On November 6, Kering, the global luxury group, presented all its brands at the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE).
The Kering Pavilion at this year’s expo, themed “Cloud Artisan Pavilion,” creates an extraordinary space for dialogue through a novel display design and exquisitely crafted pieces. Blending artisanal heritage with contemporary design and focusing on the cultural interplay between East and West, Kering and its brands showcase the unique appeal of luxury.
Above image: The Kering Pavilion at the 7th CIIE, inspired by Chinese scrolls, highlights the theme “Cloud Artisan Pavilion,” focusing on the heritage of craftsmanship.
Jean-Marc Duplaix, Kering’s Deputy CEO in charge of operations and finance, stated, “As one of the world’s leading luxury groups, Kering holds a long-term commitment to the Chinese market. We are honored to continue our participation at CIIE, a vital platform for engaging with the Chinese market, and to deepen our connection with local consumers on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France.”
With “heartfelt sincerity and creative ideas,” Kering is participating in CIIE for the sixth consecutive year, said Cai Jingqing, Kering’s President of Greater China. “Through this international, open platform, we hope to foster East-West cultural integration, showcase traditional and innovative craftsmanship, and strengthen our interaction with Chinese consumers and partners as we jointly build a sustainable future for the luxury and fashion industry.”
Above image: (from left to right) Jean-Marc Duplaix, Kering’s Deputy CEO for Operations and Finance; Joan Valadou, Consul General of France in Shanghai; and Cai Jingqing, Kering’s President of Greater China, jointly witness the opening of the Kering Pavilion.
Returning for its sixth year, the Kering Pavilion at this year’s CIIE has been expanded and upgraded, bringing a contemporary interpretation to traditional materials and crafts. The exhibit design, created by international architecture firm Gensler, draws inspiration from traditional Chinese scrolls. It incorporates wall textures resembling rice paper, bamboo-inspired furnishings, and a refined garden-like aesthetic, creating a setting that evokes the elegance of flowing water. The pavilion not only “brings the landscape into the exhibit” but also employs an open yet private layout to create fluid brand zones and versatile spaces, inviting visitors to experience Kering’s artistry and embark on a journey of cultural exchange.
Upon entering the Kering Pavilion, visitors are greeted with a series of artisan scrolls that trace back to cultural heritage as far as 1735. Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, Qeelin, Ginori 1735, Kering Eyewear, and Kering Beauté’s high-end fragrance brand Creed are all on display, honoring the spirit of craftsmanship through intricate handiwork and a range of creative masterpieces. Among the exhibits, Qeelin’s Wulu-cut diamonds and Ginori 1735’s Oriente Italiano collection in the new shades Castagna and Meringa are making their global debut. This year’s CIIE also marks the expo debut for both Ginori 1735 and Creed.
Above image: The Kering Pavilion at the 7th CIIE
At the “Craft Pavilion,” visitors have the chance to observe Boucheron artisans from Paris demonstrate their skills in fine jewelry-making, including metalwork, particularly the ancient “repoussé” technique, and the assembly of iconic pieces like the Question Mark necklace. This craftsmanship exemplifies the house’s balance between traditional artistry and innovation. Italian fine jewelry brand Pomellato invited artisans from Milan’s Casa Pomellato to demonstrate gemstone setting and polishing, skills foundational to Milan’s artisanal heritage.
Additionally, the open space showcases Kering’s recent initiatives in art, culture, and sustainability. Visitors can view the Chinese edition of Kering | Shaping Dreams, produced with Flammarion Publishing, which chronicles Kering’s inspiring journey since 1962. Visitors can also scan a QR code to subscribe to the MOOC Sustainable Fashion: International Perspectives and Local Practices in China, jointly developed by Kering, Tsinghua University, and the Institut Français de la Mode, to gain pioneering insights into sustainable transformation within the fashion industry.
In line with its sustainability commitments, Kering collaborated with winners of the second and third Kering Generation Award to integrate eco-friendly elements into the pavilion’s design. In the open area, traditional leather is replaced with plant-based materials from PEELSPHERE, derived from over 60 types of non-edible plant waste, the first bio-leather meeting automotive and consumer electronics standards. The “Craft Pavilion” uses low-carbon ceramic tiles by Yi Design, containing 60% recycled ceramic waste, which are 100% recyclable. The pavilion’s outer walls utilize fully reusable modular construction to reinforce the concept of circular design. Visitors can also explore a range of sustainable materials and innovative solutions developed by Kering’s Materials Innovation Lab (MIL) at the “Craft Pavilion.”
As chair of the CIIE Exhibitors Alliance’s Sustainable Fashion and Lifestyle Committee, Kering will co-host the “7th CIIE Sustainable Lifestyle and Consumer Industry Innovation Summit.” Organized by the CIIE Bureau and the National Exhibition and Convention Center, this forum includes the first-ever participation of the Global Fashion Agenda. Kering will invite leading companies and partners to join in discussions on advancing sustainable innovation within the fashion industry from a global perspective.
Brand Exhibition Highlights
GUCCI: A Journey of Heritage
Iconic Exhibit: Gucci Bamboo 1947
Set against a bamboo forest backdrop, this section showcases the specially curated Gucci Bamboo 1947 bamboo-handle bags, including rare pieces from the Gucci Archive in Florence. The exhibit emphasizes the connection between bamboo, a symbol of purity in Eastern culture, and the Italian heritage of the brand.
In 1947, Gucci introduced the iconic bent bamboo handle, achieved by heating the bamboo over an open flame, which adorned a leather handbag inspired by saddle shapes. Crafted from saddle leather, this handbag became Gucci’s first creative expression influenced by the equestrian world and a lasting icon of Gucci craftsmanship. This design quickly gained popularity among Hollywood stars, solidifying its status as a symbol of the brand’s style.
SAINT LAURENT: Showcasing Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello’s Vision
Iconic Exhibit: LE SMOKING Suit
Saint Laurent’s innovative design vision by Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello was unveiled at the end of 2023 for the flagship store on the Champs-Élysées. The space offers a flowing, stylish layout for an immersive experience, highlighting the LE SMOKING suit, new pieces from the Y Tote collection inspired by archival designs, and the LA SCANDALE shoe series, rooted in the Scandal collection launched in 1971.
In Saint Laurent’s 2024 Winter Women’s Collection, Vaccarello reinterprets the essence of fashion with “invisible” design, evoking the memories of classic attire and casting them onto the confident Saint Laurent woman. The LE SMOKING suit appears in nuanced tones akin to makeup, with flowing cuts that combine relaxed silhouettes with soft fabrics, creating a fluid effect on the skin. This collection once again reinforces the image of the Saint Laurent woman as both feminine and self-assured.
BOTTEGA VENETA: Dynamic Craftsmanship
Iconic Exhibit: Intrecciato Weaving Technique; Cabat Tote Bag
The Bottega Veneta space showcases the brand’s exceptional craftsmanship through a film captured in Montebello Vicentino, northern Italy, along with displays of the Cabat tote, the Andiamo, and Tosca bags. The Cabat tote, a signature product introduced in the Spring 2002 collection, embodies the beauty of Bottega Veneta’s dynamic craftsmanship.
The tote takes Bottega Veneta’s renowned Intrecciato weaving technique—a method of weaving leather strips into the base of the leather itself—to a new level through the “Intreccio” technique, where double-sided leather strips are hand-woven around a wooden model. This technique gives the bag an equally soft and refined texture on both sides. Creating a large Cabat tote takes two highly skilled artisans two days, requiring precision and a seamless collaborative effort.
BALENCIAGA: A Dialogue Across Time
Iconic Exhibits: Summer 1959, Look No. 68, Amphora Polka Dot Evening Dress; Season 51 Haute Couture Collection, Look No. 54, Cloche Green Silk Satin Strapless Gown
Balenciaga’s exhibit of eight pieces represents a profound dialogue across decades between founder Cristóbal Balenciaga and current artistic director Demna. This display links past and present, illustrating the respect, inspiration, and influence that Balenciaga’s designs hold across time.
The Amphora Polka Dot Evening Dress features built-in supports with double-layered whale-bone corsets. A zipper fastening, with buttons and hooks at the back and sides, provides closure. The waistband is tilted forward, creating deep pleats at the back of the skirt, while a wide hem treatment enhances the garment’s structure.
The Cloche Green Silk Satin Strapless Gown focuses on three-dimensional structure centered on the front. Tubular knot details at the edges of the bodice are reminiscent of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s fondness for knot motifs.
McQueen: Tailoring Perfection
Iconic Exhibit: McQueen Single-Breasted Jacket
This space is dedicated to showcasing the brand’s artistry and heritage, exploring the core of McQueen: the workshop. Skilled pattern cutters and machinists apply their expert techniques to shape imagination into reality. The sampling process includes the creation of “muslins” used to test the fit and silhouette of each design, ultimately embodying the essence of McQueen craftsmanship through rigor, quality, and precision.
This single-breasted jacket is a prime example of McQueen’s tailoring art. With its signature sharp shoulder design, slanted pockets, and single-button closure, it creates a sharp, refined silhouette. Made from black leaf crepe fabric, the jacket features a vented back detail, presenting a sleek and sculptural shape that reflects McQueen’s exceptional craftsmanship, precision, and innovative spirit.
BRIONI: The Spirit of True Elegance – Lightness, Grace, and Precise Tailoring
Iconic Exhibits: Brioni Wool-Cashmere Double-Faced Vagabond Shirt Jacket; Brioni Cashmere Bigli Coat
Brioni showcases selections from its 2024 Autumn/Winter advertising campaign, featuring brand ambassador and Golden Globe-winning actor and producer Oscar Isaac.
The Vagabond shirt jacket is crafted from double-faced wool and cashmere, ensuring a lightweight feel. Inspired by workwear, it combines aesthetics with an active lifestyle, offering the functionality of a coat and the characteristics of a shirt. Designed for the free-spirited soul who seeks casual elegance, this piece offers both versatility and style.
The Bigli coat, made from cashmere, is an unlined double-breasted masterpiece with lightly padded shoulders for a sense of weightlessness. The coat exemplifies Brioni’s commitment to precision and relaxed tailoring, offering comfort without compromising on craftsmanship, redefining modern sophistication. These two pieces perfectly embody Brioni’s pursuit of “slow luxury,” ideal for the modern gentleman’s refined wardrobe.
BOUCHERON: Creative Freedom Since 1858
Iconic Exhibits: Boucheron Fleurettes Necklace; Boucheron Lierre de Paris Question Mark Necklace
Founded by Frédéric Boucheron, the house has always maintained a bold vision, blending exceptional craftsmanship with innovative techniques, cutting-edge materials, and avant-garde designs to push the boundaries of high jewelry creation.
This exhibition presents exquisite high jewelry pieces that epitomize the house’s style, including the Fleurettes Necklace and the Lierre de Paris Question Mark Necklace from the Boucheron Heritage Collection. Also on display are pieces from the Carte Blanche, Ailleurs high jewelry collection, such as the Coquillage Necklace, and the Histoire de Style, The Power of Couture collection, featuring the Tricot Necklace, highlighting Boucheron’s elegant balance between creative innovation and classic heritage.
The Fleurettes Necklace, created in 1867, is crafted from black velvet satin ribbons and meticulously set with diamond motifs of leaves and flowers. The necklace can be tied around the neck as a short choker. During the Second French Empire (1852-1870), the combination of ribbons and floral motifs was immensely popular, and the French Empress Eugénie was particularly fond of it, setting a trend among the aristocracy. These pieces were admired for their softness and elegance.
In 1879, Frédéric Boucheron created a groundbreaking piece of high jewelry with a unique clasp-less design, allowing women to wear it freely with a simple twist. This asymmetrical design was revolutionary for its time and was named the Question Mark Necklace. The Lierre de Paris Question Mark Necklace, designed with the house’s signature ivy motif, symbolizes flourishing nature and pure freedom. Crafting this necklace was a challenge for the artisans, who needed to faithfully recreate the vivid posture, three-dimensional form, and intricate details of the natural plant.
POMELLATO: Exceptional Craftsmanship from Milan
Iconic Exhibits: Knot Butterfly High Jewelry Necklace; Catene Collection Rings
Founded in Milan in 1967, Pomellato is renowned for its distinctive designs, vibrant gemstones, and elegant style. Drawing inspiration from Milan’s vibrant culture and rich artistic heritage, Pomellato blends traditional craftsmanship with modern design. The brand embodies the philosophy of creating luxurious yet wearable jewelry, with its iconic collections showcasing this vision. This exhibition features five pieces, including the Knot Butterfly High Jewelry Necklace and jewelry from the Catene Collection.
The Milan-based high jewelry brand Pomellato collaborated with Chinese jade carving and inlay master Guo Weijun to create the Knot Butterfly High Jewelry Necklace, a masterpiece honoring cultural heritage and expressing the beauty of Italian-Chinese cultural fusion. This stunning piece combines black jade, rose gold, 2,717 diamonds, and a striking 33-carat spessartine garnet.
The Catene Collection rings feature a distinctive “knot” design, blending classic chain motifs with modern style. Crafted meticulously in rose gold by Pomellato’s master jewelers, each sculptural link is intricately finished, embodying a soft texture and dynamic elegance. The rings, adorned with radiant white diamonds, sparkle with refined brilliance, adding an elegant touch to the unique design.
QEELIN: Embracing the Future through Cultural Heritage
Iconic Exhibits: Bamboo High Jewelry Collection; Global Debut of Wulu Diamond Collection
High jewelry brand Qeelin is known for combining traditional Eastern culture with modern aesthetics, utilizing exceptional craftsmanship to create unique jewelry masterpieces. This spirit of artistry is also reflected in the design of the exhibition area, which features a poetic mountain and water screen composed of hundreds of transparent columns.
In Eastern culture, bamboo, with its phonetic resemblance to “blessing,” symbolizes well-wishes and the virtues of strength and resilience. Qeelin’s Bamboo High Jewelry Collection brings these elements to life by combining jadeite, delicately shaped to resemble bamboo, with diamond-studded 18K white gold bamboo segments. The long necklace gracefully follows the neckline, creating a vision of lush greenery that embodies both natural imagery and profound meaning.
The Wulu collection reflects Qeelin’s ongoing exploration of Eastern symbolism. Fusing the iconic Wulu shape with the world’s finest diamonds, Qeelin creates jewelry pieces that convey deep emotional significance: the plump double-gourd shape symbolizes family unity, while the many “seeds” signify blessings of fertility. The perfectly proportioned Wulu-cut diamonds, set in 18K white gold, make the Qeelin Wulu Diamond Collection a symbol of enduring promises. Whether in necklaces, earrings, or rings, each piece is a work of jewelry art, inviting wearers into a world of inspired design.
KERING EYEWEAR
Iconic Exhibits: Maui Jim Laulima AF MJ0656SA-001; LINDBERG Precious Series Jackie – H50
Kering Eyewear is presenting 14 eyewear designs from seven brands, including GUCCI, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, BALENCIAGA, BOTTEGA VENETA, SAINT LAURENT, MAUI JIM, and LINDBERG.
The MJ0656SA-001 design, inspired by Maui Jim’s iconic and popular Ho’okipa frame, features anti-slip, wave-patterned temples, capturing the natural beauty of Hawaii while showcasing advanced lens technology and fresh design. This piece is part of the first “Ekahi” collection designed and produced by Maui Jim under Kering Eyewear.
LINDBERG’s Precious Series, one of the most prestigious eyewear collections, is crafted from 18K gold, platinum, diamonds, rare gemstones, and natural buffalo horn. With LINDBERG’s unique screw-free hinge technology and personalized customization, the collection is rooted in Danish minimalist design, offering luxurious yet lightweight eyewear. The Jackie frame, inspired by the Precious Rim Classic Series, features an inner rim made from natural buffalo horn with a unique texture, hand-polished through 152 complex steps. LINDBERG’s innovative eyewear techniques harmonize with natural materials, presenting the diverse beauty of the horn with a jade-like warmth and elegance.
GINORI 1735: Italian Craftsmanship and Extraordinary Heritage
Iconic Exhibits: Works by Gio Ponti; Oriente Italiano Collection (featuring globally debuting colors Castagna and Meringa)
With over three centuries of extraordinary heritage, Ginori 1735 embodies the finest expression of Italian craftsmanship through its high-quality porcelain, design, and lifestyle products.
This year marks the brand’s debut at Kering’s pavilion at the 7th China International Import Expo, featuring iconic works by 20th-century master Gio Ponti, including the Prospettica Vase, The Hand, and Cappa Labirinto. The exhibit also highlights classic pieces from the Oriente Italiano Collection, including its globally debuting colors Castagna and Meringa. From 1923 to 1933, Gio Ponti served as Ginori 1735’s artistic director, elevating the brand’s creative vision while honoring its traditions. Under his leadership, Ginori won the Gold Medal at the 1925 International Exhibition in Paris. Among his many designs, the Labirinto and Catene collections, launched in 1926, remain timeless classics, showcasing Ginori 1735’s blend of art, innovation, and enduring elegance.
The Oriente Italiano collection beautifully combines Eastern allure with Italian artistic tradition, embodying the brand’s essence. Known for its elegant shapes, intricate decorations, and bold colors, the collection is inspired by the Antico Doccia plates, rooted in late Baroque style. The collection spans tableware, fragrances, furniture, textiles, and the new Tesori gift series. With the introduction of the Castagna and Meringa colors, Ginori 1735 continues to infuse art into everyday life with its Mix & Match philosophy.
CREED: A Heritage of Excellence in High-End Fragrance
Iconic Exhibit: Aventus Eau de Parfum
The Creed exhibit blends traditional and modern design, reflecting the brand’s aesthetic through a material palette featuring white Estremoz marble, dark American walnut, polished brass, and the brand’s signature green lacquer. The space is organized into five themes: the classic Millésime collection, Royal Exclusives, home fragrances, bath and body care, and a section dedicated to the brand’s storied history.
With a total of 65 fragrances on display across 66 items, Creed celebrates its 250th anniversary by prominently featuring Aventus. One of the brand’s most prestigious scents, Aventus embodies success, power, and elegance for the modern individual.
Inspired by the shape of flasks carried by knights and evoking mythological reverence, Aventus combines both modern and classic elements. The fragrance opens with notes of lemon, pink pepper, and Italian bergamot, intertwining with juicy pineapple, jasmine, and Indonesian patchouli, and concludes with a base of oakmoss, birch, cedar, and Creed’s signature ambergris, leaving a rich, woody trail. Aventus perfectly captures a balance of boldness and sophistication, offering an exquisite olfactory experience.
About Kering
As a global luxury group, Kering encompasses a distinguished portfolio of fashion, leather goods, and jewelry brands, including Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Ginori 1735, Kering Eyewear, and Kering Beauté. Driven by imagination and creativity, Kering encourages its brands to push boundaries and innovate, while embracing a sustainable and responsible business model to shape a brighter future for the luxury industry. This mission aligns with the group’s motto, “Empowering Imagination.” In 2023, Kering had over 49,000 employees and generated a revenue of €19.6 billion.
| Source: Official Press Release
| Image Credit: Courtesy of Official Providers
| Editor: LeZhi
