigns around MUJI Hotel and Found MUJI exhibitions, the company has consistently relied on minimalist imagery and reflective copy rather than overt advertising. 

The farewell campaign for the MUJI Shanghai flagship closure hits on the brand’s broader storytelling strategy in China too. Last year, during the renovation of its Chengdu Taikoo Li flagship, MUJI launched a poster series titled ‘川流有息’ (Lit. Flowing endlessly, with moments to breathe), using poetic copy grab attention, and touch on that sense of soothing the brand’s message pushes.  

Muji’s Shanghai flagship closure: not goodbye 

The closing of the Huaihai Road flagship says as much about China’s evolving retail landscape as it does about MUJI itself. Large flagship stores like the Huaihai site are expensive to operate, and shifting shopping habits – from the rise of e-commerce to changing foot traffic patterns in traditional shopping streets – are forcing brands to rethink how physical retail fits into the wider customer journey.  

Instead of treating the closure as a dry commercial announcement, MUJI turned it into another chapter of its storytelling and a reminder that the brand’s idea of good living was never confined to a single storefront. And so it’s got to be said: that was one smooth exit.   

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Instead of leaning on generic inspiration, they’re tying women’s stories directly to product design, social issues, and real cultural conversations – from menstruation stigma to creative expression and mental health. Across skincare, tech accessories and personal care, the message is that empowerment works best grounded in everyday experiences. 

Here’s how four brands are creatively approaching International Women’s Day in China this year.    

Libresse: turning ‘Big Moves’ into a statement on period stigma  

Personal care brand Libresse (薇尔) is using International Women’s Day to tackle a subject regularly kept out of public view: menstruation. The brand’s campaign, titled Celebrate Every Big Move Women Make, transforms a product message – freedom of movement during that time of the month – into a broader cultural statement.  

Subway ads across Shenzhen and Hangzhou carry bold copy encouraging women to claim space and reject social expectations. Lines such as ‘If there isn’t a seat at the table, bring your own chair’ reframe everyday ambition as something women shouldn’t apologise for.  

It builds on Libresse’s wider strategy, which has included campaigns like Menstruation Doesn’t Need to Be Hidden and even a Menstrual Emotion Museum.  

CASETiFY: turning tech accessories into creative canvases  

Lifestyle tech brand CASETiFY is celebrating International Women’s Day by spotlighting female creativity. Under the campaign theme Inspired by Her, Where Creativity Blossoms, the brand invited three creators – a yyNoyy, XiaoAnnn, and Alex绝对是个妞儿 – to interpret the idea of imagination through different creative mediums.  

Their work feeds into new product collaborations and storytelling across CASETiFY’s accessories ecosystem, positioning phone cases and tech gear as canvases for artistic expression. The brand is also upgrading its customisation tools, introducing new filters and AI-assisted design features alongside the return of its nostalgic grid photo case format.  

NIVEA: Reframing identity pressure through real stories  

Skincare giant NIVEA (妮维雅) is leaning into storytelling with a campaign celebrating what it calls unordinary women. The brand follows three Chinese women – entrepreneur Yang Tianzhen (杨天真), comedian Xiaolu (小鹿), and creator Yanzhen INKY (彦真 INKY) – as they reflect on the pressures of ambition, public expectations and identity labels.

Each story carries the same conclusion: life improves when women allow themselves a little less pressure and external judgement. That narrative links neatly to product messaging for NIVEA’s 630 Dual-Effect Serum, positioned as a solution to skin concerns caused by modern life’s stresses.  

By pairing emotional storytelling with their usual scientific proof points – including a 28-day spot-reduction study with SGS – NIVEA bridges brand values with product credibility.    

Guyu: Expanding skincare into emotional care  

Chinese skincare brand Guyu (谷雨) is broadening the conversation from skincare to emotional wellbeing. Its Women’s Day campaign line, Her Feelings Shouldn’t Require Compromise, paints emotions as signals that deserve attention rather than suppression.  

The brand released a limited-edition gift set designed for relaxation, including a sleep spray and facial steaming towel. But the campaign extends beyond products. Guyu also launched a year-long women’s psychological support hotline in partnership with China Women’s News and the Beijing Happiness Public Welfare Foundation.  

Meanwhile, collaborations with podcast platform Xiaoyuzhou bring discussions about independence, growth and emotional health into public conversation. 

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The campaign leans heavily into that garden narrative. Actress Li Gengxi (李庚希) fronts the visuals, appearing as a modern-day flower gatherer strolling through blooming landscapes. The imagery plays on the campaign line: ‘Don’t wait for spring to find you –  pick the most beautiful flower yourself. In other words, spring isn’t just a season. It’s a mood, and preferably one worn on your feet. 

Two limited-edition colourways anchor the release: Calm White (从容白) and Leisure Green (闲趣绿). Both lean into soft spring tones, pairing clean retro lines with a deliberately lightweight, thin-sole design. The look feels intentionally relaxed –  something between lifestyle sneaker and weekend wanderer. The collaboration also carries a dose of brand personality. The Beast’s mascot Panda Pupu (熊猫噗噗) appears as a detachable lace accessory, adding a playful collectible element to the otherwise minimal silhouette.  

The Beast x New Balance collaboration: Dao’s takeaway

For The Beast, the partnership continues a broader strategy of translating its floral, gift-oriented identity into lifestyle products beyond home décor and fragrance. For New Balance, it’s another example of the brand’s ongoing success in China through culturally tuned collaborations that lean into storytelling rather than pure performance marketing. The sneaker drop arrives alongside The Beast’s 2026 spring collection, which continues the garden theme with seasonal floral products and gifting sets. 

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Canton Road is a good choice for this. The Chow Tai Fook flagship store will be sharing the Hong Kong high street with brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci. It’s a spot frequented by tourists from all over the world and has major pull with tourists from the mainland – historically big spenders in Hong Kong. While securing instant footfall from consumers that recognise the brand, CTFJ has also ingratiated itself into international company by sharing a postcode with luxury’s global cream.  

The new store spans around 10,000 square feet, making it the jeweller’s largest location in the Hong Kong and Macau market. Emphasis is on open layouts and immersive display areas, moving away from the traditional jewellery counter formats. You’ll also find concierge-style service areas, curated displays and storytelling zones designed to encourage exploration rather than transactional shopping. 

It’s part of a wider shift toward experience-led environments that encourage longer dwell times and emotional brand connection, common in the flagship store playbook. Emotional connection is pushed here with an emphasis on heritage: galleries introduce themes of craftsmanship, trust and innovation. A spotlight is put on the brand’s nearly hundred-year-long history.   

Making its debut is CTFJ’s new HOME collection (caps all theirs). It’s a sidestep project and an interesting one, though not much info is available on it yet. From what we can gather it’s a look into lifestyle through the lens of their core offering. With that in mind, are we looking at a transformational moment for CTFJ? With a lifestyle push and international ambitions, we just might be.  

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