Why are Li Xian and Wang Yibo wearing women’s clothes? Male Chinese celebrities are leading a gender-neutral fashion trend at odds with the country’s anti-K-pop traditional values

Aug 30 , 2021

Chinese stars like Li Xian, Wang Yibo, Cai Xukun and Jackson Yee are challenging gender and fashion boundaries by wearing womenswear, but can China’s newest fashion trend take hold amid pervading cultural norms? Photo:@橘子娱乐, @这就是街舞, @PRADA普拉达, @TFBOYS-易烊千玺/Weibo

Women may have long embraced ‘boyfriend’ jeans and shirts, but now male stars and Gen Z are integrating fashion-forward women’s designs into their wardrobes

‘Incarnated Chanel’ Wang Yibo, Tiffany & Co. and Armani Beauty’s spokesperson Jackson Yee and Prada’s muse Cai Xukun have all been spotted in womenswear

In the realm of gender-fluid fashion, women wearing men’s clothes have always been more dominant than the opposite. Drawn to their oversized fits, women have long been rocking “boyfriend” jeans and shirts to add chic to their wardrobe.

But today, the growing number of Chinese male fashionistas wearing women’s clothes is reversing the narrative. From celebrities to influencers, Chinese men are increasingly shopping for womenswear.

It is much easier to find well-designed and interesting pieces in womenswear than menswear … The cut is better, details are more well-thought-out, and there are just more choices overall

Jeremy Yang, fashion blogger

Wang Yibo wore a pink jacket from Chanel’s pre-autumn 2020 womenswear collection on the TV show Street Dance of China. Photo: @这就是街舞/Weibo

Actor Wang Yibo, who was announced as Chanel’s brand ambassador this June, epitomises the genderless chic becoming popular in China’s fashion community. Referred to as a man that “incarnated Chanel”, Wang has worn the brand’s iconic womenswear in TV shows and on magazine covers for a fashion-forward look that defies gendered expectations.

For example, he famously paired a pink Chanel jacket with a mini purse in the show Street Dance of China and wore a tweed jacket to a red carpet event held by Tencent. Not only did Wang’s outfits normalise womenswear for men, but they have also inspired women, who find his looks surprisingly cool for a classical brand like Chanel.

Li Xian donned a coat from Chanel’s women’s collection at a Vogue party. Photo: @橘子娱乐/Weibo

Wang is just one of the many male Chinese idols setting a new normal for men’s fashion. Tiffany & Co. and Armani Beauty’s spokesperson Jackson Yee wore a Chanel women’s tweed overall to the Grammy’s in 2018. Then, actor Li Xian, the spokesperson of Ermenegildo Zegna, attended a 2019 Vogue party in a Chanel coat from its 2018 womenswear collection.

Cai Xukun, Prada’s muse and ambassador since 2019, frequently wears the brand’s women’s suits to red carpet events. And on Weibo, the hashtag #MaleCelebrityInWomenwear is an active thread, with over 150 million views and 320 thousand posts.

Since 2019, Cai Xukun has been Prada’s muse and has been frequently spotted wearing their products on the red carpet. Photo: @PRADA普拉达/Weibo

Real-life fashionistas have been catching up with the movement, too. Jeremy Yang is an emerging blogger on Little Red Book, and he is not shy about adding womenswear to his day-to-day fashion. “It is much easier to find well-designed and interesting pieces in womenswear than menswear,” he said. “The cut is better, details are more well-thought-out, and there are just more choices overall.”