Filling the gap for adventurous ladies
By Michelle Zhang |
August 22, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SITTING at her desk on the third floor of a narrow old building on Jinxian Road, Diana Tu browses fashion websites while checking her laptop for what's going on elsewhere in the building where opened her designer boutique Le Lutin.
In their multi-brand store, Tu and her business partner Gloria Lin sell favorite cult labels such as Eddie Borgo, Jen Kao, Jerome Drefuss, Helmut Lang, Preen and Rag & Bone. The collections represent the two young entrepreneurs' personal style: chic, edgy, discreet -- to them, there's no "style formula."
A whimsical combination of the two women's last names, Lin and Tu, the word "lutin" also means "pixie, elf or fairy" in French. The name suggests the store concept, which Tu calls "always unexpected, but never unfounded."
"Shanghai is a fashionable city but there was something missing," Tu said. "Mainstream luxury fashion is strong here but alternative choices are limited. We believe that Chinese women are more adventurous in terms of trying new things than they think, and we'd like to push them a little bit."
It took the pair, both in their mid 20s and both from Taiwan, a year to finally realize their dream -- owning Shanghai's most cutting-edge fashion boutique.
"We are excited to be able to offer Shanghai something new," Lin said. "In a country where most people still consider luxury fashion as big brash logos to show off wealth and status, we're definitely taking a risk but we're confident about the future."
They have created a unique, comfy shopping environment where the latest fashion meets the old Shanghai Art Deco style.
Most styles come in only or two pieces in sizes ranging from extra-small to medium.
Every season, Le Lutin introduces collections from around 10 brands, some of which were never previously available in the Chinese market.
An international traveler and a MBA graduate, Tu picks all the products by herself from designer studios around the world, and she seems to fully understand what young women want.
Price is another issue. The two say most items sold in the city's established multi-brand fashion boutiques, such as Joyce and IT in Plaza 66, are over-priced.
"We'd like to keep the prices similar to those in Hong Kong, or maybe 10 percent more expensive than those in New York," Lin said.
Sara Villarreal, owner of another multi-label fashion boutique, The Villa, agreed. Her inviting, feminine boudoir-feel store on Taojiang Road opened nine months ago has already attracted a cult clientele thanks to its unique offerings and reasonable prices.
A sophisticated shopper herself, Villarreal said she tries to keep the prices consistent with those in Hong Kong.
The Villa sells the latest collections from 18 up-and-coming designer brands, mostly from the US, including alice + olivia, Tibi, Robert Rodriguez, Derek Lam, Kenneth Jay Lane and Rebecca Minkoff.
Villarreal said alice + olivia is favored by many locals for its "hip, fresh" designs, while older, more sophisticated clients prefer brands such as Derek Lam and Yigal Azrouel.
Dresses -- not just cocktail dresses but dresses of all kinds -- are always the best selling items.
"Most of our clients are successful office ladies and business owners who tend to invest in practical items that they can wear from daytime at work to nightime on more important occasions," she said.
About 60 percent of the clientele are Chinese and the rest of them are expats. Although they include local celebrities, she finds that fancy evening gowns do not sell as well as she had expected.
"I'm still learning about the market every day," she said. "Not two months were alike during the past nine months. We're doing something new in the city and there is no guideline or benchmark for us."
"There is no set rule here," Diana Tu said. "It is not yet a mature market, which means lots of opportunities and huge room for improvement."
Tu and Lin are also working on launching the e-commerce business for Le Lutin. Their goal is to found China's own "net-a-porter.com."
"While we are bringing the city some new, refreshing international brands, we also want to offer a platform encouraging local fashion creativity," Tu added. "In the near future, we will add more local designer pieces to our collections."
Other boutiques in Shanghai
Younik
On the second floor of the historic building Bund 18, the store offers exclusive products, including apparel and accessories, by both up-and-coming and established Chinese designers such as Uma Wang, Chen Ping, Jane Zhu, Jiang Ling and Angela Chen. Many of the collections are designed especially for the store.
Opening hours: 10am-10pm
Address: 2/F, Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Rd E1
Tel: 6323-8688
1S First Selection
There's no need to travel to Europe for less expensive branded names. Shanghainese shop owner Selina Zhou frequently travels to Italy and France and is a regular at all kinds of fashion shows. She manages to get sample pieces worn by models at low prices. And the sizes worn by models are perfectly suited to Asians.
Most of the pieces sold in the store are one-of-a-kind. Fall jackets and coats are sold at about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan (US$442-US$590).
Opening hours: 12pm-10pm
Address: 72 Xinle Rd
Tel: 5404-0225
In their multi-brand store, Tu and her business partner Gloria Lin sell favorite cult labels such as Eddie Borgo, Jen Kao, Jerome Drefuss, Helmut Lang, Preen and Rag & Bone. The collections represent the two young entrepreneurs' personal style: chic, edgy, discreet -- to them, there's no "style formula."
A whimsical combination of the two women's last names, Lin and Tu, the word "lutin" also means "pixie, elf or fairy" in French. The name suggests the store concept, which Tu calls "always unexpected, but never unfounded."
"Shanghai is a fashionable city but there was something missing," Tu said. "Mainstream luxury fashion is strong here but alternative choices are limited. We believe that Chinese women are more adventurous in terms of trying new things than they think, and we'd like to push them a little bit."
It took the pair, both in their mid 20s and both from Taiwan, a year to finally realize their dream -- owning Shanghai's most cutting-edge fashion boutique.
"We are excited to be able to offer Shanghai something new," Lin said. "In a country where most people still consider luxury fashion as big brash logos to show off wealth and status, we're definitely taking a risk but we're confident about the future."
They have created a unique, comfy shopping environment where the latest fashion meets the old Shanghai Art Deco style.
Most styles come in only or two pieces in sizes ranging from extra-small to medium.
Every season, Le Lutin introduces collections from around 10 brands, some of which were never previously available in the Chinese market.
An international traveler and a MBA graduate, Tu picks all the products by herself from designer studios around the world, and she seems to fully understand what young women want.
Price is another issue. The two say most items sold in the city's established multi-brand fashion boutiques, such as Joyce and IT in Plaza 66, are over-priced.
"We'd like to keep the prices similar to those in Hong Kong, or maybe 10 percent more expensive than those in New York," Lin said.
Sara Villarreal, owner of another multi-label fashion boutique, The Villa, agreed. Her inviting, feminine boudoir-feel store on Taojiang Road opened nine months ago has already attracted a cult clientele thanks to its unique offerings and reasonable prices.
A sophisticated shopper herself, Villarreal said she tries to keep the prices consistent with those in Hong Kong.
The Villa sells the latest collections from 18 up-and-coming designer brands, mostly from the US, including alice + olivia, Tibi, Robert Rodriguez, Derek Lam, Kenneth Jay Lane and Rebecca Minkoff.
Villarreal said alice + olivia is favored by many locals for its "hip, fresh" designs, while older, more sophisticated clients prefer brands such as Derek Lam and Yigal Azrouel.
Dresses -- not just cocktail dresses but dresses of all kinds -- are always the best selling items.
"Most of our clients are successful office ladies and business owners who tend to invest in practical items that they can wear from daytime at work to nightime on more important occasions," she said.
About 60 percent of the clientele are Chinese and the rest of them are expats. Although they include local celebrities, she finds that fancy evening gowns do not sell as well as she had expected.
"I'm still learning about the market every day," she said. "Not two months were alike during the past nine months. We're doing something new in the city and there is no guideline or benchmark for us."
"There is no set rule here," Diana Tu said. "It is not yet a mature market, which means lots of opportunities and huge room for improvement."
Tu and Lin are also working on launching the e-commerce business for Le Lutin. Their goal is to found China's own "net-a-porter.com."
"While we are bringing the city some new, refreshing international brands, we also want to offer a platform encouraging local fashion creativity," Tu added. "In the near future, we will add more local designer pieces to our collections."
Other boutiques in Shanghai
Younik
On the second floor of the historic building Bund 18, the store offers exclusive products, including apparel and accessories, by both up-and-coming and established Chinese designers such as Uma Wang, Chen Ping, Jane Zhu, Jiang Ling and Angela Chen. Many of the collections are designed especially for the store.
Opening hours: 10am-10pm
Address: 2/F, Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Rd E1
Tel: 6323-8688
1S First Selection
There's no need to travel to Europe for less expensive branded names. Shanghainese shop owner Selina Zhou frequently travels to Italy and France and is a regular at all kinds of fashion shows. She manages to get sample pieces worn by models at low prices. And the sizes worn by models are perfectly suited to Asians.
Most of the pieces sold in the store are one-of-a-kind. Fall jackets and coats are sold at about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan (US$442-US$590).
Opening hours: 12pm-10pm
Address: 72 Xinle Rd
Tel: 5404-0225
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