Issue 3. Luxury Brands in China Bi-weekly: Dior / Piaget / Blancpain

This is the third issue of Luxe.CO’s Luxury Brands in China Bi-weekly. The preceding issues have attracted a lot of positive feedback and praise from the industry, demonstrating that there is a strong appetite for timely, comprehensive, and objective information on the latest trends from leading luxury brands. After the emergence of COVID-19, moreover, the importance of the Chinese market for luxury brands has increased significantly.

Congratulations to French luxury brand Dior, Swiss luxury watch brand Piaget, and Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain to be selected for Issue 3 of 2020 Luxe.CO Luxury Brands in China Bi-weekly. These three brand cases will be directly promoted to the “2020 Luxe.CO Innovative Marketing Award” shortlist!

From the luxury brands included in this issue, we have observed two key trends in the industry in the past two weeks:

• Another wave of luxury brands signing celebrity spokespersons/ambassadors
• Luxury watch brands accelerating their integration into the local digital ecosystem

Here’s our rundown for June 1 - 14, 2020 (listed in no particular order):

1) French luxury brand Dior Beauty has officially opened its flagship store on Tmall. The store mainly sells fragrances, cosmetics, and high-end skincare products.

2) French luxury brand Yves Saint Laurent has opened its world's first perfume-themed flagship store in the New World of Shanghai.

3) Italian high-end fashion brand Max Mara has launched its official flagship store on a WeChat Mini Program.

4) Dior has entered the video platform bilibili, becoming the first luxury brand to do so.

Related Reading: Dior bilibili Official Account

5) German luxury brand Montblanc has conducted its first live sale on Tmall. At the time of writing, the live broadcast had attracted more than 50,000 viewers and received nearly 400,000 likes.

6) French luxury brand Dior Beauty and actor Jing Tian have conducted a live sale on a WeChat Mini Program. So far, the sale has attracted nearly 100,000 viewers and received more than 400,000 likes.

7) Italian luxury brand Miu Miu has become the first fashion brand to enter the Tencent’s “Fashion Cloud Preview”, which was initiated by Tencent Video. On June 12, the brand has completed its first online store preview event in its Shanghai IFC store.

8) French luxury brand Givenchy has conducted a broadcast live on Xiaohongshu, introducing the brand’s latest products.

9) American luxury jewelry brand Tiffany & Co has announced Jackson Yee as the spokesperson for the brand’s T series.

10) High-end Chinese jewelry brand Qeelin under the French Kering Group has announced Liu Shishi as the brand spokesperson.

11) Dior has announced Huang Jingyu as the ambassador for Dior China's Wilderness men's fragrance series.

12) Italian luxury brand Versace has invited the origami artist Uros Mihic to create origami sculptures by hand, using the brand's new sneakers Squalo as an inspiration. Versace has also released a behind-the-scenes video showing Mihic’s creative process.

13) British luxury sports car brand Aston Martin and eight Chinese artists have held an art exhibition in Shanghai.

14) Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain has teamed up with WeChat Pay and Shanghai Metro to create a "Perfect Planet" public welfare game on the occasion of World Ocean Day.

Related reading: Perfect Planet

15) Dior and Italian high-end scooter brand Vespa are working together on the launch of a limited edition scooter and accessory range. The products, based on the Vespa 946 series, will be designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of Dior women's clothing, and are expected to be released in the spring of 2021.

16) Italian luxury car manufacturer Lamborghini has entered the field of e-sports, cooperating with the game company Kunos Simulazioni's Assetto Corsa Competizione to launch an online virtual e-sports event, The Real Race.

17) Swiss luxury watch brand Roger Dubuis has become the official timing partner of the online virtual e-sports event The Real Race.

18) Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain has released a short documentary titled "Raging Sharks" on the occasion of World Ocean Day. The short film presents a ferocious shark-hunting grouper, the largest that humans have observed so far. The short film is narrated by Liang Wendao, the cultural ambassador for Blancpain, and can also be experienced with Naked Eye 3D technology.

19) In cooperation with car manufacturer Bugatti, American luxury watch and jewelry brand Jacob & Co. and has produced a new luxury watch, the Chiron Tourbillon.

20) Swiss luxury watch brand IWC has launched a 3D digital virtual exhibition hall with the theme of navigation. Users can learn about the brand’s new series and participate in interactive mini games.

21) Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot has released a new smart watch, the BIG BANG e. This is the brand's first sale of smart watches in China.

22) Swiss luxury watch brand Piaget has joined hands with ten women from all over the world to discuss the power of women through a series of videos and in-depth conversations.

Related reading: Their Extraordinary Stories

23) French high-end audio brand Devialet has selected three sounds closely related to people's lives, including the heartbeat of newborn babies, the sound of birdsong, and the singing of Peking opera actors, to share with users. Users can click on the picture to listen and feel the emotion and memories evoked by the sound.

24) Swiss high-end watch brand Omega has launched a series of coloring books on the occasion of Children's Day, taking classic products and inviting adults and children to color them.

25) Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana has launched the column " Special Summer Exploring". The brand's shopping guide explains Dolce & Gabbana’s products through video.

26) German luxury suitcase brand RIMOWA has opened a physical store in Kunming Spring City 66.

27) French luxury jewelry brand Boucheron has opened a physical store in Xi’an SKP.

28) Swiss high-end home appliance brand V-ZUG has opened a limited-time experience space at Lane Crawford, a shopping mall on Beijing Financial Street. V-ZUG has become the first home appliance brand to enter Lane Crawford.

29) French high-end jewelry brand Fred has joined hands with an organization called "Special Olympics" to launch the new Force 10 series of stainless-steel chain buckles.

About “Luxury Brands in China – Top Trends”

People often think that the advantages of international top-tier luxury brands are their wealth of experience, superb craftsmanship, and use of rare materials. Every luxury brand that has stood the test of time must have an enterprising management team and innovative strategies behind the scenes to stay relevant. This is especially true in the Chinese market, where innovation among luxury brands is more agile and bolder than anywhere else in the world.

Beginning in May 2020, Luxe.co has published “Luxury Brands in China – Top Trends" every two weeks, promptly selecting and summarizing the luxury brands whose recent work is most worthy of attention. It is worth mentioning that each trend on the list will directly go into the running for the "2020 Luxe.co Innovative Marketing Award".

Notes:

1. From the perspective of industry innovation and leadership, the Luxe.CO Committee will select the top 20% with the most outstanding performance from each issue.
2. Each of the top trends on each issue’s list will directly go into the running for the "2020 Luxe.co Innovative Marketing Award".

If you would like to contact us, please add Hualitea, Luxe.CO’s virtual assistant on WeChat, and note “双周榜”.