Gao Yuanyuan Joins the Michael Kors Family
Gao's new ambassadorship aims to help Capri Holdings to present newness and further capitalize on a robust luxury spending rebound in China.
by Tianwei ZhangLONDON – Michael Kors has secured Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan as a brand ambassador. She is set to return to the big screen with the highly anticipated crime thriller “Son of the Neon Night.”
With almost 50 million followers on China’s microblogging site Weibo, Gao is no stranger to the brand or Kors himself. She helped cut the ribbon to open the first Michael Kors China flagship store in 2014, attended the brand’s spring-summer 2015 runway show, and wore the brand to the 2015 Met Gala.
“I found Michael to be very charming when meeting him in both Shanghai and New York,” Gao told WWD. ” He has a unique and forward-looking design concept. It‘s my honor to work closely with Michael’s team.”
“Had everything gone to plan this year, I was looking forward to going to New York to attend his show and catching up. Until then, I’ll be keeping an eye on his upcoming collection, virtually,” she added.
Kors thinks Gao is a talented and graceful beauty who always looks chic.
“I’m always inspired by women who can do it all, and make it look easy. We’ve worked with her in the past, and we’re excited to officially announce her as our brand ambassador and welcome her into the Michael Kors family,” he said.
Her appointment is also a strategic move for Michael Kors’ parent company Capri Holdings to present newness and further capitalize on a robust luxury spending rebound in China.
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Michael Kors’ two current regional ambassadors, Leo Wu and Lareina Song, resonate more with the younger demographic, while Gao wields more influence over Tai-tais, wealthy Chinese housewives, as she has frequently appeared in popular TV series and movies since the late Nineties.
John Idol, chairman, and chief executive officer at Capri Holdings, told a recent earnings call that “in China, we are experiencing more rapid recovery as luxury sales are benefiting from domestic demand. We need fresh new merchandise, customers really responding, more than ever, to newness.”
In her first appearance as the brand ambassador, Gao stars in the fall 2020 Michael Michael Kors campaign carrying the new Soho and Hendrix bags.
“Michael Kors handbags are always elegant, sophisticated and fashionable. No matter if you are wearing something tailored, a lace skirt, or workout wear. Or, whether you’re working, shuttling through the airport, or attending an important dinner – the handbag always brings it together and helps you stand out,” Gao added.
During the lockdown, Gao had the luxury of binging on TV. “I loved the Japanese drama ‘Grand Maison Tokyo’ and the Danish film ‘The Hunt (Jagten)’. The genres differ so much but both were thought-provoking,” she said.
And Gao is thrilled about her comeback to the big screen with director Juno Mak’s “Sons of the Neon Night.” The film gathers a number of major film stars in the region, such as Leung Ka-fai, Koo Tin-lok, Lau Ching-wan, and Takeshi Kaneshiro, and she plays a retired therapist, the female lead, in the film.