Victoria Beckham shares her fashion experience with Chinese fans as part of her visit to the country. (China Daily) |
H&M China says most buyers of David Beckham's bodywear products are women who purchase them for their boyfriends or husbands.
The last time Beckham was in China, he caused a minor stir at Peking University when he took off his shirt and showed his tattoos during a talk.
This time, a reporter asked him to let Chinese fans get a peak at the underwear he had designed, a request the footballer demurely declined.
Victoria Beckham has a huge fan base in China, many of whom grew up in the 1980s and '90s, when English pop music first came to the country, creating a generation of Spice Girl fans.
Most of her designs cater to slim lines. There are razor-sharp dresses and corsets, jackets with functional pockets and short, sporty skirts.
"Strong, independent women will love her designs, because her creations can empower women," Cheung says. "Her garments help them to become much more confident, elegant and stylish."
Spice Girls' fans, most of them now in their late 20s or 30s, have become Victoria Beckham's potential consumers, especially white-collar female office workers.
The couple are not shy when it comes to cross-promotion, with Victoria Beckham telling media on June 24 that her husband supported her work as a designer, and David Beckham telling the H&M event the next day that his wife is a very talented fashion designer, worthy of Chinese fashionistas' attention.
But not everyone was eating from the Beckhams' hands when they were in China.
Show business observer Yang Qin says they are another case of outdated celebrities visiting China with little more to do than cash in on their fame.
"The Beckhams are not the only ones. Outdated Japanese and South Korean celebrities come to China looking for opportunities, too," Yang says.
"Chinese people buy it, believing in international star power, which is exactly why these people can make money here."