True love is wearing matching T-shirts

A popular fashion trend among young couples in China -- sporting the same wardrobe wherever they go

By Gillian Bolsover 3 November, 2011

Eric Zhang (张昕杰), left, and Yao Kaiyan (姚凯艳) have been together for more than five years.

Yao dictates the majority of the couple’s paired wardrobe, which includes T-shirts and shoes. “I listen to her,” says Zhang. “She is my queen.”

Zhou Jie (周洁) and Wang Chunxu (王春旭), both 27, have been married for two years.

“Tomorrow is our anniversary,” says Zhou (left).

“But tomorrow is Sunday so we are wearing the T-shirts today to celebrate.”

Sunday must be an official non-matching clothes day.

Shanghai natives Tom Lu (陆康华), left, and Bao Chen (鲍琛) have been together for more than one year.

Bao said she bought the T-shirts online and gave them to Lu because she thinks her man is as strong as Popeye.

Xia Fei (夏飞), left, and Chen Zhiqiang (陈志强) have been dating for three years. Both come from Anhui Province.

Chen said Xia bought these T-shirts as a Valentine’s Day present.

Tang Jingzhou (唐径舟), left, and Qian Weisi (钱维思).

“This is the way we show our love,” said Tang. “We don't care what others think.”

Ai Xi (艾茜), front, and Chen Zhen (陈哲) are both students in Xi’an.

“We wear the same clothes a lot,” said Ai. “We also always wear matching bracelets.”

Li Yang (李洋), left, and Zhou Wanting (周婉婷) have been dating for more than two and a half years.

While Li lives in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, Zhou is a student in Xi’an. The two cities are roughly 1,700 kilometers apart.

“We always wear the same clothing when we are together,” said Li, minutes before bidding goodbye to his girlfriend as she boarded the train bound for Xi'an.

Husband and wife, Frank Cai (蔡高原) and Anita Zhang (张燕) say wearing matching clothes puts them in a good mood.

“We can take pictures and when we are older we can see ourselves together,” said Zhang.

“Later, we will take our child with us and there will be three people wearing the same clothing.”

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It's easy to spot young lovebirds across Shanghai and all over China these days.

Forget about key signs such as holding hands -- young Chinese couples have a way of announcing their status as taken: matching clothing.

To show their perfect match, lovers wear corresponding T-shirts and hoodies, especially when they go out together or when on holiday.

Click the above gallery to see why Chinese couples love matching wardrobes.

More on CNNGo:

Searching for the perfect shared wardrobe? Head to C-PIX, a Chinese fashion brand that specializes in matching clothing. It has a chain of stores throughout the country.

C-PIX (Shaanxi Nan Lu branch), No. 77, Lane 33 Shaanxi Nan Lu, near Xinle Lu 陕西南路39弄77号, 近新乐路, +86 21 5404 4182, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., www.c-pix.com.cn

After working as a full-time photographer and multimedia producer for small-town American newspapers for several years, Gillian followed her camera across the globe in pursuit of new experiences and adventures.

True love is wearing matching T-shirts

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