Alibaba aim to make their fourth Taobao Maker Festival, the annual celebration of China’s young creatives, the largest, longest and most-diverse edition yet.
Starting on the 12th of September, the event will span two weeks – up from four days last year – and be staged at two venues in the ecommerce giant’s home city: the Hangzhou Boiler Factory and the West Lake.
“Taobao Maker Festival brings together the unlimited creativity of young people on Taobao in one place. Taobao has become a hotbed for creative ideas, helping these unique merchants thrive and succeed.”
– Jiang Fan, President, Taobao and Tmall
More than 1,000 products will be showcased at the Taobao Maker Festival, spread across sections that are dedicated to street fashion, cultural heritage, technology, food and novel designs and curiosities.
“There’s nothing quite like it in the world,” said Chris Tung. “Three years ago, we found that many young people were creating things and products to express their passion and hobbies. They weren’t opening online stores to make money, but to show the world their creativity, their dreams.
We decided to try something brand new. We wanted to tell the stories of these young merchants by curating a large-scale, offline event that would allow people to personally experience, see, touch, smell and taste their creative work.”
– Chris Tung, CMO, Alibaba Group
For the first time, some of the world’s top luxury and designer brands will take also part in the fashion show on the opening day of the Taobao Maker Festival, alongside China’s emerging fashion talent and streetwear brands. The official line-up will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Alibaba have also invited celebrities at home and abroad to join in a segment featuring crossover fashion designs, made in collaboration with some of China’s most iconic museums and heritage sites, such as the Great Wall.
