Frame is joining the ranks of Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Burberry in celebrating the start of Lunar New Year on Feb. 12 with a capsule collection of festive apparel for women. The limited-edition collection is now available at department store Lane Crawford and on Tmall, China’s leading B2C e-commerce platform that sees more than 700 million active consumers annually.
The Lunar New Year capsule collection consists of nine pieces, including jeans adorned with celebratory patches and matching denim jackets, as well as themed sweatshirts and T-shirts. Each piece is emblazoned with Oxen imagery or “good luck” messaging to signify the Year of the Ox, which according to the Chinese zodiac represents strength and determination.
Lunar New Year collections are increasing in popularity as brands find success with celebratory capsules. Retail data and analytics firm Edited reported a 76 percent increase in Chinese New Year products in the luxury market year over year across the U.S. and U.K., and found that there’s an opportunity for big spending potential.
Frame’s debut on Tmall helps further the label’s expansion into the Chinese market during a time when consumer behavior is shifting increasingly domestic. A representative for Frame noted that the brand’s popularity began organically in China’s wholesale market, and now its collections are available at department stores such as Lane Crawford and SKP, in addition to premium specialty doors such as IT.
The brand also has a presence on regionally popular platforms WeChat, Weibo and Little Red Book, making its debut on Tmall a “natural next step.”
Other labels are also initiating focused efforts on the Chinese market. Recently, Wrangler and Michael Kors launched on Tmall to affirm their global position, and in December, Off-White debuted a WeChat-exclusive collection in a similar strategic move.
Frame’s Lunar New Year collection is now available on Tmall and in-store at Lane Crawford. The collection retails for $118-$498.
