Chinese buyers make buoyant return for AW23 season, according to Joor

As China continues on its path of recovery after opening its borders for unrestricted entry, buyers from the region are picking up where they left off, with wholesale platform Joor reporting a “huge bounce back” in transactions.

The platform said there had been a “significant rise” in Chinese retailers placing wholesale orders and an “associate increase in transaction volumes” for the AW23 selling season.

The data, which was gathered between February 1 to March 16, showed a 33 percent increase in China-based retailers taking orders compared to the previous year. There was also a 61 percent rise in wholesale transaction volumes from the same group.

This was particularly driven by Chinese retailers buying from European brands, which saw a 58 percent increase, while other global regions also welcomed growth – North American brands up 12 percent and APAC-based brands up 7 percent.

Joor noted this shift was reflected in the “influx” of buyers returning to international fashion presentations, particularly evident in Milan and Paris’ fashion weeks.

In a release, Joor’s CEO, Kristin Savilia, said: “Joor has seen a huge bounce back from China. Since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, Chinese retailers have been flooding back to the fashion calendar, and we have noticed a significant increase in the number of China-based retailers ordering and the increasing size of their orders, particularly for European-based brands.

“The Chinese market is expected to be a growth engine for the luxury fashion industry this year, and Joor’s exclusive data clearly illustrates this trend for the forthcoming AW23 season.”