Too Cool

The birth of Too Cool is a two-fold phenomenon—a naive layer and a second layer of conscious remaking—and is a result of economic and generational differences in China. By examining aspects of fashion, popular culture, interior and graphic design in the Too Cool style, we gain a more nuanced understanding of Chinese cultural productions. [...] Too Cool exists as the product of a generation that wants less of the polished, refined outcomes and more lighthearted, random things we just happen to like.

2018, Yi Jing Fly, China Too Cool: Vernacular Innovations and Aesthetic Discontinuity of China

In a campaign for her latest design, 22-year-old Liu Min leans on a bed of rocks with legs crossed, sporting a Qipao, a body-hugging dress colorful traditional elements like temples, eagles, and a female Buddha. To her 100,000 followers across different platforms, she is one of the thought leaders of the Too Cool movement. [...] Video streaming platform Bilibili hosts hundreds of “Too cool” videos giving styling tips. [...] While “Too Cool” has some overlap here, it belongs to its own tribe: the urban youth who embrace “Too Cool” derive their aesthetic inspiration not just from the past but from a generation they haven’t necessarily interacted with.

2020 June 23, Yaling Jiang, “Decoding “Too Cool” — The Uprising Subculture That Embraces Looking “Tasteless””, in Jing Daily