Bilibili for Luxury Fashion Brands in China 2026: The Long-Form Strategy

I remember when a brand manager at a major European luxury group told me they were exploring Bilibili. This was 2020. Dior had just become the first luxury brand to open an official account on the platform. The manager’s question: “Is this worth it?”

The answer in 2020 was: yes, if you are specifically trying to reach Chinese Gen Z who are not yet on Xiaohongshu with high intent. The answer in 2026 is different. Bilibili has matured, the audience has grown, and the role of the platform in a luxury brand’s China strategy is more specific and more valuable than it was then.

What Bilibili Is and Why It Matters for Luxury in 2026

Bilibili is China’s long-form video platform built around danmaku (real-time comment overlays that create a shared viewing experience). Its user base skews young, educated, and culturally engaged. In 2020, the platform had 172 million monthly active users with 78% aged 18–35. By 2026, those users have aged up. The Gen Z who were 18–22 on Bilibili in 2020 are now 24–28: earning income, developing luxury preferences, and spending.

Bilibili works for luxury brands differently from Douyin and Xiaohongshu. Where Douyin is fast and commercial, Bilibili is slow and cultural. Long-form documentary content about brand heritage, craft process videos, designer interview series: this content performs on Bilibili in ways it does not on short-form platforms. The Dior virtual KOL campaign with Xuefei Nova worked because it was designed for Bilibili’s storytelling format, not repurposed from an ad.

The Bilibili Strategy That Works for Fashion and Luxury in 2026

The brands getting the most from Bilibili in 2026 use it for three specific content types. First, heritage and craft documentation: the kind of slow, detailed content that shows how a product is made, why the materials were chosen, who the artisans are. This content is too long for Douyin and too visual-heavy for Xiaohongshu. Bilibili’s audience watches 20-minute videos about the history of a watch movement or the process of hand-stitching a saddle. Second, fashion education: styling guides, trend analysis, brand history. The Bilibili audience actively wants to become more knowledgeable about the categories they care about. Third, creative collaborations with Bilibili creators (Uppers): partnerships with creators who have built genuine fan communities around fashion, culture, and lifestyle content.

The Dior precedent opened the door. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Fendi followed. The brands that have not yet built a Bilibili presence are leaving a specific and valuable content format unoccupied.

Bilibili in the Context of a Full China Platform Strategy

Bilibili is not a replacement for Xiaohongshu or Douyin. It is a complement. The consumer who watches a 15-minute Bilibili documentary about a brand’s heritage and then goes to Xiaohongshu to research the specific product they want to buy is a more educated, higher-intent consumer than one who encountered the brand only through a 30-second Douyin clip.

For premium and luxury brands specifically, the Bilibili layer builds the kind of brand knowledge that justifies luxury pricing. A consumer who understands the history, the craft, and the design philosophy of a brand does not need to be convinced that 15,000 RMB is a reasonable price for a bag. The education has already done that work.

Our China video team produces long-form content for Bilibili alongside the short-form content for Douyin. Our KOL agency sources Bilibili Uppers who fit brand positioning for fashion and luxury collaborations.

Philip Chen is co-founder of GMA, China’s leading digital marketing agency for fashion and luxury brands. Connect on LinkedIn.

Sources: FCA: Content Marketing in China 2026 | FCA: Chinese Gen Z 2026