Vipshop leads in race for consumer-to-fashion business model

Vipshop Holdings Ltd, or Vip.com, the world's leading online discount retailer for brands and China's popular e-commerce site, came to New York Fashion Week on Tuesday (Monday local time) to launch the industry's first "AI + Fashion" fashion show in partnership with Qzone, one of China's largest online social network platforms owned by Tencent, and YouTu Lab, an AI research lab under Tencent focusing on machine learning.

Earlier, the three platforms together released the "AI + Fashion: Color Trends Report of China's Post 95s". The report's findings reveal that the favorite color of China's "Post 95s" - people who were born after 1995 - is the 95-degree black with an RGB ratio of 22:20:24.

The findings were obtained by utilizing the Post 95s' sales data of Vip.com, and applying the artificial intelligence-based - or AI-based - facial recognition and image processing technologies from YouTu Lab to analyze big data aggregated on Qzone in 2016.

The three platforms also invited famous Chinese fashion designer Zhang Chi to design a collection for China's Post 95s. Taking inspiration from the report, this big data-based avant-garde collection was released through "the Present& the Future" fashion show at New York Fashion Week.

C2F era

Armed with "big data plus tech magic plus art", Vip.com has taken the lead in opening up the consumer-to-fashion (C2F) era for e-commerce.

Given the users' diverse needs, the development of e-commerce operations and big data analysis of consumers' preferences, the C2F model of consumers determining fashion trends has become possible, according to Chen Feifei, senior director of VIP.com.

"Vip.com believes that online retail is entering the C2F era," said Chen. "This partnership represents an innovative crossover between e-commerce, cutting-edge technology and fashion, enabling the connection between big data, artificial intelligence and the fashion industry. It not only provides more inspiration and possibilities for artistic fashion design, but also allows consumers to get the styles they really want at incredibly reasonable prices through Vip.com."

Ross Liang, corporate vice-president of Tencent and head of YouTu Lab, agrees that the three platforms' recent work has been setting a precedent in the industry.

"This cooperation has been a fantastic experiment. By bringing AI into the world of fashion, we hope to help designers to create inspiring new fashions that capture emerging trends," Liang said. "Powered by the big data resources of Qzone's massive image database, YouTu Lab's image recognition capability is rapidly becoming even more advanced and is inspiring more means of creativity through its wide range of applications."

'95-degree black'

In the color trend report, Vip.com, Qzone and YouTu Lab found that the favorite color for China's Post 95s is a shade of black with an RGB ratio of 22:20:24, which is named"95-degree black". It is different from pure black with an RGB ratio of 0:0:0.

To make more people familiar with the color "95-degree black", the fashion show was broadcast live via platforms including Vip.com, Qzone, now. qq.com and v.qq.com. Meanwhile, a "NYFW Special Zone" was simultaneously launched on the VFashion channel of Vip.com to recommend apparel similar to those featured on the show in an effort to provide a one-stop entertainment and shopping experience for customers and make it possible for them to "see now, buy now".

"We not only want to demonstrate the attitude and confidence of China's young generation, but also offer more fashionable, high-quality and affordable pieces to Chinese consumers," said Chen.

The Vip.com show features four collections - the Present, the Future, the Classical and the 95�� Collection - which consist of street style and cool "techno-fashion" inspired by technology of the future, featuring the colors and patterns that the Post 95s love most. The co-branded fall/winter collections unveiled at NYFW will be available online exclusively on Vip.com in fall 2017. With a starting price point of just 95 yuan ($13.9), consumers will be able to own the most exciting new collection straight from New York Fashion Week.

AI + Fashion

Vip.com and YouTu Lab also found that the most important consideration for Post 95s when they buy clothes is how they match. The colors that the Post 95s like most to pair with black are red, yellow and blue. Their favorite clothing fabrics are cotton, wool and leather, while their favorite patterns are prints, doodles and letters.

"The collection's design is based on the preferences and popular trends of the Post 95s, including their favorite colors, garment patterns, styles, fabrics and items revealed by the report," said Zhang Chi.

"I hope our cooperation will not only showcase the independent fashion attitude of China's Post 95s to the world via an international fashion stage, but also provide them with the styles they really love at affordable prices through Vip.com."

The theme of the fashion show, inspired by the fashion trends of China's Post 95s, is "the Present and the Future".

"This theme reflects the lives of China's Post 95s, since they represent not only the power of the present but also the power of the future world," said Chen. "It further demonstrates the vision of Vip.com - to let consumers enjoy the future's trends in the present with the best prices."

"We will continue to team up with more partners in the future and launch series of fashion-forward collections. More consumers will enjoy the latest styles from runways at an affordable price," said Chen.

(China Daily 02/17/2017 page14)