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Chinese luxury shoppers calling in professional home organisers to tidy up their wardrobes – but they’re no Marie Kondo

  • Home organisers are bringing order to the chaos of many rich Chinese shoppers’ houses in an industry projected to reach US$15 billion this year
  • But they won’t persuade their clients to bin that Louis Vuitton handbag or Gucci dress – instead they teach ‘the way to retain’

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A team of home organisers tidy the luxury wardrobe of a client in Beijing. Photo: AFP

The discovery of a Burberry jacket she does not recall buying proved to Chen Rui that she was right to have brought in experts to manage her out-of-control luxury wardrobe.

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“How did you find this?” the 32-year-old asked the crack team of “home organisers” who unearthed the jacket from a heap of clothes pulled from her wardrobe in a slick flat in Beijing, China.

China’s breakneck growth over the past four decades has led to a surge in conspicuous spending, with the newly moneyed lavishing cash on coveted labels to increase their status. A third of all luxury spending globally is by Chinese consumers, according to consultancy firm McKinsey’s 2019 China Luxury Report.

So far, the pandemic appears not to have dulled their desires – but yesterday’s Singles’ Day, the world’s biggest shopping day each November 11, will be closely analysed for an idea about the state of Chinese consumer sentiment.

Chen Rui brought in experts to manage her out-of-control luxury wardrobe. Photo: AFP
Chen Rui brought in experts to manage her out-of-control luxury wardrobe. Photo: AFP
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In the era of the couch shopper, however, there is also a downside to chasing fashion.

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