It has been announced that Chinese actor Xiao Zhan is the latest brand ambassador for Gucci in China, joining other popular celebrities Chris Lee, Ni Ni and Lu Han.
The announcement was made by the fashion house with an Instagram video featuring Zhan. Zhan is seen in key pieces from creative director Alessandro Michele’s latest collection in the video. In the following photos, he also modelled the Gucci Diana handbag, as well as the Gucci Horsebit 1955 shoulder bag.
“I am honoured to be the face of Gucci. I have always admired Gucci’s vibrant design aesthetic and Michele’s romantic fashion language. I hope to collaborate more with the brand in the future, to explore the world of Gucci’s creative inspiration and to open up a multifaceted aesthetic dialogue,” the actor said.
The star made his debut in the entertainment world as a member of Chinese boy band X Nine. In 2019, he rose to stardom after acting in TV drama, The Untamed.
Zhan has a large social media following, with 29.6 million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Social media fan accounts from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia have also been created to support the actor, reported CNA.
So far, fan reactions to the announcement have been enthusiastic with some even embarking on shopping sprees at Gucci and sharing their buys on social media.
“I went shopping at [the] Gucci Flagship in Toronto downtown today to support Gucci brand ambassador Xiao Zhan today,” wrote a Twitter user.
“After Gucci announced Xiao Zhan as its brand spokesperson, many [Xiao Zhan fans] were seen wearing their Tod’s and Zenith watches shopping at Gucci stores,” wrote another Twitter user. Aside from Gucci, Zhan is also a Tod’s and Zenith ambassador.
Recently luxury brands have been betting big on Chinese celebrity endorsements, but it can sometimes go awry. Prada cut ties this year with Zheng Shuang after the actress was embroiled in a surrogacy scandal.
Kris Wu was cut off by Louis Vuitton after the singer was accused of predatory behaviour. Zhan was also caught in a controversy after fanfiction led to a clash between his fans and users of the open-source repository site, Archive Of Our Own.
After losing endorsements, the actor laid low for over a year, before he was appointed the face of Tod’s and Zenith.
His star power, however, doesn’t seem to have waned. After Zhan was announced as the face of Zenith, the brand’s watches reportedly sold out. /TISG