“Made In China” Brand, LAN Fine Jewellery Takes On The Luxury Giants

Company Founded By Television Personality Yang Lan And Singer Celine Dion In 2009

One thing we’ve noticed about aspiring Chinese luxury brands is that their chances for success are greatly improved if they can wrangle a celebrity to be the face of the brand, or to fully back its design and development. While brands like NE-TIGER rely on the bombast and chest-beating of their founders to be heard, others take a somewhat quieter approach to publicity. A relatively new brand on the scene, LAN Fine Jewellery, is firmly in the second camp. Founded in 2009 by the wildly popular television personality Yang Lan — a talk show host and businesswoman at times referred to as “China’s Oprah” — and singer Celine Dion, LAN is now in the midst of an expansion effort that looks to capitalize on Yang’s notoriety and the increasing demand we’ve been seeing for jewelry with subtle Chinese design cues.

Last week, LAN unveiled its newest location in the “jewelry district” of Beijing’s Shin Kong Plaza. In the two years since LAN’s official launch, the company has brought on more designers and striven to build a brand that can incorporate a distinct “Chinese-ness” without having to lose its cosmopolitan, international appeal. We’ve seen similar moves from brands like the Hermes sub-brand Shang Xia, which employs a team of Chinese designers and craftsmen to imbue its products with a “Chinese soul,” and the jewelry brand Bao Bao Wan, which uses western jewelry-making techniques to craft China-inspired collections that re-imagine, then rebel against, “orientalist” cliches. Considering Yang Lan’s media savvy and very long list of high-profile friends, plus her plan to launch an official LAN Jewellery micro-blog next month, she should have no problem getting the word out about her brand. Definitely one to keep an eye on for anyone interested in luxury “Made for China.”

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