People who buy the Gucci shoes worn by Yuzuru Hanyu on the "Welcome Gucci Brand Ambassador" photo in a Chinese shop, have his name on the bill:
https://twitter.com/Juliana49139350/status/1769288009831309684?ref_url=
Also, if one goes on the Gucci China online shop and type Yuzuru Hanyu's name in Chinese, one gets the article he's worn in different photo shoots.
Although I suppose that Gucci's main objective is to increase their visibility and sales in Japan, it is clear that they rely on him for China too.
Conversely, on Chinese social media, fans of a number of Chinese actors, some of them stars, are protesting against the nomination of Yuzuru Hanyu as a Brand Ambassador for Gucci "because he has done only one photo shoot for them, while their favourites have attended scores of fashion shows and the like, without getting that title (or without even getting the inferior but coveted title of "Friend of the Brand")"; others because they feel that it threatens the title their favourites is already holding. It seems that getting a big luxury brand's Ambassador title is a literal cutthroat and perhaps a full-time job, often needing a PR agency.
I had already written a post (or two?) about those people paid (twice the usual maximum price, 1$ per post) to denigrate Yuzuru Hanyu on Chinese social media (and even on Western social media) since last Summer. Now it's clear for me. His extraordinary popularity in China since Beijing Games, his hugely successful photo shoot with Gucci attire for Elle Japan last June, for those Chinese celebrities and their agencies, hyper attentive to the least sign of appearance of a new rival, meant that there was some Ambassador title at stake, and I suppose that they wanted to eliminate him from the race they were in, by sending false or derogatory information, or automated massive posting; some of the people asked to do it alerted Cfanyus, who were in such large numbers and so motivated as to defeat not only the one-post-at-once paid denigrators by downvoting them, but also the robots! I was happy of the result, but still worried because I couldn't make out what was behind.
Now, I feel perfectly satisfied that this came from some agency (or several, or some celebrity) who wanted to prevent Yuzuru Hanyu from becoming Gucci Brand Ambassador because they wanted the title for themselves or their clients. I read many reports that this was common practice between celebrities in China. I'm still not happy about the denigration itself and hope that this culture will cease, but I'm not worried anymore. And kudos for the Cfanyus!
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