
Trends and Motivations of Chinese Apparel Consumption
by Hannah Reach
An immediate and visually impactful observation that any foreigner will make the second they step foot in another country is; what are natives wearing. You can consciously think about the apparel you see or you can let it just become an accepted aspect of your daily life’s backdrop, but, either way, it constantly surrounds you and is an essential part of that country’s culture. Clothing in a country cannot only indicate current trends and beliefs, but also historical values that are deeply engrained into that society. China especially has a culture strongly rooted in traditional ideologies and views that can be detected in the frequently seen attributes of clothing styles. My objective during my time in China has been to observe common themes in the apparel that local Beijing women have chosen and then determine the motivating factors for why they have chosen those items. I theorize that there are three main categories for clothing styles for women in Beijing, feminine, fashion conscious, and comfortable, and women are driven to choose these looks based on ideas of traditional gender role definitions, an emphasis on hierarchy, and value put into practicality.