Yiwu cashes in on Huang's hair-oics

After clinching both a gold and a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, 17-year-old Huang Yuting has found herself at the center of a social media buzz. It's not just her outstanding achievements that have people talking; her simple, yet adorable, white hair clip has also become a viral sensation.

"I am happy and satisfied with my first Olympic Games journey," said Huang.

She explained that there is a new rule that states the fringe of her hair is not allowed to fall down, "so I just found a hair clip to hold my hair, it's nothing special".

As soon as Huang's win was confirmed, an e-commerce client inquired whether or not Wan Chengying, who runs a hair accessory manufacturing business at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, had the same hair clip Huang wore as she helped shoot China to Olympic gold.

Wan was already prepared — she said yes, and immediately received an order of 40,000 units.

She explained that she has observed that major sporting events often boost the popularity of certain accessories. So, this year, she paid special attention to the Paris Olympics and prepared her factory in advance to meet the anticipated demand.

"The first batch of goods arrived at the e-commerce client's warehouse at 10 am on July 28, and the rest of the orders are being rushed to meet the demand," Wan told Hangzhou Daily.

"I expected the Olympic champion to make the hair clip popular, but I didn't expect the orders to come in so quickly."

Wan explained that most of her store's biggest orders come from e-commerce clients on platforms like Taobao and Douyin. These customers are highly trend-sensitive and skilled at creating viral products, which requires a quick response from manufacturers and suppliers.

The hair clip that Huang wore is actually a two-year-old product that Wan has been selling, but it has not been a bestseller, with only about 100,000 units sold before the Paris Olympics.

Wan estimated that, from the time Huang won the gold, to the afternoon of July 29, the orders for the hair clip had already approached 600,000 units — and were still coming.

"I estimate that the hair clip will sell at least 1 to 2 million units. It all depends on how long it stays popular. The longer it lasts, the more units we'll sell," Wan said.

This isn't Yiwu's first such foray into the market of Olympics-influenced product trends. Three years ago, after Yang Qian won the gold medal in women's 10m air rifle at the Tokyo Olympics, her yellow duck hair clip sparked a massive surge in interest on domestic e-commerce platforms.

Many Taobao stores quickly offered "Yang Qian-inspired" yellow duck clips and carrot hair tie bundles.

At Yiwu International Trade Market, merchants had listed the Yang Qian-inspired hair clips within an hour of her victory, and some had reproduced the popular accessories within 24 hours.

"Yang Qian-inspired hair clips stayed popular for more than six months, and our store alone sold 3 to 4 million units. So, I'm very confident this time," Wan said.

For Yiwu merchants, the rapid production of "Yang Qian-inspired" and "Huang Yuting-inspired" products is just business as usual.

"Yiwu's well-established industrial and supply chain systems, combined with high production efficiency and sharp market insight from local merchants, give Yiwu an unmatched ability to create trending products," Jiang Changfeng, head of Yiwu Yuhan Jewelry Co told Chao News.

The Yiwu International Trade Market, covering 6.4 million square meters, is home to numerous foreign trade stores, among which, more than 800 specialize in sporting goods, positioning the site as a crucial gateway for the Olympics economy.

In addition to Huang-inspired merchandise, the Yiwu market has introduced a variety of Olympics-themed accessories, including earrings featuring the colors of the French flag. These items have proven especially popular in international markets, with strong demand from Europe.