Bosideng taps AI for consumer niche

Chinese down apparel giant Bosideng is accelerating its brand upgrading and artificial intelligence integration to capture new opportunities in the country's rapidly evolving consumer market.

"Consumers today are shifting their focus from basic material satisfaction to spiritual fulfillment, prioritizing personalized experiences, brand value and emotional resonance," Gao Dekang, chairman and CEO of Bosideng International Holdings, said during the Wangfujing Forum in Beijing earlier this month.

"Only by understanding these shifting needs and creating effective demand through high-quality supply can we transform the immense potential of China's mega-market into powerful momentum for enterprise growth," Gao said, echoing the country's broader push for supply-side structural reform and domestic demand expansion.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Bosideng has grown from a local manufacturer into a globally recognized brand, deeply rooted in China's massive consumer market.

Gao noted the company shares a profound historical connection with Wangfujing, often dubbed China's premier commercial street. Over 30 years ago, an innovative off-season sales strategy at the Wangfujing Department Store marked a pivotal turning point for the brand's nationwide expansion. Today, the iconic area continues to serve as a vital launchpad for the company's high-end retail strategies and consumer engagement.

To meet the personalized needs of modern shoppers, the company is deeply integrating AI technologies across its entire industrial chain, from research and production to supply, sales, and customer service.

Gao revealed plans to comprehensively upgrade the Bosideng flagship store at Wangfujing Intime In88 this year. The revamped store will introduce AI-powered fitting rooms, intelligent shopping assistants, and personalized AI recommendations to create a highly immersive and futuristic consumption scenario.

"AI is profoundly restructuring retail scenarios," Gao said. "We have built a vertical AI large model, the 'Bosideng AI Aesthetic Brain', which revolutionizes our database from design conception to fitting and delivery. We are also exploring the massive potential of AI in livestreaming and content generation."

Driven by a dual-focus strategy targeting both the mid-to-high-end and mass markets, Bosideng has seen its brand value soar to an impressive 135.69 billion yuan ($20.05 billion). The company has actively explored the integration of traditional Chinese culture with modern fashion, showcasing its collections at major international fashion weeks in New York, Milan, London and Paris.

Product innovation remains the core of Bosideng's competitiveness. Backed by national-level industrial design centers and advanced laboratories, the company holds over 1,800 patents.

The brand's commitment to professional protection is also evident in its long-standing support for Chinese explorers, Gao said. Since outfitting the Chinese mountaineering team for their successful summit of Mount Qomolangma in 1998, Bosideng has continuously supported polar expeditions and winter sports. This year, the company deepened its ties with the Chinese Mountaineering Association and the national ski mountaineering team.

Looking ahead, Gao expressed strong confidence in the future. "China boasts the world's most promising mega-market, a complete industrial system, and continuously upgrading consumer demands. This is the most solid foundation and the greatest opportunity for our brand's development," he said.