Kris Wu’s new Tokyo-based reality show focuses on China’s fashion trends

By Xu Liuliu Source:Global Times Published: 2019/12/9 17:53:27

From left: Che Che, Chen Wei, Su Mang, Wang Xiangjun, Kris Wu, Wilber Pan, Zhao Jinmai and Fox Photo: VCG



Chinese-Canadian singer and actor Kris Wu attended a promotional event on Sunday, two days after the debut of his reality show Four Try on Chinese streaming site iQIYI. The show, which has proved popular among young people in China, follows Wu, rapper Fox, singer Wilber Pan, actress Angelababy and actress Zhao Jinmai as they try to run a boutique fashion store in Tokyo on a limited budget. 

On Chinese media review site Douban, audience reviews were positive about the show, with many giving the first episode five stars out of five. The hashtag #Kris Wu on Four Try# has earned more than 500 million views on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo. 

As the manager of the store Four Try, Wu needs to solve various problems alongside the other four stars. As a fashion icon in China, Wu has a great influence on the fashion choices of young people in the country. 

Online statistics released in May from China's shopping giant T-Mall shows that Wu ranks at the top of major fashion influencers in China.  

"Wu is the ideal person for this show," its director Che Che told the Global Times on Sunday. Che has a number of popular shows under his belt such as The Rap of China and Hot-Dance Blood Crew.  

"He is the spokesperson for many haute couture brands and knows street culture as well. He has great taste," Che noted.

Although Che has worked on various dancing and singing shows, this is the first attempt at a fashion-themed reality show. 

"Just like the name Four Try, the show is us trying something different. To be honest, there have not been many examples or cases before me," he said. 

Back in March, Che and his team came up with the idea for the show, which focuses on the fashion trends of today's young people, especially when it comes to street culture. China's fashion trends have grabbed people's attention both at home and abroad, including a number of homemade brands such as Li Ning and Fei Yue. 

"We hope to promote China's original brands in the show, but we don't want to make it too direct or too boring," he said. 

"In the show, you will not only see some high-end overseas brands like Off-White, just as many do in Tokyo, but also find many China-made brands. Wu chose to introduce some Chinese brands to his store, because he thinks they are really well designed and made." 

In Che's view, Tokyo is the ideal location to film the show. 

"They [the cast] are superstars in China. Filming in any city in China would turn this reality show into an act as their followers would buy everything, no matter what they put on the shelf," he explained. 

"As we all know, Tokyo is the center of Asian trends. People there have high standards for stores and are willing to critique a manager's tastes."  

Chen Wei, the show's producer, said that their three years of working on street culture-related singing and dancing shows have prepared them for such a show and will allow them to meet the demands of young people. 

As more and more streamers and influencers come to dominate young people's lives, fashion trends have become another battlefield that streaming sites hope to take on. 

"In fact, long videos, middle-length videos and short videos can play the same role as live streams in terms of advertising and influencing people's purchases," Chen said.
Newspaper headline: Giving it a try


Posted in: CULTURE & LEISURE

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