Rebirth of the Fashion King

In 2009, major brands reduced their advertising budgets, but the Asian market, especially the China region, bucked the trend and grew. Chanel headquarters had issued a market research report as early as 2008, which clearly stated that the consumption growth rate in the China region had exceeded 37% for three consecutive years, making the establishment of independent regional ambassadors an urgent matter.

Over the past three years, LVMH, Gucci, and Armani have all been betting on Chinese actresses. Zhang Ziyi holds global dual endorsements for Armani ready-to-wear and Omega, while Gong Li has been a regular at the forefront of LV haute couture. The competition for resources among top domestic actresses is fierce, with gossip and rumors constantly emerging, and the public relations risks for brands remaining high year after year.

Karl Lagerfeld has always disliked homogenized marketing. In his Spring/Summer 2009 ready-to-wear collection, he deliberately broke away from the established framework of women's fashion shows, adding a men's styling section and launching a complete unisex suit, crocodile clutch, and J12 unisex watch with matching men's accessories line. The brand's male consumer base continued to expand, but there was never a matching Asian male image carrier.

Dawn's adaptability is almost flawless.

The gentlemanly quality that emerged during the golden age of Hong Kong entertainment in the 1990s is untouched by marketing hype, scandals, or negative public opinion. He enjoys a balanced national reputation across Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and mainland China. His physique is perfectly suited to Chanel's tweed cuts and minimalist black haute couture suits. His gentle and restrained temperament perfectly matches the brand's core tone of "understated elegance," setting him apart from the frivolous and outgoing male stars of the same period in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In my previous life, the luxury goods industry only began to use male Asian spokespeople after 2010. By then, the market benefits had already been divided up by competitors. In this life, thanks to Liu Yifei's suggestion, we can seize the initiative. This new plan should bring surprises to the Karl Lagerfeld.

……

Liu Yifei listened quietly, the evening breeze from the river carrying moisture onto her cheeks. She lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

Li Xun noticed that her mood was off, and the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

He turned to the side, his gaze falling on her slightly lowered eyelashes. His voice, which had been so excited during their discussion of the project, softened: "What's wrong?"

Liu Yifei gently shook her head, her voice soft and slightly hoarse: "It's nothing, I'm just a little envious."

"What's there to envy?"

"I envy him for having such a clean public image, free from arbitrary speculation." She looked up at the warm yellow lights of the cruise ships on the river, a faint mist spreading across her eyes.

"You're in Paris, where you're surrounded by the top people in the fashion industry, and you don't have to deal with the overwhelming malice on the Chinese internet."

Li Xun frowned slightly. He remembered that 2009 was the darkest year for Liu Yifei's public opinion on the internet.

The continuous spread of rumors about transgenderism and malicious fabrication of obscene rumors about private life has been forwarded and disseminated across the entire internet without any barriers. Forums, online communities, and entertainment sections of portal websites are filled with baseless smear campaigns, malicious photoshopping, and personal attacks are everywhere. Competitors have also mobilized online trolls to stir up trouble, and the public blindly follows suit with insults without distinguishing between truth and falsehood. The agency has issued several lawyer's statements with little effect, and it is difficult to change the public's preconceived prejudices.

She debuted at fifteen and, not yet twenty-two, single-handedly withstood a deluge of online slander. Her trip to Paris was likely a temporary escape from the suffocating public opinion environment in China.

During his years working at Chanel, he came into contact with some Hollywood and Asian artists, and also saw practitioners who were dragged down by public opinion. The cyberbullying that Liu Yifei suffered was epic.

"I've heard some of the rumors circulating on the Chinese internet," Li Xun said calmly.

"Those fabricated rumors have no substantial evidence and cannot withstand scrutiny. It was only because of the lack of information control in the early days of the Internet that the cost of spreading rumors was almost zero, which allowed malice to spread unchecked."

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Liu Yifei twitched the corners of her mouth, but it wasn't a smile; her eyes were even more watery: "Everyone is willing to believe harsh lies, and no one is willing to calm down and read the clarification statement."

I've tried explaining, going on TV to face the questions directly, and showing my identification documents, but new rumors just keep popping up.

"Due to the public's curiosity, negative rumors always spread much faster than debunking them," Li Xun explained.

"In the entertainment industry, where traffic is the primary driver, smear campaigns are more likely to generate clicks. Media outlets and independent media outlets allow rumors to spread for the sake of data, creating a vicious cycle. This is not your problem."

"But I have to bear all the consequences." Her voice trembled slightly, and the emotions she had been suppressing for so long finally broke down. A tear fell unexpectedly onto the outside of the mineral water bottle and slowly slid down the side of the bottle.

"I don't hype myself up or create any topics. I just quietly film. It's just that those few dramas were so popular that my appearance was remembered by the public, so I had to endure a constant stream of filth. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't have been standing in front of the camera in the first place."

This was the first time she had revealed her inner breakdown to outsiders. In the past, when faced with tricky questions from the media, she was always calm and gentle, glossing over all the malice and processing all the negative emotions on her own. Her strong will did not allow her to show vulnerability in front of outsiders.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she instinctively lowered her head, quickly wiping them away with her fingertips, not wanting to lose her composure.

In recent years, the entertainment environment in mainland China has been extremely intolerant of female artists. Actresses without a background and who are not good at socializing are very easy targets of public opinion. Moreover, she is too popular and can be called the number one cash cow in the Chinese entertainment industry. It is normal for her to be envied.

Moreover, she didn't have a professional team to help her control public opinion and suppress negative information, so she could only passively endure attacks from the entire internet.

Li Xun did not rush forward, but kept a half-step distance, respecting her emotional boundaries, and simply softened his tone: "Your value has never been defined by online rumors."

Rumors are essentially costless malicious speculation, lacking any real-world evidence. Directors, producers, and international fashion industry professionals with genuine influence in the field can distinguish between artistic merit and personal attacks.

Liu Yifei sniffed: "But the domestic market is different. When brands choose artists to collaborate with, the first thing they consider is online public opinion. If there are negative rumors, whether true or false, they will most likely be excluded directly. Many domestic brands are afraid of online rumors and dare not submit collaboration invitations."

"This is short-sightedness in the industry," Li Xun said bluntly.

Luxury brands value the stable and clean core of their artists, rather than short-term online popularity, in order to maintain a long-term brand image.

Rumors are temporary phenomena; your personal qualities and the image you project on screen are irreplaceable assets in the long run. Short-term public opinion storms will dissipate over time, but your qualities will not change.

"You did nothing wrong." Li Xun's gaze was steady as he looked directly into her eyes.

"Human nature instinctively pursues the bizarre and the negative, regardless of whether you are good or bad. If you choose not to pander, not to hype, and not to deliberately create topics, you are destined to endure more unwarranted criticism, but you will also filter out the audience and industry partners who truly recognize you."

Liu Yifei remained silent. The evening breeze continued to blow across the river, ruffling her long, disheveled hair. She had no time to tidy it up. Her emotions calmed down a little, and her tears gradually stopped, though her eyes were still red. "I understand the道理 (principles/reasoning), but it's hard to control my emotions. Being immersed in malice for so long makes it hard not to doubt myself."

"Self-doubt is a normal human instinct; there's no need to force yourself to always be invincible," Li Xun said in a gentler tone.

"Don't force yourself to process all the negative things. Taking a break from the environment is the right choice. Coming to Paris to relax is a great way to adjust. The Orangerie Museum, the small cafes on the Left Bank... the quiet environment can isolate you from some of the outside noise."

"Thank you for comforting me..."

"It's alright. What can't hit you will only make you stronger."

Liu Yifei was touched when she heard this. He really... knows how to comfort people.