International fashion brands entering the Chinese market have long treated celebrity endorsements as a tool for PR exposure and brand credibility. But in China’s highly digitalized commercial ecosystem, celebrity marketing has taken on a dual mandate: building long-term brand awareness and equity, while also driving immediate, measurable sales conversion. The key to success lies in precisely matching the right celebrity with the right brand and designing a clear path from awareness to purchase.
CHARLES & KEITH × Zhao Jinmai – From "Mass Recognition" to "Fashion Credibility"
Source: CHARLES & KEITH
As a Singapore-based fashion brand, CHARLES & KEITH has been present in China for 16 years, with over 700 stores globally. Through youthful design and accessible pricing, it has built a loyal customer base. Yet the brand faces a familiar challenge: while consumers know the brand, they perceive it as lacking in premium quality. The "affordable alternative" image anchors it in practicality, preventing it from entering consumers' “aspirational”consideration set.
The brand needed to reshape and elevate its image, and Zhao Jinmai’s refined appeal was exactly what made her the right choice as its brand ambassador. As a young actress who has grown alongside Gen Z, Zhao Jinmai combines strong mainstream recognition with influence among younger audiences. Her natural, approachable and spirited public image has resonated deeply with consumers, making her a strong match for the young female audience the brand hopes to reach.She also serves as a brand ambassador for renowned fashion house Miu Miu. Sharing an ambassador with a luxury brand not only strengthens the brand’s fashion credentials, but also provides a powerful endorsement of its image and positioning.
Ultimately, the logic behind the partnership goes beyond celebrity visibility: it is about finding a personality whose image, audience and brand equity naturally align with the brand’s ambition.
Source: CHARLES & KEITH
Through campaign imagery, social media, and offline events in Chengdu, Zhao has infused the brand with a sense of style and aspiration. Consumer comments have shifted, with many noting the brand has "finally found its style" and that the collaboration gives CHARLES & KEITH a "luxury feel." CHARLES & KEITH has taken a significant first step in reshaping its brand identity. The American premium athleisure brand ALO has chosen a different path.
Source：CHARLES & KEITH Rednote
ALO × Zhao Lusi – Using Celebrity Collaboration to Drive Market Entry
Founded in Los Angeles in 2007, ALO surpassed $1 billion in global revenue as early as 2022 but was slow to enter China, a market where athleisure has boomed for years. Finally, on June 17th, 2026, ALO announced its official entry. On August 12th, 2026, it launched on Tmall, partnering with actress and singer Zhao Lusi—but without any traditional teaser campaign. At midnight, the brand replaced its flagship store homepage with Zhao's promotional visuals for a “zero-hype” launch.
Source: ALO
Within one minute of opening for payment on pre-orders at 12:30 AM, the store exceeded RMB 10 million (approx. $1.47 million USD) in sales, breaking Tmall's record for a new brand in the sports/outdoor category. By August 13th, the SUIT UP trousers (RRP: 169 USD) from Zhao Lusi's campaign had sold over 10,000 units, and the same sneakers (RRP: 258 USD) featured in her campaign had sold over 2,000 pairs, according to the brand’s Tmall product page data. Together, these two items generated sales exceeding RMB 10 million ($1.47 million USD), achieving both brand awareness and immediate sales conversion in a single stroke. This is a distinctive case of how celebrity partnerships can rapidly drive both brand visibility and commercial results for a brand entering a new market.
Source: ALO Tmall Store
Key Strategies for International Fashion Brands in China
In the Chinese market, celebrity impact is not simply a transaction of buying traffic, it is a sophisticated business calculus, and one of the key drivers behind the market's rapid growth.
RedderUp Strategy 1: Define Your Brand's Stage and Goals First
Brands at different stages require distinct strategies:
Market Entry: Prioritize brand awareness and visibility with celebrities who have strong industry influence.
Established Presence: Focus on reaching new consumer segments and enhancing brand preference with celebrities representing the brand's culture.
Sales Growth: Choose celebrities with proven consumer influence and strong product relevance.
RedderUp Strategy 2: Build a Science-Based Celebrity Selection Process
Selecting a celebrity is essentially choosing who you want to influence. Effective evaluation requires assessing four key dimensions:
Audience Fit: Does the celebrity's fan base overlap with the brand's target consumers?
Brand Fit: Can the celebrity represent the brand's image?
Product Fit: Can the celebrity naturally embody the products?
Commercial Influence: Do fans have the purchasing power to drive sales?
A celebrity with stronger connection to the target consumer often generates higher commercial value than a bigger star with weaker alignment.
RedderUp Strategy 3: Map the Full Path from Buzz to Purchase
A successful celebrity strategy needs a full conversion chain:
Launch Phase: Generate maximum buzz with synchronized multi-platform announcements.
Conversion Phase: Authorize official campaign assets for e-commerce product pages, paid media, in-store displays, and pair them with exclusive products or pop-up events to shorten the path to purchase.
Long-Tail Phase: Release celebrity’s as-seen-on assets and daily-life content, while empowering KOLs and KOCs to create and distribute derivative content, sustaining conversation and reaching potential consumers over time.
Equally critical is the communication budget structure. Brands need a professional team to allocate it strategically, using the endorser as the anchor and matching them with the right resources to fully unlock the commercial potential. This is where RedderUp comes in.
About RedderUp
RedderUp is a full-service, 360-degree China fashion marketing and PR agency specializing in helping global fashion and luxury brands successfully enter and win in the local Chinese market. We offer an integrated suite of services including strategic public relations, influencer marketing (KOL collaborations), social media management, and e-commerce operations. Our core expertise lies in driving brand visibility and engagement on China's most influential mainstream social platforms—particularly RedNote (Xiaohongshu), WeChat, and Douyin. Whether you need to build authentic connections with Chinese consumers, scale your influencer campaigns, or optimize your social commerce performance, RedderUp provides the localized insights and hands-on execution to make your brand thrive in China's fast-evolving digital landscape.
Contact us for more information or inquiries.
Source：
https://www.charleskeithgroup.com/cn/about-us/
https://eu.36kr.com/en/p/3937420909640838?
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