时尚品牌的亚洲年

Hong Kong is bracing itself this week for a French battle of the handbags, as Louis Vuitton and Chanel vie for the limelight with grand openings that underline Asia's growing importance to the fashion industry.

Tomorrow Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel's pony-tailed designer, will attend the official launch of a moveable museum before it heads off on a world tour of fashion capitals. Housed in a 700 sq m structure designed by architect Zaha Hadid, the Mobile Art Museum – which looks more like a spaceship than a fashion gallery – brings together 20 leading artists and their interpretation of the classic Chanel handbag.

Across the Hong Kong harbour on Canton road, Louis Vuitton is re-opening a store that it has overhauled and expanded. The outlet will be its second-largest worldwide, after its flagship Champs Elysées store in Paris. Louis Vuitton's event will close on Friday night with a party for 2,500 guests held in a golden tent and hosted by Bernard Arnault, chairman of parent company LVMH, or Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Beyond this week's extravaganza, almost every leading fashion house has earmarked 2008 as the year of expansion in Asia, much of it focused on China. Louis Vuitton is turning its attention to second-tier Chinese cities, which will boost its mainland presence from 19 stores to 25 by year-end. “Today we see demand in every provincial city in mainland China,” says Yves Carcelle, chief executive of Louis Vuitton.

The switch to second-tier cities is a telling sign of China's emergence as a key fashion market. Thibault Villet, a former L'Oréal executive who is now Greater China president of Coach, the US maker of handbags and other accessories, says: “When I worked in cosmetics in Asia, the development of second and third-tier cities happened five to seven years ago, but it's only just now happening for fashion. That shows that it's really the right time and a market that is reaching a new dimension.”

The company will soon inaugurate a Hong Kong store with the biggest Coach fa?ade worldwide and a lavish interior adorned with white Italian marble floors. Meanwhile Salvatore Ferragamo, the luxury goods group, plans to celebrate its 80th anniversary with a fashion show in Shanghai later this month.

The Asian growth story goes well beyond China, argue executives. Louis Vuitton's revenues rose “more than 300 per cent” last year in Vietnam, according to Mr Carcelle, who describes the Communist country as “a new dragon”.

Alain Li, regional chief executive for Richemont, the Swiss-based luxury goods group, says: “China is of course a significant part of the story but we're really seeing the whole region as having very strong momentum and that hopefully will continue.”

The thrust into Asia is not just about business. Nathan Jenden, a leading figure among the new generation of British designers, says: “The energy I get from Asia is something that I can't find anywhere else in the world. I think that New York is definitely not as exciting as Shanghai right now . . . Chinese ladies are in some cases much more elegant than some of the people back home . . . The local designers there are also incredibly avant-garde.”

The scale and number of fashion events scheduled this year also underline another leitmotiv among fashion executives – the “new sophistication” of their Asian clientele. Louis Vuitton's Canton road store, for example, will feature a bookstore and will be the first to host an art exhibition area.

“I think the fashion world is beginning to realise that Asian customers are getting more sophisticated by the day,” says Mr Jenden. “Yes, there are cultural differences. Europeans don't pick their teeth. But it's very important not to be jaded or patronising when in Asia.”

Brenda Wang, founder of Brandxcel, a Hong Kong-based consultancy firm that advises luxury and fashion brands planning to enter the Asian market, also warns against a blanket approach to Asia. “If you try to hit three or four countries at the same time, there is a tendency to spread yourself too thin . . . People tend to view Asia as one country, but this is a place with different buying patterns and distribution landscapes across the key markets.”

As an example, Mr Villet from Coach points to the importance of footwear in China, as well as the male focus on accessories. “Luxury in China started with men and historically-speaking they have a tradition of purchasing leather-wear accessories for themselves as well as for gifts,” he notes. “Chinese men represent a very different market that you have to study and understand.”

As to how immersed they should become in Asian culture, fashion executives point to a difficult balancing act between nurturing their brand and embracing the local culture. Coach, for example, will be relying on Asian celebrities to help promote its launches but is counting on a Hollywood actress, Kate Bosworth, to lead its media advertising campaign.

“We are clearly a New York brand and so we need to communicate an image in accordance with our DNA,'' says Mr Villet. “But the right way for us to go local is when we do events, where we certainly want to be working with the local celebrities.”

Similarly, fashion brands are seeing opportunities in contributing to the development of the local fashion scene. Next month Yohji Yamamoto will fly into Beijing an entire cast of models for Y's fashion show, which will be held in a World Heritage site. But the event is also being combined with the launch of a foundation that will sponsor new Chinese designers and offer them education opportunities outside China.

Growth in some Asian markets, notably India, is constrained by a lack of property in the right locations or disproportionately expensive sites. On the other hand, store leases tend to be shorter while furniture and shop-fitting costs are much cheaper. “If a location is not working as well as expected, it is financially easier to get out of,” says John Durnin, Asia chief executive for Alfred Dunhill.

Another challenge for Asia's fashion development is one shared across many other industries – a shortage of skills. Ms Wang, the consultant, says: “Finding a prime location is certainly difficult, but you may end up with the right location and inexperienced sales staff and as such, maximising sales or increasing repeat business will be limited.”

Will image-conscious fashion houses join the outsourcing bandwagon by shifting production to Asia? Most insist that production there will concern specific products and remain on a small scale.

Last year Louis Vuitton made its first manufacturing foray outside of Europe by establishing a shoe production venture in Pondicherry, India. About 100 people are employed in its workshop there, which is “very limited,” Mr Carcelle stresses. “We have no intention to go further.”

本周，香港迎来了一场法国手包大战。路易威登(Louis Vuitton)与香奈尔(Chanel)两大品牌都举行盛大开业典礼，竞相吸引人们关注，充分显示了亚洲在时尚业日益重要的地位。

3月12日，扎着马尾的香奈儿设计师卡尔•拉格菲尔德(Karl Lagerfeld)出席了一座可移动博物馆——“流动艺术博物馆”(Mobile Art Museum)的正式发布式。即日起，这座博物馆将在全球时尚之都进行巡展。这座700平方米的博物馆（它看起来不像时尚展馆，倒是更像宇宙飞船）由建筑师扎哈•哈迪德(Zaha Hadid)设计，其中将汇聚20位领先艺术家，将他们对经典香奈儿手包的诠释集于一堂。

在港湾的另一边，位于尖沙嘴广东道的路易威登店经过彻底翻修和扩大，重新开业。这个店是路易威登全球第二大店，仅次于位于巴黎香榭丽舍的旗舰店。路易威登的庆典活动将于本周五晚落幕，当晚将在一个金色帐篷中举行2500人宴会，由母公司路易威登轩尼诗集团(LVMH)董事长贝尔纳•阿尔诺(Bernard Arnault)主持。

“中国大陆每一个省级城市都有需求”

除了本周的庆典以外，几乎每一家领先的时尚业公司都把2008年标定为亚洲扩张年，其中很大程度上又是以中国为主。路易威登正把注意力转向中国二线城市，截至今年年底，其在中国大陆的店面将由19家增至25家。路易威登首席执行官圣•卡斯利(Yves Carcelle)指出：“现在，我们可以看到，中国大陆的每一个省级城市都有需求。”

时尚业把注意力转向二线城市，这是一个迹象，生动说明中国已崛起为关键的时尚市场。欧莱雅(L'Oreal)前任高管、现在担任Coach大中华区总裁的韦奕博(Thibault Villet)指出：“我在亚洲化妆品业工作的时候，二线城市和三线城市五到七年之前开始发展起来的，但是对于时尚业来说，现在才刚刚开始。这表明现在正当其时，而这个市场将达到一个新的规模。”Coach是美国手包与配饰制造商。

不久，这家公司将成立香港分店，分店将拥有全球最大的Coach门面，内部装修也极尽奢华之能事，地面采用意大利白色大理石。与此同时，奢侈品集团菲拉格慕(Salvatore Ferragamo)也计划本月晚些时候在上海举行一场时装秀，庆祝公司成立80周年。

高管们指出，亚洲的增长不只在中国。据卡斯利介绍，去年，路易威登在越南的收入增长了“300%以上”。他把这个共产党国家称为“新的小龙”。

瑞士奢侈品集团历峰集团(Richemont)区域首席执行官李国法(Alain Li)指出：“中国当然很重要，但我们认为，整个亚洲地区都有强劲的增势，而且很有希望持续下去。”

这股蜂拥向亚洲的势头并非仅限于生意范畴。英国新一代设计师中的重要人物内森•詹德恩(Nathan Jenden)指出：“我从亚洲汲取的能量是在世界其它地方找不到的。我认为，现在的纽约肯定没有上海那么令人激动……在某些方面，中国女性比我们国家的某些女性要优雅得多……中国当地的设计师也十分前卫、令人难以置信。”

定于今年举行的时尚活动规模之大、数量之多，也突显出时尚业高管持有的另一个主要观点——他们的亚洲客户有一种“新成熟化”趋势。例如，路易威登广东道店将呈现一种书店特色，而且将率先充当艺术展览的主办场地。

欧洲人不剔牙

“我认为，时尚界已经开始认识到，如今亚洲客户越来越成熟了，”詹德恩指出。“确实，文化差异是存在的。欧洲人不剔牙。但切记不要在亚洲表现出厌倦或居高临下的样子。”

香港咨询公司Brandxcel的创始人Brenda Wang也指出，地毯式大面积覆盖的方式在亚洲不适用。这家公司为计划进入亚洲市场的奢侈品和时尚品牌提供建议。“如果你试图同时打入三四个国家，很可能让自己疲于应付……人们往往把亚洲视为一个国家，但是这个地方各个关键市场的购买方式和分销形势都不相同。”

例如，Coach大中华区总裁韦奕博指出，在中国，鞋类产品占有重要地位，而男性也非常关注配饰。“中国的奢侈品始于男性，他们历来就有买皮革配饰给自己或者送人的传统。”他强调指出：“中国男性代表了一个极为不同的市场，你必须得去研究和理解。”

提到他们应该在何种程度上融入亚洲文化的问题，时尚业高管指出，在培养自己的品牌与接受当地文化之间，需要进行艰难的平衡。例如，Coach会依靠亚洲明星帮忙宣传自己的发布式，不过，它的媒体广告宣传仰仗的还是好莱坞女演员凯特•柏斯沃兹(Kate Bosworth)。

“我们当然是一个纽约品牌，所以我们得传播一种符合我们自己DNA的形象。”韦奕博表示：“不过，对于我们来说，要本地化，就要在搞活动的时候跟当地的明星合作。”

同样，时装品牌也看到了机遇，为当地时装发展做出贡献。下个月，山本耀司(Yohji Yamamoto)将把一整队模特空运到北京，举行时装秀，地点在一处世界遗产。不过，举行这次活动的同时，还要成立一项基金。这项基金为中国设计师新人提供赞助，为他们提供在国外接受教育的机会。

在某些亚洲市场（尤其是印度），由于在合适地点没有场所、或租金过于昂贵，其增长受到了限制。不过，另一方面，店铺租约往往期限较短，而家具和店内配置的成本也要低廉得多。登喜路(Alfred Dunhill)亚太区首席执行官约翰•德宁(John Durnin)表示：“如果地点不像预期的那么好，从财务意义上说，也比较容易退出。”

亚洲的时尚业开发面临的另一个挑战，也是很多其它行业共同面临的挑战——缺乏技能。顾问Brenda Wang指出：“找到最好的地点当然不容易，但你很可能最后有了合适的地点，销售员工却毫无经验。这样的话，将销售额最大化或者留住回头客，都会受到限制。”

具有品牌意识的时尚业公司会追随外包潮流、把生产转移到亚洲吗？大多数公司都强调，亚洲的生产只限于特定的几种产品，而且会保持小规模生产。

去年，路易威登第一次把制造移出欧洲，在印度本地治里(Pondicherry)成立了一个制鞋企业。卡斯利强调，那里的车间雇员约有百人，人数“非常有限”。“我们并不打算扩大规模。”