Xiao Zhan at Gucci: portrait of the man conquering global luxury

In Milan for Demna’s Gucci Primavera show, Chinese actor and singer Xiao Zhan embodies something new in fashion: a power of influence that transcends borders. Portrait of an icon.

He arrives in Milan with a Gucci Borsetto in hand, the photographers go wild, and 30 million fans on Weibo hold their breath. Xiao Zhan is not just Gucci’s global ambassador. He is a phenomenon in his own right.

From Chongqing to the world’s podiums

Born in 1991 in Chongqing, southwest China, Xiao Zhan began his career as a singer with boy band X Nine. But it was the TV series The Untamed (2019) that catapulted him to national icon status. One role, one series, and an entire generation falls under his spell.

Since then, luxury brands have been snapping him up. He has accumulated over 31 endorsements with houses as diverse as L’Oréal, YSL Beauty, Tod’s and Zenith. A record in the Chinese industry.

The rise of Gucci

Gucci took the Xiao Zhan gamble to boost brand awareness and accelerate growth in China, at a time when the brand’s sales remained below 2019 levels. It was a bold gamble. It proved a winner.

Upon the announcement of his embassy, his 29.6 million fans on Weibo launched a wave of spontaneous Gucci purchases, sharing their receipts on social networks. The hashtag associated with the announcement generated 40 million discussions on the platform in just a few hours. No advertising budget. Just loyalty.

Today, his title has evolved: Xiao Zhan is now Global Brand Ambassador for Gucci – a distinction that places him beyond the Chinese market, as the international face of the Florentine label.

Milan, and Demna

For Demna’s Primavera show, Xiao Zhan is present in the front row. His presence is not insignificant: this is the new artistic director’s first show, and Gucci has chosen to associate him visually with this historic turning point.

Milan and Xiao Zhan have a long history. From his first trip to Italy in 2019, the Lombardy city has left its mark on him. Each new Gucci campaign is an opportunity to create new memories.

The new geopolitics of luxury

Xiao Zhan embodies a reality that the major houses have been slow to fully accept: tomorrow’s luxury consumer is often closer to Shanghai than to Paris. And to win them over, you have to speak their language – not just in Mandarin, but through figures they recognize themselves in.

Gucci understood this before many others. And with Demna at the helm, the house seems ready to go even further in this direction.