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September 22, 2014

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Platform for fashionistas bears fruit

WHAT chic clothes and bags were on show at the recent London Fashion Week? Which celebrities looked outstandingly good — or bad — at the gala?

Most Shanghai women are crazy about fashion. They like to see what’s new on the catwalks of the world and read gossip about celebrities and what they are wearing.

Cheng Yan, 34, is no exception. But fashion news sites in China are usually smothered in advertisements, so she decided to create a better platform for those who love fashion chatter.

Cheng is an international news journalist on Shanghai Morning Post. In March, she created a WeChat account “love16po,” or the Shiliupo Report, which translates as “Pomegranate Grandma Report.” It follows trends in the world of luxury clothing and accessories, and offers snippets of gossip about Hollywood celebrities, with plenty of appealing photos.

The name of the site refers to gossip-loving women in China, who are called bapo, or “eight grandmas.” Pomegranate Grandma implies an extremely meddlesome gossip because the word “pomegranate” in Chinese sounds like the word for 16.

“I am more bapo than bapo,” Cheng said, mocking her interest. “And I like eating pomegranates, too.”

She created another account with the same name on a Sina blog in August 2010, and each article she posted received on average 3,000 reader clicks.

“It was fun to communicate with others who shared my interest,” she said. “But I never expected the site to be so popular.”

When blogs faded a bit from the social networking scene, Cheng moved Pomegranate Grandma to WeChat last year. The application, developed by Tencent, has become extremely popular among smartphone users. Some of her articles now attract up to 100,000 readers, 80 percent of them women.

Clothes, gossip and shopping tips are the three most popular topics, Cheng said. She dishes them out with humor.

“I tell my fans how they can dress like the celebrities in their daily lives,” she said.

Cheng admits that the cost of a lot of the clothing worn by celebrities is far beyond most women, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to dream.

“Not every man can buy a Lamborghini, but men like to look at Lamborghinis in the street,” she said. “Not every man can marry a famous actress, but they like to look at them on television or websites. And for us girls, window shopping beyond what we can afford is also enjoyable.”

Some readers aren’t so much interested in fashion as in the witty way Cheng describes what’s on the catwalks. They also like the way she sometimes pokes fun at celebrities.

For example, when a number of actresses strutted the red carpet at the Emmy Awards this year in red gowns, Cheng wryly suggested they must have all been born in the same animal year. In Chinese culture, people typically wear red in the animal year of their birth to ward off evil and bring good luck.

Daily updates

She updates her account almost every day after spending at least three hours selecting topics and photos. It also takes time to check feedback and answer reader questions. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up this hobby when she has a day job.

“My followers are used to daily updates,” she said. “Many say they read them before going to bed. I can’t let them down.”

The popularity of Cheng’s WeChat account has caught the eye of advertisers. Chinese and international sellers on Alibaba’s Taobao and other e-business platforms have contacted her. She’s not adverse to a bit of commercialism.

In a recent post, she showed expensive T-shirts worn by celebrities and recommended some cheaper versions for readers, with exclusive discounts. She also includes occasional ads, but always makes clear that they are paid promotions.

“The criterion for me in selecting advertisers is whether I would buy their products,” she said. “I try out the products before recommending them.”

Some fans have expressed disappointment with this turn of events. Some told Cheng they bought products she recommended and didn’t like them.

“People have different tastes,” she said. “I make sure that any advertiser allows customers to return or exchange purchases if they are dissatisfied.”

Cheng is now applying for a trademark to thwart plagiarism and is seeking to upgrade her online presence.

“I plan to upgrade my official website to update simultaneously with the WeChat account,” she said. “I want to make it more professional.” ‍




 

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