(Yicai) Sept. 9 -- Alibaba Group Holding’s e-marketplace Taobao has launched a ‘Super Fashion Release’ livestream studio at the ongoing 2025 China Fashion Week in Beijing, broadcasting runway shows of its designers’ latest autumn and winter collections in a bid to help merchants elevate their brand image and transform an industry dominated by cutthroat competition.

The “Super Fashion Release” studio is streaming fashion shows from three Taobao merchants to Taobao users during China Fashion Week, which runs until Sept. 14. With a “show now, sell now and watch now, buy now” model, livestream traffic from the shows is converted directly into sales. One of its merchants, Qixiangjin, had its Fashion Week debut yesterday.

Taobao’s aim is to move the “Super Fashion Week” brand online and create a festival for online apparel brands, Ling Sa, marketing director of Taobao Fashion, told Yicai. E-commerce platforms have already created shopping bonanzas like Double 11 and 618 so they can also create one just for fashion brands.

However, shifting the catwalk online is not without its challenges. The project management team requires not only livestream coordinators, but also a fashion show operations team as well as sales professionals, Ling said. It takes at least a month to prepare each show and demands significant joint investment from both the platform and the brands involved.

Since Taobao started the livestreaming fashion show project last year, the Hangzhou-based company has brought in excellent online fashion show teams, including international directors, stylists and other top talent. This has involved nearly a year of trial and adjustments. 

Taobao is now stepping up investment in the new venture, Ling said. “Super Fashion Week” aims to leverage Taobao’s advantages to bring together more original designers, niche brands, intangible cultural heritage fabrics and key opinion leaders, while providing them with support in terms of traffic and resources. At the same time, it raises the bar on the platform’s ability to protect original designs and will test the e-retailer’s governance abilities, she added.

Reshaping the Future

The accelerated integration of original designers and e-commerce may reshape the fashion industry’s future.

This year, China Fashion Week started linking arms with e-commerce platforms to promote the “show now, sell now and watch now, buy now” model, said Xie Fangming, vice president of the China Fashion Association. Designers need to use e-commerce tools for product design, communication and sales in order to build their brands, he added.

China Fashion Week is becoming a major stage for e-commerce vendors seeking to strengthen their brands. Yicai reporters have also spotted staff from other e-commerce platforms such as Douyin, Amazon, JD.com and Xiaohongshu at different parts of the venue this year.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor