The latest fashion trend gripping young Chinese isn’t actually new, but it’s proving lucrative

The trend merges all manner of contemporary design with traditional Chinese aesthetics, applied to everything from clothing to furniture. Here’s why it’s popular.

What’s old is new again. This time it’s a centuries-old skirt design that’s proving popular in China. The “mamianqun” or “horse face skirt” is being worn in cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu as young people in China are giving the attire a modern twist, with unconventional pairings and choice of fabrics. While once the sole purview of “hanfu” enthusiasts (a renaissance of the ancient clothing traditionally worn by ethnic-majority Han Chinese before the Qing dynasty) and reserved for special occasions, the pleated often brocade skirts have become a part of everyday wear. The popularity of the skirt has been wrapped into a broader trend being dubbed “xinzhongshi,” or “new Chinese style” — which merges all manner of contemporary design with traditional Chinese aesthetics, applied to everything from clothing to furniture. While the idea isn’t new, and was once considered old-fashioned, the wide-ranging term is being used as a marketing tool on China’s lucrative e-commerce platforms, with retailers quick to turn Gen Z’s patriotic, and at times, nationalistic sentiments, for profit. On Chinese social media platforms Weibo and Xiaohongshu, searches for “new Chinese style” and “new Chinese style outfits” hashtags exceeded 100 million in early April, according to state news agency Xinhua. Besides fashion, the posts show everything from stuffed leather armchairs with the curves of traditional Chinese wood furniture to mobile phone wallpapers of landscape paintings. The state-backed China National Textile and Apparel Council estimates the market size of “new Chinese style” clothing reached 1 billion yuan (nearly 138 million dollars) in 2023.