Developments and Challenges of Fashion Law in China

Over the last three decades, China’s legal framework and political attitude regarding fashion have faced several changes. Initially, the country lagged behind the international standard, but over time China has made a significant effort to improve the legal environment where the fashion industry operates. If China is now a top player in the global fashion market, it is due also to its commitment to building on a solid formal legal framework. While this consolidation is occurring, further transformations that will affect the fashion business are underway in China: in particular, one concerning the advent of digitalization, which is crucial in determining the future development of the industry and increasingly relevant due to the spread of COVID-19, and another concerning the undergoing social, political, and cultural changes being strongly pushed forward by President Xi’s leadership. This paper aims to identify some features of the evolution of legal regulations relating to the fashion industry in China and to analyze its current trends and possible future developments.