Top brand bids to woo the luxury connoisseurs
By Yang Di |
July 19, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
International label Louis Vuitton is bidding to win over China's luxury connoisseurs with custom-made bags and shoes, as well as carrying cases for tiles used to play mahjong and made-to-order trunks for tea sets.
This weekend sees the opening of the French company's largest store in China, the world's third-largest luxury market, in Shanghai's Plaza 66 mall.
Designed by architect Peter Marino, the Louis Vuitton Maison is the company's 16th such store worldwide.
The four-floor premises come complete with a gilded spiral staircase and an invitation-only private floor where big spenders can get their hair done while dreaming up designs for their own special bags.
"The made-to-order concept is the ultimate luxury," Yves Carcelle, Louis Vuitton's chief executive, told Reuters during a tour of the store. "It's the same with art. If you are interested in art, the ultimate is to commission an artist rather than buy a piece that is already done."
The Shanghai store is the only one on the mainland offering custom-made bags and shoes.
Louis Vuitton routinely ranks among the most admired brands in surveys of Chinese consumers and Saturday's opening coincides with the 20th anniversary of the brand's entry into the Chinese mainland.
Christopher Zanardi-Landi, the company's executive vice president, said this was the right time to open a Louis Vuitton Maison in Shanghai because "the sophistication of customers here has changed dramatically over the years.
"Ten years ago, Chinese customers were not so sophisticated and very logo-driven. But they are now very knowledgeable."
Zanardi-Landi acknowledged the importance of Chinese customers. "Chinese purchasing of Louis Vuitton is still super-strong," he said.
However, he added that the company's strategy for China was not one of expansion. "It's more of a question of differentiation and upgrading shopping experiences within cities."
Each Maison is said to be a celebration of the brand's style and elegance bringing all its experience under one roof.
Tonight, a "Louis Vuitton Express" train will pull into the Bund, staging a fashion show which will include an appearance by Marc Jacobs, the company's artistic director.
An exhibition at Plaza 66, paying homage to the golden age of rail travel, runs to August 15.
The gallery-like spaces of the Louis Vuitton Maison are dedicated to leather goods, ready-to-wear for women and men, luggage, watches and jewelry, shoes and belts and other rare and exceptional products.
Zanardi-Landi described the Maison as "the ultimate luxury experience in the world, like a voyage of discovery."
"The Apartment" on the fourth floor is the second in the world after one in London's Bond Street.
Accessible by invitation only, it is where customers will be able to design their own bags.
This weekend sees the opening of the French company's largest store in China, the world's third-largest luxury market, in Shanghai's Plaza 66 mall.
Designed by architect Peter Marino, the Louis Vuitton Maison is the company's 16th such store worldwide.
The four-floor premises come complete with a gilded spiral staircase and an invitation-only private floor where big spenders can get their hair done while dreaming up designs for their own special bags.
"The made-to-order concept is the ultimate luxury," Yves Carcelle, Louis Vuitton's chief executive, told Reuters during a tour of the store. "It's the same with art. If you are interested in art, the ultimate is to commission an artist rather than buy a piece that is already done."
The Shanghai store is the only one on the mainland offering custom-made bags and shoes.
Louis Vuitton routinely ranks among the most admired brands in surveys of Chinese consumers and Saturday's opening coincides with the 20th anniversary of the brand's entry into the Chinese mainland.
Christopher Zanardi-Landi, the company's executive vice president, said this was the right time to open a Louis Vuitton Maison in Shanghai because "the sophistication of customers here has changed dramatically over the years.
"Ten years ago, Chinese customers were not so sophisticated and very logo-driven. But they are now very knowledgeable."
Zanardi-Landi acknowledged the importance of Chinese customers. "Chinese purchasing of Louis Vuitton is still super-strong," he said.
However, he added that the company's strategy for China was not one of expansion. "It's more of a question of differentiation and upgrading shopping experiences within cities."
Each Maison is said to be a celebration of the brand's style and elegance bringing all its experience under one roof.
Tonight, a "Louis Vuitton Express" train will pull into the Bund, staging a fashion show which will include an appearance by Marc Jacobs, the company's artistic director.
An exhibition at Plaza 66, paying homage to the golden age of rail travel, runs to August 15.
The gallery-like spaces of the Louis Vuitton Maison are dedicated to leather goods, ready-to-wear for women and men, luggage, watches and jewelry, shoes and belts and other rare and exceptional products.
Zanardi-Landi described the Maison as "the ultimate luxury experience in the world, like a voyage of discovery."
"The Apartment" on the fourth floor is the second in the world after one in London's Bond Street.
Accessible by invitation only, it is where customers will be able to design their own bags.
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