Welcome to another lolita spotting in the media! If you’re a fan of Chinese lolita brands, then you may recognize this face. Meet Xie Anran, one of the competitors of Produce Camp 2020. Who is she exactly?
Produce Camp is the Chinese version of the Korean reality idol competition series Produce 101. Produce Camp 2020, also shortened to Chuang 2020, is the third season in China and the season premiere broadcasted on April 23, 2020. Produce Camp features 101 trainees who compete in singing and dancing, but only the top 7 competitors will be chosen to form an idol girl group. Trainees will work with mentors to hone their skills. Mentors for this season include Victoria Song (ex-f(x)), Tao (ex-EXO), and Luhan (ex-EXO). Episodes are broadcasted online on Tencentt Video. Voting for trainees is conducted through the WeTV mobile app.
Xie Anran (Nickname: Anri, An-chan, Chinese: 谢安然) is currently a university student in Hangzhou, China. She is also considered one of the top Chinese lolita models. If you follow Chinese lolita releases then you’ve most likely already seen her in stock photos. She has modeled for a large number of Chinese brands such as ZJ Story, Classical Puppets. PolkaDot & Strawberry, Long ears and Sharp ears, and NyaNya Lolita. She currently has over 65,000 followers on Weibo and has a wardrobe with hundreds of pieces.
Anran first discovered lolita fashion when she read Rozen Maiden in elementary school. Last year in 2019, she estimates she modeled and styled over 700 different photoshoots. Her popularity in Japan is also rising as she’s modeled for some of their brands like Baby, the Stars Shine Bright and Juliette et Justine. She was also featured as the cover model of the first issue of Harajuku Pop magazine published in December 2019.
The first episode of Produce Camp 2020 starts with a romantic train ride over the city of Shenzen, China towards the almost Disney theme park-like dormitory, Xie Anran while wearing Angelic Pretty’s Dolly Dot OP in lavender is one of the first trainees to be introduced by name . The trainees are subdivided into different teams. Anran is part of the four member group The Cyber Freelancers/The Internet Job Seekers. Each of her team mates specializes in digital media with per-existing internet presences; Anran’s specialty is photography. Because of her modeling, she already has an established fan base, even receiving official support from Japanese lolita models Misako Aoki and Midori Fukasawa. The show definitely makes an effort to highlight her lolita style. There is a segment where she has to explain what it is and how it is different from cosplay from the host. Some of the other competitors recognize her lolita style and even playfully joke about how much her skirt weighs. The fact that the style is recognized in media gives a better indication of just how popular lolita fashion really is in China.
If you’re planning to watch the show, grab some snacks since each episode is roughly 4 hours long. The show is well produced and it’s a blessing to have official English subtitles. The performances have a variety of song and dance genres, so the show doesn’t get repetitive. Even though its a competition show, I loved seeing the girls support each other positively. Each trainee truly has the dedication to their craft.
By the end of the first episode, Xie Anran has completely charmed me. I dove into the show with little expectations and was pleasantly surprised to see that she actually has a personality. She’s funny with a smug quirkiness and eloquently spoken (at least in the subs) and that gets her quite a bit of screen time through the episode. I had no idea who she was before watching though I had unknowingly seen some of her photos online. There is no doubt she is a good representative for lolita fashion on a mainstream media. Though she’s not my top pick, she has earned my support and I’ll be happy to see her progress through the rankings. Good luck, An-chan!
Watch the first episode of Produce Camp 2020 on WeTV with English, Malaysian, Indonesian, or Thai subtitles availabe. Follow Xie Anran on Weibo and bilibili.
Sources: Weibo, China Plus, Harajuku Pop
Good article, Buttcape! Do you anticipate this leading to an uptick of Chinese lolitas? Most people would argue that idols are not like "regular people" but it makes the fashion more accessible to everyday individuals, in my opinion.
It’s hard for me to say since I don’t have Weibo! At the rate, Chinese indie brands are popping up, I’d say that it’s definitely been growing at a fast rate prior to the show. Idols and musicians in general are definitely good ways for brands to showcase their products to people who normally wouldn’t look into the fashion. It’s almost like how visual kei and gothic lolita used to go almost hand-in-hand, but with idols it’s much more mainstream.