Haoran gets his seventh magazine cover of the year with Marie Claire China! This one pretty much came out of nowhere and was a hot topic of discussion on both the big forums and on Weibo, primarily due to the unique and experimental nature of the shoot as Haoran is known for his clean and sunshiny image. The Marie Claire team explained that since the theme was about breakthroughs and future possibilities, they wanted to try something daring for Haoran, a style that he's never tried before. And as we know from his previous interviews, he's always wanting to show us a new side of himself, which he definitely did this time!
Not only has he unlocked his third women's big 5 cover, he's also the first male celeb to grace the cover of Marie Claire China this year and is just the fifth in the last two and a half years. And in a surprising twist*, Tod's is the brand that pushed for this cover. This is the first solo magazine cover that they've gotten for Haoran since he was named the ambassador of their footwear collection back in March.
*The reason why it's surprising: as a brand, you've got to spend a LOT of money to get a Big 5 cover (this is actually the main way magazines make money - not actual sales). Usually brands like Chanel, Dior, LV, etc. are the ones who win the bidding wars (update: the other two MC covers for Jing Tian and Tang Yan this month were sponsored by Dior and Chloe, respectively). Tod's went all out this time for Haoran (and of course for promoting themselves).