‘Made in France’ has been a label that luxury fashion brands have been proud to own and display. The associations of quality, heritage, craftsmanship, and a certain French savior-faire have created a dreamlike aura for many high-end French fashion brands, particularly among Asian consumers. It is a selection of positive country associations that many European luxury brands (whether French, British, Italian, or Swiss) have leveraged in order to communicate an authentic and deep-rooted value that is either difficult to replicate or imitate.
Interestingly, even if a European luxury brand has outsourced production from its home country, it can still benefit from its perceived country of origin. One example is of course Burberry whose Britishness has defined its distinctive brand identity and personality. It is no coincidence that Romeo Beckham is the star of the latest Burberry Christmas campaign.
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Brand origin will no doubt remain an important symbolic attribute of luxury, but this is no longer exclusive to European luxury brands. The rise of Chinese luxury brands is testimony to a changing luxury landscape. It also reflects a subtle change in global consumer attitudes, perceptions and preferences. Shanghai Tang, owned by Swiss luxury goods company Richemont, is one example of a Chinese luxury brand with global ambitions with store openings in Miami, London, Kuwait City, Dubai, and Singapore.
One important factor that is helping to shape the desired perception of China and thereby influence the consumer acceptance of Chinese luxury brands is China’s soft power approach. Broadly defined, soft power is the ability to exert and yield influence through attraction rather than through coercion. An important source of China’s soft power is the promotion of China’s cultural heritage. For example, Ming: 50 Years that Made China is a landmark exhibition that is currently on view at the British Museum in London. Objects in the exhibition include porcelain, gold, jewelry, furniture, paintings, sculptures, and textiles that illustrate China’s cultural influence during the Ming dynasty era.
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However, China´s soft power is not just expressed through its cultural legacy, but increasingly through its creative influence defined within a contemporary context. For example, Inside China is an exhibition co-produced with the K11 Art Foundation and supported by Chow Tai Fook at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. The exhibition presents a selection of five Chinese contemporary artists featuring a collection of diverse artistic interpretations.
There are still hurdles to overcome before Brand China will rival European countries as a country of origin for the design and production of luxury brands. However, if Chinese luxury brands are able to compete not just on quality but also on creativity, Made in China may signal a very new and different meaning.
Image: Ding Yuin Shan