SHAPING LUXURY: THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF INFLUENCERS IN INTERNATIONAL FASHION BRANDING IN CHINA

Luxury consumption values and preferences vary across cultures (Tafani et al. 2024). Moreover, the rise of digital platforms and social media has radically transformed the landscape of luxury branding. Indeed, consumers' purchase intentions are increasingly influenced by their social interactions with other users and influencers (Lee & Theokary, 2021; Shin & Lee, 2021; Yang & Ha, 2021). Luxury brands adopting influencer marketing in China face a unique challenge: while maintaining global brand equity (Steenkamp, 2020), they must adapt their messaging to fit local influencer dynamics and digital platforms. The aim of this study is to understand the role of influencers in shaping the branding strategies of international luxury brands in the Chinese market. A qualitative study was employed by collecting 15 semi-structured interviews with key informants from the luxury fashion industry, who were selected with a purposive sampling technique (Patton, 2015). Preliminary findings show how international fashion brands leverage influencer marketing in the Chinese market, driven by the distinct roles key opinion leaders (KOLs) or key opinion consumers (KOCs) play (Bu et al., 2019) and varying consumer perceptions in the local context. Influencers not only increase brand awareness but also drive sales and enhance brand engagement among Chinese consumers. Furthermore, KOLs/KOCs enhance cultural relevance, making luxury brands more appealing amid the recent guochao (‘national wave’) trend (Jiang et al., 2024).