Chinese Haute Couture Designer Guo Pei’s Legend of The Dragon Fashion Show and Chinese Bride Couture Exhibition.

May 14, 2012 | By admin
Designers, Industry News Leave a comment | 38 views

 

Ultimate Luxury: 7000 Hours for One Dress!

In fact, describing the event as a ‘fashion show’ is almost an insult as the dresses on display were so painstakingly hand sewn and crafted over (quite literally) thousands and thousands of work hours that they were some of the most astounding works of art I’ve ever seen. Guo Pei’s dresses are so labor intensive that it takes a team of hundred embroiderers and seamstresses several years to make an entire collection and so to witness one of her ‘moving art theater performances’ was truly special.

When nostalgic emotions from my past life as an Imperial Warrior arise from my deep subconscious I often think of, and thus am a big fan of Guo Pei. Seeing her collections, I’m instantly thrown back into the days of Imperial China where Emperors ruled the Middle Kingdom (China) and their dragon robes and court attire was the ultimate in luxury. These one-off pieces would have been constructed by the country’s leading artisans and Imperial Tailors under threat of death if they weren’t absolutely perfect and worthy of being worn by the Emperor who was mandated by heaven to rule. As Guo Pei once said to me “if you screwed up a robe for the Emperor they cut your head off!” and she wasn’t joking!

Source: Mao Suit

CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund: China?

May 14, 2012 | By admin
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Back in November, Anna Wintour announced a CFDA/VOGUE China Design Program Initiative, and I speculated if an announcement for a CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund for Chinese designers could be far off.

Well, it seems a CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund for Chinese designers is still yet TBD, but the current design program exchange is well under way thanks to the financial support of Chinese fashion heavyweight, Silas Chou, among other in-kind sponsors. Uma Wang has been confirmed to be the Chinese counterpart—no surprise there given the success she’s had over the past few months in Europe and New York—and no word yet from New York duo Proenza Schouler on their itinerary in Shanghai.

It’s an exciting time, and Steven Kolb’s remark about the CFDA’s commitment to the exchange is encouraging, “We never want to do anything as a one-off. We really like to connect and invest in things that have real meaning and depth.” And while I understand the CFDA’s focus is on building the careers of American designers, it seems VOGUE, as the final word on international fashion, should have a real interest in influencing the next crop of the world’s best design talent wherever they may be. For that reason, and based on the talent that’s coming out of China, I think we can expect to see some major movements in this area in the next five years to fund Chinese designers. It would be fitting for VOGUE to lead this initiative, but as we know, the world moves quickly and waits for no one.

Source: China Daily

Luxury Brands Want Chinese to Pay More in Europe

May 11, 2012 | By admin
Industry News Leave a comment | 37 views

Snatching up bargains in Europe might be a thing of the past for Chinese luxury travelers if the major labels get their way. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA and several other luxury brands are planning to raise prices in Europe as a way to make up lost profit in China.

“The combination of the two is unfortunate because what you’ll find is higher prices and at the same time lower disposable income for domestic European customers,” said Luca Solca, global head of European equities at CA Cheuvreux. He explains, “What we expect luxury companies to have to do is progressively close the pricing gap and, more likely than not, this is going to come from stepping up prices outside of Asia. You cannot continue to sustain the existing price gaps that have been a mainstay of the luxury goods industry for the past 20 or 25 years.”

Chinese tourists flocking to Europe in the past have taken advantage of savings as high as 50 percent by traveling abroad.  But with Louis Vuitton’s price differential between China and France reaching as much as 47 percent in the first quarter, something’s got to give to keep Chinese consumers from shopping abroad. “This will continue to be a feature of the industry this year unless the group rebalances pricing to discourage parallel imports,” said Barclays Capital analyst Julian Easthope.

LVMH and its competitors would need to raise prices by 3 percent outside of China to compensate for about 15 percent of mainland Chinese customers buying their products abroad, Solca said. And LVMH is not alone in rethinking its pricing structure.

Burberry Group Plc, the U.K.’s largest luxury goods maker, is experiencing similar problems. “It’s the global traveling luxury consumer that is dominating,” said Burberry Chief Financial Officer Stacey Cartwright.”

Chinese global tax-free spending grew 79 percent in March from a year earlier, the fastest increase of any nation, making them the world’s biggest tax-free spenders with 21 percent of the total, according to tourist shopping specialist  Global Blue. The products they splurge on the most in Europe are watches, jewelry and fashion, said Manelik Sfez, head of global corporate and partner marketing at Global Blue in Nyon, Switzerland.

“By no means do we feel that this is a permanent move,” LVMH Finance Director Jean-Jacques Guiony said. “Overall, no reason to be pessimistic, but at the same time, keeping flexibility and agility are the two key words in any uncertain environment.”

Source: Red Luxury