Chinese white-collar employees with university degrees and high salaries are the country's main fashion consumers, a survey revealed.

The survey, jointly conducted by the Horizon Research Consultancy Group and Channel Young, a Shanghai fashion and media company, interviewed over 1,300 people in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and in the smaller urban hubs of Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Xi'an, Shenyang and Chengdu, about their views on fashion.

The survey of Chinese urban residents aged 20 to 50, with a minimum monthly income of 3,000 yuan (US$375) in metropolitan cities and 1,800 yuan (US$225) in secondary cities, showed the  progress of Chinese city dwellers in terms of fashion sense after less than 30 years of reforms and opening-up, said Horizon.

Senior white-collars spend most on fashion, said the survey, adding that they earn more than 7,000 yuan (US$875) and 5,000 yuan (US$625) a month respectively in large and middle cities, have university degrees, hold managerial posts and possess a knowledge of fashion.

The survey showed that senior white-collars spent on average 1,800 yuan (US$225) on fashion products monthly, far above other social groups. Furthermore, their sense of self motivated them to buy fashion for themselves, instead of merely for popular admiration.

However, Chinese general public still have a shallow understanding of fashion and a poor faithfulness toward certain brands, it said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2006)