A Shanghai Wet Market Has Fruits, Vegetables — and Prada Bags

SHANGHAI — Italian luxury powerhouse Prada has temporarily shifted its attention from Shanghai’s swanky malls to one of the city’s simpler wet markets.

Thousands of people descended on Wuzhong Market in the city’s former French Concession with the sole purpose of posing with vegetables wrapped in Prada packaging and securing paper bags emblazoned with the brand’s name. Since the two-week event started on Sept. 27, the mostly young, selfie-hungry, and brand-conscious consumers have crowded Wulumuqi Middle Road to snap photos for their social media feeds, while keeping vendors busy and bemused.

Liu Bin and his mother-in-law, who have a fruit and vegetable stall near the market’s entrance, told Sixth Tone that many young people have stopped by just to “clock in,” referring to the Chinese term daka — validating one’s presence at trendy locations by posting photos on social media. Many online users have called Wuzhong the “most fashionable wet market,” with one visitor even saying that “It’s the only Prada I can afford.”

Prada’s advertising campaign at the 2,000-square-meter wet market, according to the company, was aimed at promoting its global fall/winter 2021 campaign, titled “Feels Like Prada.” And while the brand may have been successful in drawing more visibility through the campaign, some are questioning its choice of venue and what the marketing activity means for the vendors.

Zhu Tianhua, an assistant researcher at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the event falls within the purview of gentrification, but not in the literal sense of transforming old neighborhoods to modern spaces, as Wulumuqi Middle Road had long been considered a prime Shanghai destination. However, he added that the campaign has disrupted the locals’ lifestyles.

“It may look like a fashion crossover when you put non-everyday, symbolic codes of luxury into the environment of a wet market, but it can also be interpreted as an invasion from consumerism symbols into everyday life,” Zhu told Sixth Tone. “We can interpret the intrusion as a kind of consumerism of daily life. This, rather than ‘gentrification,’ may be closer to the root of the problem.”

Some locals Sixth Tone spoke with said they were aware of the event — “it’s for Prada” — but didn’t voice any concerns. Meanwhile, people who descended on the wet market for the publicity stunt believed such carefully coordinated campaigns could be more helpful than harmful.

“They’ve put a lot of thought into it, even though people may criticize how influencers may interfere with the businesses,” Yang Yingchen, a 28-year-old advertising professional, said. “I felt it was fine, and I saw a lot of people shopping.”

“One-third of the people there actually bought stuff,” said Meng Jia, a 34-year-old Shanghai-based fashion…