A great number of luxury brands have recently held critical exhibitions and opened first stores in Shenzhen. This might suggest Shenzhen’s huge potential for the fashion industry.
Critical Exhibitions by Luxury Brands
Putting on a luxury brand exhibition requires collaborations between multiple domestic and overseas divisions. The decision is made based on a bigger picture, taking both the city and its consumers into consideration. SMART.FASHION observes that 5 luxury brands have held exhibitions in Shenzhen between November and December. They are:
- Louis Vuitton LOUIS VUITTON &
- Cartier CLASH DE CARTIER;
- Dior ART’N DIOR;
- BVLGARI MAGNIFICA ROMA;
- Van Cleef& Arpels The Art of Movement.
First Stores of Luxury Brands
According to the data in SMART.FASHION’s past reports, 27 luxury brands opened 28 boutique stores in Shenzhen in 2021, with the majority being either their first stores in southern China or in Shenzhen.
These 27 luxury brands are Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Cartier, Loewe, CHAUMET, Dior, Delvaux, Qeelin, Kilian, Editions de Parfums FrédéricMalle, Harry Winston, Christian Louboutin, Boucheron, BVLGARI, Berluti, Brunello Cucinelli, Moynat, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Hublot, Balmain, Van Cleef and Arpels, AudemarsPiguet, Bonpoint, Goyard, Roger Dubuis and Mikimoto.
Among all, 12 of which are the brands’ first stores open in southern China, 8 of which in Shenzhen.
Top Luxury Brands Set up Stores at Bao’an Airport
Last year, on 7 December, Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport’s Domestic Arrival Hall (Satellite Terminal) was put into use. According to Savills plc, luxury brands have opened stores one by one at the Transportation Operations Center, including Gucci, Mark Fast, and lululemon’s first store among all southern-China regional airports, as well as YSL’s first fragrance and cosmetics store among all domestic airports.
Meanwhile, many other brands also opened designer’s stores at the Terminal, such as Omega, Burberry, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Qeelin, Jimmy Choo and so on. Amongst all, Prada’s new establishment is the second direct-sale store at the airport after the one at Sanya International Airport.
Upscale Commercial Complexes
Currently, Shenzhen is home to 2 luxury malls owned by China Resources (Holdings) Co., Ltd., the Mixc at Luohu District and the Mixc at Shenzhen Bay:
- Opened in 2004, the Mixc at Luohu District hosts a great number of luxury brands such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Prada, Gucci, BVLGARI, Cartier, Fendi, Celine, Tiffany and Co., Bottega Veneta, MiuMiu, IWC and so on.
- The Mixc at Shenzhen Bay is home to luxury brands like Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Burberry, BVLGARI, Cartier, CHAUMET, Van Cleef and Arpels, Loewe, Christian Louboutin, AudemarsPiguet, Harry Winston, Goyard and so on.
On December 3, the group opened the Mixc at Qianhai, a concept shopping center featuring “The Art of Living.” 222 brands set up their stores here and among them 43 have entered Shenzhen for the first time.
Some upscale complexes such as K11 and SCCmall are under construction.
——K11
K11 Mall will be located by the newly built cruise terminal in Shekou, with total GFA of 430,000 square meters. The project will be completed in stages from 2024 onward.
——SCCmall in Shenzhen
Shimao Commercial Center receives a total investment of 50 billion yuan with SCCmall as the largest shopping center in volume under construction in the Longgang District. The mall has a total volume of more than 200,000 square meters and it can house 400 stores. The fifth Waldorf Astoria Hotel in China will be situated in the mall.
In the future, more high-quality urban projects will emerge in Shenzhen, such as the C Future City project, the renovation project of Hubei village in Luohu District with a total area of 2 million square meters, Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base, etc.. The Shenzhen government is also seeking opportunities to introduce high-end projects such as SKP owned by the Beijing Hualian Group Investment Holding Co., Ltd..
“Stylish Shenzhen” Ready to Be in the Spotlight
The robust economic development in Shenzhen has paved the way for luxury consumption. In 2020, Shenzhen’s GDP amounted to 2.77 trillion yuan, ranking the fifth among Asian cities. Many large enterprises also choose Shenzhen to set up their headquarters, including Tencent, Huawei, BYD, S.F. Express, just to name a few.
Shenzhen Fashion Week came to an end last October, with over 300 commercial and designer brands on display; 60% of them belong to the latter. Sophisticated fashion clothing companies such as Shenzhen Ellassay Fashion Co., Ltd. and Ying’er Fashion also took part in the show.
Pan Ming, head of the Shenzhen Garment Association said: “Nearly 20,000 designers work in the clothing industry in Shenzhen. Over 80% of the growing businesses in the industry can keep an annual revenue growth rate at over 10% for three years in a row, far exceeding the industry average.”
| Photo Credit: CFP
| Writer: Crystal
