China Online Fashion Sales Hit CN¥ 695B as Shoppers Trade Up

Executive Summary#

Online fashion sales on two of China's largest marketplaces reached CN¥ 695.48 billion in MAT2025, the moving annual total for the twelve months from July 2024 through June 2025, almost flat on the year, as shoppers moved from buying more at lower prices toward buying fewer, better pieces. The average selling price across the market was CN¥ 130.1, yet the fastest-growing segments sit at multiples of that. Outdoor apparel grew 21.5% year on year (YoY), and down jackets grew 27.3% at a CN¥ 1,460 average price, the highest of any fashion category. Growth has moved to technical performance and functional design.

The Premiumization Shift: Quality Over Quantity#

Online fashion sales on the two marketplaces covered are going through a structural adjustment. Across MAT2025 they reached CN¥ 695.48 billion at an average selling price of CN¥ 130.1 per item, and the fastest-growing categories and attributes all sit well above that average, as shoppers move from frequent, low-value purchases toward fewer, more selective ones in most sub-categories.

Three converging forces are reshaping the market:

• Rising consumer sophistication driving demand for quality, durability, and technical performance over mere affordability
• Maturation of livestream commerce accelerating consumer education about authentic materials and wearing experiences
• Premiumization in outdoor and functional categories pulling up the market's average price floor, as demand concentrates on garments that do a specific job well

Where Category Growth Is Concentrating#

The category landscape reveals a stark bifurcation. Womenswear, menswear and underwear/loungewear together account for over 80% of total sales, and womenswear alone is CN¥ 383.9 billion, but the growth is happening elsewhere. Outdoor apparel, the smallest of the seven major categories at CN¥ 18.98 billion, grew 21.5% YoY, over five times the rate of the next-fastest grower, sports/casual wear at 3.8%. Bags and leather goods (+2.1%) occupy a middle ground, benefiting from the broader lifestyle and outdoor trend without the technical specificity of dedicated outdoor apparel.

This divergence reflects a fundamental consumer reorientation toward technical, functional clothing that serves specific performance needs rather than generic wardrobe replenishment. Categories offering functional or technical differentiation are where the market's growth is being created; those competing primarily on fashion trends and price are not.

What Is Driving Outdoor Demand#

We believe the outdoor apparel surge reflects a lasting change in how Chinese consumers define value in clothing. Down jackets grew 27.3% at an average price of CN¥ 1,460, the highest of any fashion category, which suggests shoppers will pay for functional quality. Hardshell jackets, softshell garments and fleece (+35% growth) led the outdoor charge.

The sun protection sub-market is re-composing rather than simply expanding: shoppers are moving from "full coverage" toward targeted protection, and the specialist accessories are where the growth has landed. Key growth areas include:

• Sun protection gloves: +56.9% YoY
• Face veils: +26.6% YoY
• Functional underwear: +31% YoY, driven by material innovation bridging professional outdoor performance and daily wear comfort

Beneath the category numbers sits a "function pyramid", a ranking of functional selling points by how far shoppers will pay for them. Traditional features such as windproofing and sun protection still command the largest share of sales but grow more slowly. Professional features such as water repellency, moisture permeability and abrasion resistance grow faster, at premium price points. At the apex, compound innovations that resolve trade-offs between competing performance needs are posting triple-digit growth.

Selected functional selling points, MAT2025

*Source: Moojing Market Intelligence. Selected attributes from the outdoor and sun protection segment.*

"Light warmth", which combines lightweight portability with thermal insulation, leads the set at 187.3% growth despite a mid-market CN¥ 389.48 average price, and we believe its lead comes from resolving the trade-off between lightness and warmth. Sun protection, the cheapest attribute in the set at CN¥ 52.56, grew 0.5%, a commoditised feature holding its scale without momentum.

Brands that combine technical materials with contemporary design, for outdoor use and everyday wear alike, are best placed to capture that growth.

Strategic Implications for Brands#

For brands and retailers, the data points to competing on product quality, technical differentiation and brand storytelling instead of volume-driven pricing, because the market is rewarding fewer, higher-value transactions and offering little to commoditised assortments.