FEER(7/24) Hong Kong Fashion House Aims For New Markets
LONG BEFORE Chinese-inspired frippery became hot, Hong Kong label Shanghai Tang was peddling it to well-heeled clients in Hong Kong, London and New York.
Now, catwalks from Paris to Milan are crawling with chinoiserie and all things Asian. But grabbing the headlines are Gucci, Armani and other Western brands whose current collections are heavy on cherry-blossom embroidery, mandarin collars and double-happiness symbols.
Meanwhile, Shanghai Tang, the brand which arguably has worked hardest to make China chic, has stayed out of the limelight. As it attempts to bring some buzz back to the label -- ahead of entering new markets like France and eventually Japan -- Shanghai Tang is watering down its trademark Chinese flavour. Under Raphael le Masne de Chermont, brought in 18 months ago as executive chairman by Swiss-based Societe Financiere Richemont AG, Shanghai Tang's parent, the brand is adopting a more subtle blend of East-meets-West finery.
While other retailers race to embrace China, le Masne de Chermont says playing the Eastern theme down is key to his company's success. A "priority is to bring some relevance to the brand and make it wearable outside China," he says. "Taking Chinese clothing as is, and setting it down in New York or London..." he shrugs and waves his arm in a dismissive gesture. "You have to Westernize it."
He is dressed to prove his point -- in a worsted-wool navy-blue blazer, grey flannel trousers, a button-down shirt and brogues. On closer inspection, the blazer reveals a short mandarin collar, and calligraphy-stamped cuff links peek out from under its sleeves. A large-dial watch gives itself away as Chinese-inspired only by the red star that replaces the number 12.
Such discretion marks quite a turnaround for the brand whose clothes and accessories, once covered with double-happiness symbols, Mao prints and the like, screamed China. Heavy use of bold colours like fuschia, lime and shocking pink ensured the wearers got noticed.
That prototype came straight from David Tang, the globe-trotting A-list socialite who opened the first Shanghai Tang boutique in 1994 in Hong Kong. His brash, Sino-inspired look played well in a city eager to embrace its Chinese roots before the 1997 handover.
The flagship store generated enough business and buzz to snare Richemont, which also owns brands like Cartier, Dunhill and Montblanc, as an investor. Tang and Johann Rupert, Richemont's chairman, had known each other socially for years.
In 1995, the company paid Tang $13.1 million for a 40% stake, and then bought enough shares from another partner to raise its stake to a controlling position. Shanghai Tang began expanding at a rapid clip, adding stores in New York, London and other cities in Asia.
But outside Hong Kong, shoppers treated Shanghai Tang as a place to visit once or twice for novelty value. In 1999, the company had to close its 1,080-square-metre New York store and move into a space half that size.
In late 2001, Tang, whose business roles range from cigar distributor to restaurateur, stepped down as chairman. Richemont brought in le Masne de Chermont, who had been managing director in Asia for Piaget and some other watch brands in the group's stable.
Tang remains a goodwill ambassador for Shanghai Tang, a board member and the brand's largest shareholder after Richemont. Both men say they get along well and talk regularly.
While Tang isn't quite sure about le Masne de Chermont's attempt tone down the Chinese theme -- "It's got to be, 'wow,'" he says of the reaction the store should elicit -- experts say it's spot on.
"Chinois chic is still cool, but it needs to adapt to our lifestyle trends in order to be successful," says Mary Yan Yan Chan, a style forecaster at Peclers Paris. She advocates high-street silhouettes with Chinese details and greater use of Chinese prints.
The merchandise seems to be moving that way. On offer currently: military-style linen jackets with mandarin collars, and T-shirts with a keyhole neckline and a row of printed Chinese jars around the hem. But there are still plenty of pieces, such as cheongsams, that wouldn't blend easily into most wardrobes, and dazzling colour still predominates.
"The new vision of Shanghai Tang will be featured with the coming fall/winter 2003-04 collection at the end of August," says le Masne de Chermont. But the bright colours, "very much part of our brand's DNA," will stick around.
Besides making the clothes more wearable, le Masne de Chermont has been trying to reduce the brand's dependence on the flagship store in Hong Kong. He won't disclose any accounting figures beyond saying the brand is profitable, but a person close to the company says yearly sales stand at between $20 million and $30 million, with the bulk still coming from the Hong Kong outlet.
Depending so heavily on just one branch at best means a brand isn't growing well. At worst, it's dangerous, as the recent outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome shows. Hong Kong shoppers and tourists alike stayed home during the outbreak, cutting significantly into Shanghai Tang's second-quarter revenue.
So since le Masne de Chermont took over, the company has opened seven new stores, including one in Hawaii. In October, a 630-square-metre Shanghai Tang boutique will open in Paris.
Succeeding in France, le Masne de Chermont says, "will help me open doors for Tokyo." The Japan market accounts for one-fifth of sales at luxury-goods houses like the Richemont Group and Gucci; at Hermes, it provides more than one-quarter of sales.
But launching Shanghai Tang there now would foolish. Le Masne de Chermont says Japanese customers won't embrace a Chinese brand unless it first gains a certain cachet in France and Italy, where he's also looking for prime retail space.
Tang, while excited about the expansion plans, favours courting Chinese customers, including giving all mainland passport holders a 25% discount. "I want everybody in China wearing my clothes," he says.
Again, le Masne de Chermont says his new, China-lite policy will help. On the mainland, where Shanghai Tang has two outlets -- one in Beijing and one in Shanghai -- most shoppers still bypass cheongsams and other traditional Chinese dress for Western-style clothing. Mixing elements of East and West will help ease Chinese consumers into an Asian look, he believes.
Both men want Shanghai Tang to become a mainstream luxury-goods brand. Tang believes the transition will be complete if the business generates $100 million in yearly revenue. Le Masne de Chermont won't discuss sales targets, but makes his ambitions clear: "If Hermes is a representation of French lifestyle-chic, or [Ralph] Lauren is [a representation] for the Americans, and Armani is for the Italians, why not Shanghai Tang for the Chinese?" he asks.
As for the competition in chinoiserie from other labels? "Those brands have opened the aesthetic and the eye toward the Orient," he says, which can mean only good things for his business. What's more, says le Masne de Chermont, when Gucci and its ilk have dropped the Eastern theme, Shanghai Tang will still have it.
上海滩中西结合新演绎
早在源自中国的设计灵感风靡时尚界之前，香港的时尚品牌"上海滩"(Shanghai Tang)就已经在向香港、伦敦和纽约的女性销售东方风格的服饰了。
如今，从巴黎到米兰，T型台上的模特们展示著各式各样中式风格或是亚洲特色的服饰。其中最为引人注目的竟然是古驰(Gucci)、阿曼尼(Armani)以及其他一些西方品牌。上述品牌最近推出的这一季服装满是大红花刺绣、旗袍领以及"双喜"图案。
但与此同时，一直在不遗余力地潜心打造中式风格的"上海滩"却没有这一时尚风潮的前沿现身。由于希望在进入包括法国在内的新市场并最终打进日本市场前为该品牌带来一些变化，"上海滩"正在逐步淡化其标志性的中国特色。在18个月前出任上海滩母公司－瑞士Societe Financiere Richemont AG的执行董事长Raphael le Masne de Chermont的领导下，这一品牌开始推出一批将东西方特色结合得更为巧妙的服饰。
在其他众多服装零售商竞相涌入中国市场的时候，Raphael却表示，淡化东方色彩是公司取得成功的关键。他称，该公司的首要任务是使"上海滩"的服饰既能和这一品牌贴切，同时还适合在中国以外的地区穿著。他说，"上海滩"仍然是中式服装，但要在纽约或伦敦落户，就必须将其西化。
Raphael本人的穿著也印证了他的观点：深兰色的精纺羊毛上衣，灰色的法兰绒长裤，扣得紧紧的衬衫以及粗革皮鞋。仔细观察，他的上衣是旗袍领，挽起的袖口隐约露出中国书法图案。而他佩戴的大表盘手表也显露出与中国有关的设计灵感：一颗红色的五角星代替了数字12。
这一西化策略标志著"上海滩"品牌在设计理念上的重大转变。该品牌的服饰曾大量采用"双喜"图案、毛泽东像章以及类似品作装饰，在中国大受欢迎。其大量采用的大红、橙黄以及刺眼的粉红等大胆色彩使穿著者格外抢眼。
"上海滩"秉承的这一模式始于其创始人邓永锵(David Tang)。作为一位社交名流，邓永锵于1994年在香港开设了第一家"上海滩"专卖店。这一极具中国风格的品牌在香港大受欢迎。因为在1997年回归中国大陆以前，香港人也急于找回自己的中国本色。
这家旗舰店的销售情况良好并因此吸引了Richemont的投资。该公司还拥有卡地亚(Cartier)、登喜路(Dunhill)以及万宝龙(Montblanc)等品牌。而邓永锵本人和该公司董事长Johann Rupert也早在数年前就已经彼此熟识了。
1995年，Richemont出价1,310万美元从邓永锵手中购得"上海滩"40%的股权，该公司随后又从另外一位合伙人手中收购了足够的股份并最终实现控股。此后，"上海滩"开始快速扩张，在纽约、伦敦以及亚洲其他城市开设了新店。
但在香港以外的地区，购物者只是出于猎奇的目的而光顾"上海滩"一两次。1999年，Richemont不得不关闭了"上海滩"在纽约占地1,080平方米的商场，而新店的面积只有此前的一半。
2001年底，生意涉及雪茄批发到餐厅经营等一系列业务的邓永锵不再出任"上海滩"董事长一职。Richemont挑选的继任者是Raphael，他此前作为董事总经理一直负责伯爵表(Piaget)以及集团旗下的其他品牌手表在亚洲的业务。
而邓永锵则继续作为"上海滩"的董事并担当该品牌的亲善大使。他仍是"上海滩"中仅次于Richemont的第二大股东。邓永锵和Raphael均表示他们彼此相处愉快，并经常进行交流。
不过，邓永锵对Raphael力图淡化"上海滩"品牌中国特色的做法能否受到实效却并不十分肯定，专业人士指出中国特色正是该品牌的与众不同之处，而邓永锵认为，该品牌正是要做到令顾客感到新奇。
Peclers Paris的流行趋势分析师Mary Yan Yan Chan称，中式风格依然令人著迷，但要想获得成功，还必须要适应生活潮流的转变。她对街头那些点缀著中式装饰品并更多采用中国文字的服装格外推崇。
"上海滩"新推出的商品似乎也在朝著这个方向发展。该品牌这一季的服饰就包括：旗袍领的军装式样的亚麻外套，领口带有锁眼而底边则印有一排中式罐子图案的T恤衫。不过，仍有大量服饰与人们日常穿著的服装不尽相同，比如旗袍，令人眩目的色彩依然大行其道。
Raphael称，"上海滩"的新理念会在即将于8月底推出的2003-04秋冬季服装中体现。不过，他也表示，亮丽的色彩在很大程度上依然是该品牌生命力之所在。
除了使服装更适合穿著以外，Raphael还试图降低"上海滩"业务对香港旗舰商场的依赖性。但除了指出该品牌有盈利之外，他不愿透露任何具体的财务数据。不过，与该公司关系密切的一位人士表示，"上海滩"每年的销售额保持在2,000万-3,000万美元之间，而其中很大一部分仍然来自香港的这家分店。 严重依赖于某一家分店至少说明该品牌的发展并不理想，而如果说得再严重一些，这种情况是非常危险的。近期爆发的非典型肺炎(SARS)疫情就证明了这一点。由于香港的购物者和旅游者在疫情爆发期间闭门不出，"上海滩"第二季度的收入大幅下降。
因此，自从Raphael接管"上海滩"以来，已经开设了7家新店，其中一家新店设在夏威夷。而在巴黎，占地630平方米的"上海滩"专卖店也即将于10月开业。
Raphael称，如果"上海滩"在法国取得成功，将对该品牌打开日本市场有所帮助。日本市场的销售额占到Richemont集团和古驰这一类奢侈品商店销售的五分之一。而对于奢侈品牌爱马仕(Hermes)来说，这一比例则超过了四分之一。
不过，现在就在日本推出"上海滩"品牌将是很愚蠢的。Raphael称，日本顾客不会青睐某个中国品牌，除非该品牌已经在法国和意大利有了相当的名气。而Raphael也正在争取使这两个国家成为"上海滩"品牌的重要销售市场。
尽管邓永锵对扩张计划感到兴奋，他更愿意吸引中国的顾客，采取的举措之一就是向所有持中国大陆护照的顾客提供25%的折扣。他说，希望所有的中国人都穿上"上海滩"的服装。
Raphael则再次表示，他推出的新政策也有助于实现邓永锵的愿望。"上海滩"目前在中国大陆拥有两间分店，分别在北京和上海。这两家分店的大多数顾客仍然对旗袍和其他传统中式服装不予理会，对西方风格的服饰则青睐有加。Raphael相信，东、西方元素的融合将有助于中国消费者的装扮贴近于亚洲风格、而不单单是中国风格。
Raphael和邓永锵都希望"上海滩"能够成为一个主流的奢侈品品牌。邓永锵相信，如果该品牌的年收入达到1亿美元，就完全可以实现这一目标。尽管Raphael拒绝讨论销售目标，但却毫不掩饰他的雄心，他认为，如果爱马仕能够成为法国式生活的代表，拉尔夫?劳伦(Ralph Lauren)成为美国人钟情的品牌，阿曼尼受到了意大利人的喜爱，"上海滩"也一定可以成为中国人的最爱。
在谈到其他品牌也在竞相运用中式风格的问题时，Raphael表示，如果这些品牌能够使人们开始欣赏并关注东方，对公司的业务是有益无害的。他还表示，即使古驰或其他品牌摒弃了东方主题，"上海滩"也还会继续保留这一特色。
