Tight green sweaters, furry shoulder pads, and buckled kiltie loafers were just a few of the pieces seen on male models at Shushu/Tong’s Shanghai Fashion Week show this season. But for the traditionally feminine brand, this didn’t mark a targeted expansion into the men’s market. “It’s not actually menswear, it’s boys wearing girls’ clothes,” founder Liushu ‘Shushu’ Lei said backstage. “The menswear [side of the business] is still very small.”
For brands in China, adding a few men’s looks can let more consumers in on the fun while protecting bottom lines. As male consumers bypass domestic designers for sportswear or well-known global brands, the local menswear scene is often left a little cold, experts agree. “It’s a pretty difficult time for menswear,” says Laura Darmon, head of buying and business development at ENG Concept Store. “[Well-known] European brands like Our Legacy dominate the market, which makes it tougher [for local labels to compete].”
Local labels are not the only ones fighting for uptake. For global brands, smaller, fashion-forward names can struggle to find opportunity in China, as male shoppers stay committed to more practical items. A reason for this is the shift in streetwear, a category that once invited menswear to join in on the fashion conversation. The post-streetwear space is now dominated by leisurewear and gorpcore, with the trifecta of Arcteryx, Salomon, and Lululemon becoming known online as the “three treasures” of China’s middle class.
“Male customers now have more options for outerwear and outdoor brands,” says Zemira Xu, founder of Tube Showroom, which has pivoted away from streetwear to more lifestyle-focused labels. Domestic sportswear brands are feeling the benefit: Anta posted record revenues of RMB 80.22 billion ($11.7 billion) in 2025, while Bosideng, the world’s largest down clothing company, hired menswear designer Kim Jones to head up its sub-brand Areal last October.
At Garçon by Garçon (which Tube works with), jackets and outerwear are its strongest performing categories. “This probably relates to men’s dressing habits, because they are easy-to-style pieces when putting together an outfit,” adds Dayun Tang, the brand’s founder and creative director.
But for traditional menswear lines, the uncertainty is discouraging. With a low ROI on menswear, many Chinese brands have shifted toward womenswear to survive, or an emphasis on function, performance, and ease. “Chinese men tend to focus more on professional sportswear brands for their clothing, aside from everyday commuting attire,” says Li Gong, founder of Shanghai label 8ON8. “Although the distinction between womenswear and menswear has become increasingly clear, this has not helped boost male consumer demand.”
Navigating the domestic market
8ON8 began in 2017 with menswear collectsions focused on tailoring, but has recently shifted toward womenswear in China, where 80% of its sales are to women. “Quite a number of female customers purchased our menswear in the early years of the brand, and in the following years, we decided to launch a womenswear line to better serve them, mainly by adjusting the sizing to better fit the female body,” says Gong. This is in contrast to 8ON8’s overseas business, which is exclusively menswear, and performs particularly well in Japan and South Korea, according to the designer.
Brands like Shushu/Tong and Jacques Wei dipping a toe in menswear signals a small shift, but experts believe it will be a long time before meaningful changes take hold. “It’s still a trial for the brands,” says Xu. “Fashion editors and KOLs [key opinion leaders] give good feedback because they can finally find some pieces from the brand [to buy], but the whole picture in China is different.”
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Element, a menswear-focused multi-brand boutique with stores in Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou, has built a loyal male following over the past 10 years by stocking a range of international brands including Japanese designers like Khoki, and outdoor-lifestyle labels like Nanamica and CMF Outdoor Garment. “The products in our store are mainly focused on practicality, texture, and comfort,” says founder and buying director Benny Zhu. Sixty percent of Element’s customers are male, while 40% are female. “We’ve been continuously researching the lifestyle and consumption habits of men from various parts of China for a long time. They have high demands for practicality, fabric [quality], details, and craftsmanship.”
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To win more male attention in China, Xu recommends brands invest in activations to share insight from behind the scenes — not only runway shows, but detailed information on brand concept, fabric, and silhouette. “Male consumers are more like brand disciples,” she says. “They’re not only buying for a ‘look’, they want to hear the ideas and beliefs of the brand.”
On the flip side, the lack of boundary-pushing menswear means less competition, which Darmon says presents an opportunity for designers with a strong point of view. “If you really go for menswear and specialize in it, then you can become the only option,” she says. Darmon cites Untitlab among the labels to watch, known for its bold, kinky footwear (it recently went viral thanks to Alexander Skarsgård wearing the brand’s Fisherman boots), and Structura, which makes minimal, sporty menswear. “In terms of pattern, it’s giving something super new.”
Other brands are deepening their sports-focused offerings in order to compete. 8ON8 is planning to focus more on sportswear, building on the long-term collaborations it has done with the likes of Asics, in order to appeal to male consumers. “8ON8 itself has a strong sports DNA,” Gong says. “In the future, for young Chinese men, I will focus more on enhancing [those] aesthetics, on top of functionality.”
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Potential for foreign players
Q1 has seen many brands launch activations in the Chinese market, including Maison Margiela choosing Shanghai for its first-ever runway outside Paris with a show that included menswear, womenswear, and its Artisanal line, as well as Ralph Lauren’s flagship opening in Chengdu, with expectations for the brand’s China business to grow “at least double digits”, according to CEO Patrice Louvet.
Though success with menswear in China isn’t guaranteed, the country still offers a large and dynamic market that many are keen to tap into. The French Menswear Federation made a strategic move into Shanghai this season, with a dedicated showroom that featured four French designers: Baziszt, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Egonlab, and Coltesse. The hope is that these menswear labels can grow their businesses in the Chinese market, as part of long-term expansion plans. “Interesting brands can make good business in Asia more easily than [they can in] Europe,” says Guillaume Ruby, the federation’s communications director, adding that the designers were surprised by how many local buyers expressed interest in their collectsions. “In Europe, it takes more time.”
Even so, without a strong grasp of the local market, global brands can also struggle to gain traction. Element’s Zhu warns against treating China as one market. “When developing a foreign brand in China, it’s necessary to have a thorough understanding of China’s national conditions and market. The environment, climate, and food in different cities are very different,” he says. “As the most developed city in China’s economy, Shanghai is highly internationalized. There are some men in Shanghai who often travel or study abroad, so their consumption habits are relatively international. But such men are only a small part of Shanghai, and the residents of each city have different lifestyles and consumption views.”
Ruby advises brands to be open and flexible when joining the Chinese menswear market. “You can either enter by doing a collaboration, for instance, or by trading with a big retailer,” he says. “And remember that it’s not a small market, so you need to be prepared in terms of production and delivery. Things can happen much faster here.”
