Chanel Opens Official Account for Its Fashion Business on Xiaohongshu
LONDON — Chanel last week finally jumped on the Xiaohongshu bandwagon and posted its first video to promote the brand's Métiers d'Art 2025 collection revealed in Hangzhou last December.
The 34-second clip, featuring model Liu Wen sharing her experience opening the show, so far has garnered 2,700 likes and 331 comments, and helped the brand gain around 3,150 followers over the weekend on Xiaohongshu, arguably the most important social media ecosystem post-pandemic for brands to engage with Chinese-speaking, fashion-forward audiences around the world.
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The Parisian haute couture house is one of the last major luxury players to open an official account for its fashion business on the platform. Chanel Beauty, meanwhile, has been running a highbrow official account since July 2020.
Previously a more local phenomenon known mostly to local fashion executives, Xiaohongshu, which is also known as Red Note or Booktok, rose to global fame in January when it became the most downloaded free app on the U.S. App Store as 'TikTok refugees' started to look for an alternative platform in the face of a looming TikTok ban in the U.S.
Founded in 2013 by Miranda Qu and Charlwin Mao as a shopping guide for Chinese travelers internationally, the app was able to attract an initial user base that was affluent and in the know. Its cachet remains to this day, as it has evolved from a product recommendation platform into a full e-commerce operation.
With more than 100 million daily active users, it is currently the third-largest social network platform in China, trailing behind WeChat and Douyin, which is the Chinese equivalent of TikTok.
Compared with its local competition, Xiaohongshu occupies a unique position in the market, especially among Chinese luxury and fashion consumers, with its highly curated, engaging, peer-to-peer user-generated content and an algorithm that accurately pushes these posts to users.
Seizing that irreplaceable influence in a market amid a structural economic slowdown, Taobao and Tmall, Alibaba's core e-commerce business, last month joined forces with Xiaohongshu to launch a cross-platform shopping function in a bid to boost online sales.
Luxury brands began to embrace Xiaohongshu long before that. Louis Vuitton became the first top-tier luxury brand to partner with Xiaohongshu in May 2019 and started to experiment with livestreaming on the platform.
Last year, the brand hosted a first-of-its-kind resee livestreaming days after its pre-fall 2024 show in Shanghai, bringing the platform's fashion-loving audience up close with the latest items from the collection, which included a landmark collaboration with Sun Yitian, a Beijing-based artist known for her paintings of blown-up animals. The high-production-value session attracted more than 470,000 unique visitors, setting a record for luxury livestreaming on Xiaohongshu.
Hermès officially joined Xiaohongshu in October 2023, while brands including Dior, Prada, Gucci, Valentino, Balenciaga, Fendi, Cartier, Tiffany, Burberry, and even Bottega Veneta have all been actively posting on Xiaohongshu for the past few years.
While a sharp slowdown in luxury spending in mainland China has led to a 30 percent drop in operating profits and a 4.3 percent decline in revenues in 2024, Chanel will continue to invest in Greater China.
'We have about 127 boutiques across China, and we opened 15 last year. We'll continue to open 15 this year. We've invested in new cities like Chengdu, Nanjing, to talk to our client base that's diversifying in China, so there's a lot to look forward to in China,' said Chanel's global chief executive officer Leena Nair, in a recent interview with WWD.
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The Verge
33 minutes ago
- The Verge
The cursed world of AI kiss and hug apps
Doomscroll on TikTok long enough, and you'll come across an ad for AI video apps. In one ad, a stereotypically nerdy girl puckishly smirks as she uploads a picture of herself and her much more handsome crush. Boom — suddenly, thanks to AI, they're smooching. In another, I'm shown a woman in a blouse and jeans. Do I want to know what she looks like in a blue bikini? Psst. There's an app for that. The ad then shows me the woman in said blue bikini. These apps aren't peddling the digital nudes many people associate with AI deepfakes, which are proliferating in their own right on app stores. Slapped together by opportunistic developers and sprinkled with subscription fees and microtransactions, they're all pitching tools to help you make benign fantasies a bit more tangible — but the results feel more cursed than magical. AI video ads link out to apps with titles like VideoAI, and DreamVid, made by companies you've probably never heard of — a short perusal of Apple's App Store brings up roughly two dozen options. Despite their titillating promotional material, they feature plenty of innocuous video templates. By uploading one or two photos and hitting a 'generate' button, you can change your hair color, hold up a sign, or hug Goku from Dragon Ball Z. But for every one of those, there are several other subtly disturbing or sort of gross ones. In the DreamVid app, there's an Enhance option that lets you give a person bigger breasts. In the preview, a blonde with a B cup is shown getting an automatic boob job, smiling playfully as she jiggles her new DD size. The AI Dancing category in the same app has scantily clad women suggestively swaying their hips. It's a mix that feels calculated. Just when you think there's too many bikinis and breasts, you'll see templates featuring cuddly AI cats, Studio Ghibli-style filters, and wholesome grandmas to hug. At the same time, when you look at DreamVid's AI outfit-of-the-day option, six of 12 outfits are some form of bikini or bathing suit. The rest include skimpy maid outfits, lingerie, a schoolgirl uniform, and gothic lolita cosplay. Only the wedding dress and cheongsam are relatively benign. None of them are aimed at creating pictures of men. In the ads, the videos generated are in that hazy category of 'real enough' to make you uncomfortable yet curious enough to download. Try it yourself and you'll see the telltale AI cracks appear. Kissing looks awkward — like how a toddler imagines kissing, faces and lips rhythmically smooshing together. (The few that attempt French kissing prove AI really doesn't know what to do with tongues yet.) Hugs look stiff, with dubious limb and hand placements. If the photos don't line up, hilarious zoom effects ensue as AI tries to match up bodies. Clothing, hair, accessories, and facial features often morph in and out of existence mid-video. AI systems have a long-standing racial bias issue, and pairing up subjects of different races seems to confuse these apps. My non-Asian celebrity crushes sometimes spontaneously developed Asian features when I joined them in a video. Other times, the app morphed my features into more Eurocentric ones to match my spouse. I don't know whether to laugh or cry that multiple AI apps insist that kissing parties should generally be the same race. I do, however, feel insulted when it generates a video of my spouse proposing to me — but has them turn away and propose to a random, spontaneously appearing white woman instead. None of this comes for free. The majority of apps charge microtransaction fees and subscriptions that range from $2.99 to $7.99 per week or $49.99 to $69.99 annually, providing limited credits that you can spend to generate videos. It's a financial model similar to that of AI nudes apps, even if the content is different. If you're curious about where those funds are going, one deep dive into the Videa: AI Video Maker app traced its origins to a company called Pure Yazlim Limited Sirketi that's based out of Istanbul, Turkey. is run by a company called NineG, which describes itself as 'non-gaming app publishing' on its barebones website. Its app store listing also touts the Mozart AI song generator, art generator Plum AI, an AI font creator, and, randomly, Reel TV — a Quibi-esque app for short dramas. DreamVid is run by Shenzhen iMyFone Technology which also has a suite of what seems to be productivity and utility apps, plus a Studio Ghibi generator. The Verge reached out to both NineG and iMyFone but didn't receive a response. In exchange, you get something infinitely simpler and more permissive than all-purpose video generators like OpenAI's Sora. You can theoretically produce a kiss on Sora, but only after crafting a text prompt describing what you want, uploading photos for the tool to work with, and clicking through pop-ups asking if you're over 18 and have consent to use the material you're uploading — and even then, Sora flagged me smooching Edward Cullen as a potential policy violation. Google's Veo is much the same. I tried the Edward Cullen kiss test, and Veo refused, saying it would reject prompts that are sexually suggestive, nonconsensual acts, or those that promote harmful stereotypes. On these other apps, you don't even need to come up with the idea — just upload a couple of pictures, and the system will deliver what you want. Simple apps for creating deepfaked nudes have produced numerous instances of clear harm, including widespread harassment of women and teen girls. Some of these incidents have led to lawsuits and arrests. There are also legal efforts to crack down on AI-generated nudes and unauthorized 'digital replicas' of real people, including the recently signed Take It Down Act, the No Fakes Act, and a bill passed by the New York State Senate. These apps are unlikely to fall under the purview of anti-deepfake porn laws, though the frequent appearances of celebrities — offered templates that let you make out with both Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen and Timothee Chalamet — make their status under digital replica rules shakier. For now, they sit in a murky zone between app store and platform moderation policies. Major tech companies have lagged on removing even sexually explicit AI generators, and the status of anything milder on their platforms seems nebulous. Google spokesperson Danielle Cohen tells The Verge that the Google Play Store doesn't allow apps that contain content or services that could be intended as sexually gratifying, and companies aren't allowed to use sexually explicit ads (including AI-generated ones) to direct people to their Play Store listings. Apple's App Store guidelines state apps shouldn't contain content that is 'offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, in exceptionally poor taste, or just plain creepy.' Provided examples include 'mean-spirited' content, as well as 'explicit descriptions or displays of sexual organs or activities intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.' There are no rules about ads for these apps. I sent Meta an example of an ad for a kiss and hug AI app I found on Instagram Reels. In response, Meta spokesperson Faith Eischen told The Verge, 'We have clear rules against nudity and sexual exploitation, including non-consensual intimate imagery — both real and AI-generated — and we've removed the shared piece of content for breaking our rules.' Eischen also noted that Meta removes such ads when notified, disables accounts responsible for them, and blocks links to sites hosting such apps. The Verge reached out to TikTok about its policies but didn't receive a response. While it's fraught to create sexually charged images of celebrities, it overlaps with the existing territory of fan art and meme-ification. Many of these apps' functions, though, tread in more uncomfortable territory. While it might not be overly pornographic, it's creepy to deepfake yourself kissing someone. It would be even creepier to do it to a friend or acquaintance who didn't consent to it. But it's also not really clear what the average user is looking for — most reviews are simply complaining about the microtransactions. Moderating this sort of content is kind of like whack-a-mole. had plenty of 'use AI to kiss your crush' ads several weeks ago. Now, all the ones I bookmarked have disappeared from social media. Within the app itself, I can no longer generate any kind of kissing video. Instead, the app moved on to ads of a suburban mom twerking, before they, too, were subsequently removed. Experimenting with AI video apps wasn't always creepy. Few people would object if everyone was using them to generate heartwarming videos of kids hugging their grandparents; you could argue that it's weird to want to do this, but it's not inherently wrong or illegal. But the fun or arguably helpful use cases are mixed in almost inextricably with the creepy stuff. Changing my hair is a pretty unobjectionable process, but it's unsettling to swap my own face onto a model 'dancing' while wearing cat ears, a plunging crop top that shows off her midriff and bra, hot pants, and lacy garters. (Leonardo DiCaprio's face on the model is perhaps less disturbing than simply unhinged.) Conversely, I've had genderqueer friends say they privately used AI templates that let them see what they'd look like as a different gender, and it helped them figure out their feelings. Even the kissing templates could have fairly innocuous uses — you could be a fiction writer seeking inspiration for a romance novel. In that case, what's the difference between drawing your own fan art and using an AI video generator? Perhaps, you're trying to process something and need a little visual help — and that's how I ended up deepfaking my dead parents. In a plot stolen straight from The Farewell, my mom died before my grandmother, and my family decided not to tell her out of fear she'd drop dead from shock. But whereas that film dealt in regular white lies, my family decided to update its deception for the modern era. When my grandma started lamenting that my mom had stopped calling, a cousin asked me if there was any chance that I, a tech reporter, could use AI to create video messages of my mother. That would, my cousin said, give my dementia-addled grandma some sense of peace. At the time, I told her it wasn't possible. Three years later, I finally generated the deepfake she requested while testing these apps. It was eerie how much it looked like my mom, except when she smiled. My real mother was self-conscious of her underbite. AI mom's teeth were perfect. All I could see were the ways that AI had failed to capture my mother's essence. I thought my cousin would feel the same way. Instead, the text I got in response was four hearts interspersed with several exclamation marks and crying face emojis. For her, the horrible deepfake was comforting. My mom would've hated this AI version of herself, and yet in the days after creating it, I found myself replaying it over and over — if only because spotting what the AI got wrong reminded me that I hadn't forgotten the real her. I found myself replaying it over and over — if only because spotting what the AI got wrong reminded me that I hadn't forgotten the real her. After that, I deepfaked my dad hugging me at my wedding. Some little girls dream of their fathers walking them down the aisle. Mine died before that day ever came, and I didn't make it to his deathbed in time for a proper goodbye. I wondered if deepfaking dad would give me a sense of closure. I used the last good photo I had of him, taken a few days before he passed, and a solo photo of me from my wedding. The AI did a horrible job. For one, it interpreted my dad's beanie as a thick shock of black hair. In my family, we teased him for his thin combover and fivehead — which, in his broken English, he insisted was proof he was a true 'egghead.' I tried again and got a slightly better result. Still, the pattern on his sweater changed. His facial features morphed into someone who looked close, but ultimately wasn't my dad. Even so, it made me cry. The AI got so many things wrong, but it was good enough to sketch the shape of my longing. This, too, I sent to my cousin, who replied back with even more crying emoji. AI evangelists tout this as a positive use case for AI. Wouldn't it be nice to reanimate your dead loved ones? Before deepfaking my parents, I'd have scoffed and said this is a dystopian premise that denies the humanity of our mortality. But all I can say now is that grief is a strange beast. I'd be lying if I said that I found comfort in these deepfakes, but I can't deny that a part of me was moved. I'm also no longer inclined to describe this as a bad way to use AI; it's just weird. Perhaps the question isn't whether these apps are inherently harmful or what platforms should do when they appear. Maybe it's a matter of asking what we're hoping to see of ourselves reflected in them.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pete Hegseth warns of ‘devastating consequences' if China tries to conquer Taiwan — how to protect yourself
Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued a stark warning to America's allies in Asia. Speaking at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore — an annual security summit attended by ministers, military officials and business leaders — Hegseth identified China as a growing military threat to the region. 'There's no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent,' he said in his first address at the forum. Hegseth focused his warning on Beijing's stance toward Taiwan, making the stakes clear for the broader region. 'To be clear: any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,' he said. He added that Beijing is 'credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.' While Hegseth emphasized that the U.S. is not seeking conflict — noting President Donald Trump's 'immense respect' for the Chinese people and their civilization — he made it clear that Washington's resolve is unwavering. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important message for the next wave of American retirees — here's how he says you can best weather the US retirement crisis Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) 'We will not be pushed out of this critical region, and we will not let our allies and partners be subordinated and intimidated,' he said. Hegseth also called on America's allies to step up their own military readiness, saying: 'U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific can and should quickly upgrade their own defenses.' In response, China's representative at the summit accused Hegseth of making 'groundless accusations.' 'Some of the claims are completely fabricated, some distort facts and some are cases of a thief crying 'stop thief,'' said Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng, vice president of China's National Defense University. 'These actions are nothing more than attempts to provoke trouble, incite division and stir up confrontation to destabilize the Asia-Pacific region.' While Hegseth's warning focuses on geopolitical security, tensions between major powers of the world can also carry serious financial implications. Markets tend to react swiftly to military escalations or diplomatic shocks — and investors who aren't prepared could be left exposed. Here's a look at three ways to help shield your finances amid rising global uncertainty. In times of uncertainty, few assets shine like gold — and investors are taking notice. Unlike fiat currencies, gold can't be printed at will by central banks. It's not tied to any one government or economy, making it a powerful hedge against inflation, geopolitical instability and financial system shocks. That's why during periods of turmoil — from wars to rising deficits — investors often flock to the yellow metal, pushing prices higher. Lately, gold has lived up to its reputation. Over the past 12 months, the price of the precious metal has surged by more than 40%. Ray Dalio, founder of the world's largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, recently highlighted gold's importance as part of a resilient portfolio. 'People don't have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio,' he told CNBC in February. 'When bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier.' One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold. Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, thereby combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it an option for those looking to help shield their retirement funds against economic uncertainties. When you make a qualifying purchase with Priority Gold, you can receive up to $10,000 in silver for free. Read more: You're probably already overpaying for this 1 'must-have' expense — and thanks to Trump's tariffs, your monthly bill could soar even higher. Hegseth has called on America's Indo-Pacific allies to ramp up their military spending — a move that aligns with the U.S.'s own aggressive defense budget. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the U.S. spent $997 billion on defense in 2024 — more than the next nine countries combined, including China. Periods of heightened geopolitical tension often coincide with increased military spending. For defense contractors, that can mean a surge in business — and for investors, it presents a potential opportunity. Defense stocks tend to gain attention when global risks rise. Companies like Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), RTX (NYSE:RTX) and Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) are among the biggest players in the industry. For broader exposure, investors can also consider ETFs like the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (BATS:ITA), which provides diversified exposure to the sector. Like stocks, real estate prices can fluctuate. But unlike many other assets, real estate doesn't rely on a booming market to deliver returns. High-quality, income-generating properties — especially those serving essential needs — can continue to produce rental income, even during times of economic or geopolitical uncertainty. That means you don't have to rely on price appreciation to see a payoff — the asset itself can work for you. Even the current U.S. commander in chief has long recognized the value of real estate. In a 2011 interview with Steve Forbes, Trump said, 'I just notice that when you have that right piece of property, whatever it might be, including location, it tends to work well in good times and in bad times.' Traditionally, investing in real estate meant buying property and becoming a landlord. But for everyday investors who want to avoid the need for a hefty down payment or the burden of property management, crowdfunding platforms like Arrived offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class. Backed by world class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100, all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants. The process is simple: Browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares you'd like to purchase, and then sit back as you start receiving any positive rental income distributions from your investment. Another option is Homeshares, which gives accredited investors access to the $35 trillion U.S. home equity market — a space that's historically been the exclusive playground of institutional investors. With a minimum investment of $25,000, investors can gain direct exposure to hundreds of owner-occupied homes in top U.S. cities through their U.S. Home Equity Fund — without the headaches of buying, owning or managing property. With risk-adjusted target returns ranging from 14% to 17%, this approach provides an effective, hands-off way to invest in owner-occupied residential properties across regional markets. Access to this $22.5 trillion asset class has traditionally been limited to elite investors — until now. Here's how to become the landlord of Walmart or Whole Foods without lifting a finger Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Are you rich enough to join the top 1%? Here's the net worth you need to rank among America's wealthiest — plus a few strategies to build that first-class portfolio This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Royal Ascot backs next generation of hat-makers from King's charity
The King's charity has announced a millinery partnership with Royal Ascot to nurture the next generation of hat-makers. Ahead of this month's world-famous meet, known as much for its colourful and creative displays of headwear as the horseracing, Ascot has introduced a £10,000 annual bursary to support a King's Foundation and Chanel graduating millinery student. Daniel McAuliffe, education director at The King's Foundation said: 'The royal family are incredible ambassadors for the craft of millinery and as the King's charity we are proud to be supporting the future of this skill at the most iconic hat-wearing event of the year.' The Foundation's students will also be showcasing their hats at this year's Royal Ascot, which runs from June 17-21, with a special display for racegoers in the Queen Anne Enclosure on the Berkshire course. The Chanel and The King's Foundation Metiers d'Art Millinery Fellowship in Partnership with le19M, Chanel's creative hub for artisans in Paris, was launched in 2024 with a cohort of six students. The intensive programme aims to develop a network of young specialist milliners in the UK, with the support of Parisian hat-maker Maison Michel at le19M. It forms part of The King's Foundation's wider work, inspired by Charles's passion for protecting traditional heritage skills at risk of being lost. Future students joining the millinery course will also be tasked with designing a Royal Ascot-inspired hat, with one selected to feature in the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective from 2026 onwards as its 11th design. The collective, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, is an annual presentation of 10 bespoke designs created exclusively for Royal Ascot under the creative direction of British fashion designer Daniel Fletcher. Mr McAuliffe added: 'This is such a fantastic opportunity for our talented millinery students as they begin to build their businesses. 'We are delighted to be working with Ascot and our long-term partners Chanel and le19M to recognise the importance of the British tradition of millinery.' Felicity Barnard, Ascot Racecourse's chief executive, said: 'Exquisite hats and millinery masterpieces are woven into the very fabric of Royal Ascot's heritage and we are committed to preserving and celebrating this tradition for generations to come.'
