After being selected by the Luxe.CO Jury Panel, the marketing cases of the following three brands have been included in the Top Case List of the 20th issue of the 2023 Luxe.CO Biweekly Ranking:
1. French luxury brand Hermès
2. Italian high fashion brand Max Mara
3. Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain
From October 16, 2023, to October 31, 2023, the Luxe.CO Biweekly Ranking has compiled a total of 40 updates on 30 luxury brands in the Chinese market. These updates include marketing developments (10), store expansion/renewal (14), opening of pop-up stores (13), online expansion (1), and appointment of brand ambassadors (2).
Recommended Cases
1) French luxury brand Hermès:
Case: Chengdu SKP Boutique
Hermès has opened a boutique at Chengdu SKP, marking the brand’s second boutique in Chengdu and the 33rd in mainland China.
The new store, designed by the Parisian architectural firm RDAI, spans two levels and features a complete exterior entrance. The ground floor includes men’s clothing and footwear, as well as a home, handbags, and small leather goods section. The entire wall behind the staircase is covered in woven willow, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, paying homage to Chengdu’s traditional bamboo weaving craftsmanship.
The second floor is dedicated to the world of women, with a silk products section at the entrance, women’s clothing, footwear, hats, belts, jewelry, and watches on the right, and a fashion accessories, beauty, and perfume section on the left, surrounded by pink enamel ceramic walls. The second floor also houses a private VIP room adorned with gray stucco finishes, complemented by custom-made ginkgo-patterned fabrics, and a carpet with unique curves and floral patterns.
2) Italian high fashion brand Max Mara:
Case: Global Debut of Creative Plush-themed Home Space – “Max Mara Furry Residence”
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Teddy coat, Max Mara has opened a creative plush-themed home space called the “Max Mara Furry Residence” at the historic IFS Square in Chengdu International Finance Center (IFS). This is the first global stop for this touring space, featuring the brand’s iconic camel decor, with every item in the space wrapped in Teddy bear fabric.
In addition to the themed space, Max Mara has also crafted a Teddy bear bus, making limited-time stops at popular shopping districts such as Chengdu SKP and Chengdu in99. Online, the brand has launched an interactive game on the WeChat Mini Program, allowing the public to learn about the history of the Teddy coat and experience AR interactive photography features.
With this themed home space, Max Mara has distilled its classic elements and amplified its brand recognition among consumers. Furthermore, the brand has introduced an interactive mini-program, engaging users online and vividly conveying the brand’s story, creating a diversified online and offline interaction path.
3) Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain:
Case: The 6th Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize
The 6th Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize ceremony was held in Beijing. This award, initiated jointly by the Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain and the Chinese publishing brand Imaginist in 2018, aims to discover and encourage outstanding young writers under the age of 45 in the field of Chinese-language literature.
The theme of this literary award is “Stand up for Complexity,” with over seventy works in contention. After a rigorous selection process, young writer Yang Zhihan won the top prize.
Blancpain, a luxury watch brand, has consistently organized six literary awards, supporting outstanding young Chinese writers, which is uncommon in the luxury goods industry. Moreover, when a luxury brand establishes a deep connection with literature, it can help the brand engage in higher-level content development and convey a more three-dimensional and rich brand spirit to Chinese consumers.
Marketing Updates
4) French luxury jewelry brand Cartier hosted the Le Voyage Recommencé high jewelry exhibition at the Beijing Junwangfu, showcasing over 380 pieces of high jewelry, haute horlogerie, and antique treasures. Additionally, Cartier held the Le Voyage Recommencé high jewelry collection new release dinner at the Great Wall of China in Juyongguan.
5) Following London and Seoul, British luxury brand Burberry brought its “Mythical Beasts” project to Shanghai, opening a limited-time boutique at M+ Xingfu Li. The store’s design draws inspiration from the English rose, vividly presenting Creative Director Daniel Lee’s first collection (2023 Winter Collection). The boutique also offers cuisine from Norman’s café, a North London eatery. Furthermore, several buses in Shanghai were adorned with the same rose-print bus wraps as the boutique’s exterior.
6) Canadian premium functional apparel and lifestyle brand Canada Goose celebrated its five-year anniversary in China by launching an event in Shanghai. Through exhibitions and fashion shows, the event highlighted the brand’s illustrious 66-year history and its five-year journey in China.
7) French luxury brand Chanel hosted a limited-time experiential journey in Beijing, taking place at the Datian Shuijing Hutong (west of Wangfujing). Visitors can immerse themselves in personalized fragrances and perfume courses in the space.
8) Italian luxury brand Moncler collaborated with Chinese designer brand Christopher Raxxy to launch the 11.11 capsule collection. Inspired by the date 11.11, spiral staircases, and musical note curves, the collection includes items such as pilot jackets, parkas, and hoodies.
9) British luxury brand Burberry introduced the “Burberry Rose” digital interactive game on WeChat Mini Program. The game consists of three levels, and users who successfully complete it will be eligible for brand-designed prizes. The activity runs until December 31, 2023.
10) Swiss luxury watch brand Longines held a special exhibition of women’s watches celebrating Longines’ centenary at MC HOUSE in Chengdu Taikoo Li. Six exhibition areas showcased several vintage ladies’ watches from the brand.
Store Expansion/Refurbishment
1) French luxury brand Louis Vuitton has opened a boutique in the second phase of Sanya International Duty-Free City. The two-story store offers Louis Vuitton’s full range of products, including women’s and men’s clothing, leather goods, travel items, accessories, footwear, watches, high jewelry, fragrances, and lifestyle art collections.
2) French modern jewelry brand FRED has opened a store in Sanya Haitang Bay International Duty-Free City.
3) The renovated flagship store of French luxury brand Dior in Shanghai’s Plaza 66 has a new exterior designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, resembling the pleats of high-end tailored dresses, paying homage to craftsmanship. The interior spans four levels and includes clothing, accessories, jewelry, watches, and lifestyle artworks.
4) The renovated flagship store of American luxury jewelry brand Harry Winston in Shanghai Xintiandi has reopened.
5) Italian luxury brand Brunello Cucinelli has opened a boutique in One ITC, Shanghai.
6) Italian luxury brand Etro has opened its first store in Anhui at Hefei Yintai Center.
7) French luxury brand Celine has opened a women’s boutique at Changsha IFS.
8) French luxury brand Maison Margiela has opened a boutique in Dalian’s Olympia 66.
9) French luxury brand Chloé has opened a boutique in Jinan MixC.
10) American fashion brand Ralph Lauren has opened its first Polo Ralph Lauren store in Qingdao at Hisense Plaza.
11) Swiss independent watch brand Breitling has opened a boutique at Yintai Center in Chengdu’s in99.
12) German luxury watch brand Glashütte Original has opened a boutique at Zhongfu Watch & Jewelry Store in Changchun, Jilin.
13) Swiss luxury watch and jewelry brand Chopard has opened a boutique in Jinan MixC.
14) French luxury brand LANVIN has opened a standalone store in Shenzhen’s MixC World.
Pop-ups
1) British luxury brand Burberry has opened a pop-up store at The Landmark in Hong Kong, showcasing the first collection designed by Creative Director Daniel Lee.
2) Swiss luxury watch brand IWC has opened a limited-time experiential space at Beijing WF Central.
3) Italian luxury brand Brunello Cucinelli has opened a limited-time exhibition at SKP in Beijing, presenting the new Opera high-end cashmere collection.
4) Italian luxury brand Versace has opened a limited-time boutique at China World Mall in Beijing.
5) Italian high fashion brand Max Mara has opened a pop-up store for its 2023 autumn-winter collection at SKP in Beijing.
6) Italian high fashion brand Max Mara has opened a pop-up store for its 2023 autumn-winter collection at Wushang MALL in Wuhan.
7) Swiss luxury watch brand Vacheron Constantin has hosted the “LESS’ENTIAL” limited-time exhibition at Wuxi Center 66.
8) Spanish luxury brand Loewe fragrances have opened a pop-up store at Taikoo Hui in Guangzhou.
9) British high-end leather goods brand Mulberry has hosted a touring limited-time exhibition at Nanjing Deji Plaza.
10) Italian luxury menswear brand Brioni has hosted the “Tailoring Legends” limited-time exhibition at MixC World in Shenzhen.
11) Italian luxury brand Versace has opened a pop-up store at Shanghai International Finance Center.
12) Italian high fashion brand Max Mara has opened a pop-up store for its 2023 autumn-winter collection at MixC World in Shenzhen.
13) Italian high fashion brand Max Mara has opened a pop-up store for its 2023 autumn-winter collection at Shijiazhuang Advanced Structure.
Online Channels
1) Hermès, the French luxury brand, has officially joined Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and opened an official account on the platform.
Brand Ambassador
1) French luxury brand Bottega Veneta has announced that actress Shu Qi will serve as its global brand ambassador.
2) French luxury brand LANVIN has announced that actor Yi Cheng is appointed as its first-ever global ambassador.
| Image Source: Provided by the brands, Brand’s official Weibo & WeChat
| Editor: LeZhi
