In case you missed them the first time around, here are some of Jing Daily’s top posts for the week of July 23-27:
To Succeed In China’s Fashion Market, “Wash, Rinse, Repeat”
Shanghai multi-brand women's boutique, THE VILLA
Introducing a new shopping concept, new fashion sensibilities and new designers to a new market is no small feat. It has taken much patience, resilience and repetition. Season after season, exposing curious local style-savvy women to styles from the “new guard” of international designers has been an exhausting process. Not only because we were teaching others something new, but also — and probably more significantly — because we were also learning ourselves. Introducing a fresh concept to a foreign market and figuring out how to communicate your message and position your brand is a daunting challenge.
Hong Kong’s Goods Of Desire (G.O.D.) Goes International
GOD in Singapore
Beloved in its native Hong Kong for tongue-in-cheek interpretations of local design and culture, Goods of Desire (G.O.D.) recently made its first foray into international markets, opening a flagship at Singapore’s Central. Firmly establishing itself as an arbiter of Cantonese cool since being founded by Benjamin Lau and Douglas Young in 1996, G.O.D. currently operates eight locations and one outlet in Hong Kong, and in recent years has made strides to enter new markets outside of its home city, eyeing mainland China and now Singapore.
With its Singapore flagship, G.O.D. looks to be in a position to speed up that international expansion. The more than 6,000 square foot flagship, located on the second floor of Central in Clark Quay, is decorated inside and out with Hong Kong heritage-inspired motifs that include massive red lanterns, apothecary chests, antique Chinese coins, and shophouse gates reminiscent of old Causeway Bay.
Q&A: Craft Beer Enthusiast Hai Yin, Beijing Homebrewing Society
Beijing's first-ever Craft Beer Festival was held last month (Image: Elizabeth Phung)
Though China is the world’s number one consumer (and producer) of beer, craft beer consumption accounts for only a tiny drop in a very large bucket. Bot owing to a steadily rising number of drinkers in China looking for higher-quality beers (in line with demand for better wine and spirits), recent years have seen a number of micro- and nano-breweries — among them Beijing’s Great Leap Brewing and Slow Boat Brewery, Qingdao’s Strong Ale Works, and Shanghai’s Boxing Cat Brewery and the Brew — spring up along with a burgeoning homebrewing scene. This year, China’s emerging craft beer and microbrewing scene has gotten a boost from events like the first annual Shanghai Beer Week back in April and last month’s first annual Beijing Craft Beer Festival. This weekend, owing to the presence of Great Leap Brewing, craft beer will even make an appearance at the 14th China International Beer Festival in Dalian, alongside megabreweries like Budweiser and Asahi.
Beijing Plans Freeport To Challenge Hong Kong As Asian Art Hub
Beijing's freeport is expected to be built by the Capital International Airport
While Hong Kong continues its efforts to become a cultural, as well as a financial, powerhouse, Beijing — the epicenter of mainland China’s art and auction world — plans to build a massive freeport in an attempt to position the Chinese capital as a leading regional art hub. According to the Art Newspaper, the 83,000 square meter storage facility, rumored to cost upwards of US$750 million, scheduled for completion late 2013, is expected to be tax exempt and will be located next to the Beijing Capital International Airport. Designed with the aim of encouraging collectors and companies to store their art in Beijing, the freeport may, according to one anonymous source, “have a huge impact on the Chinese art world” and help Beijing challenge Hong Kong’s rising status.
China Trend Watch: Low-Key Luxury Eyewear
Coterie
A population of (at least) 1.3 billion, one of the world’s fastest-growing luxury markets, and a well-publicized “myopia epidemic“: for high-end eyewear brands and designers, China looks like a slam dunk. Driven by the same factors as the multi-brand boutique trend now sweeping through China’s fashion industry, recent years have seen rising interest for luxury eyeglasses as wealthier Chinese consumers have looked to match their expensive apparel with equally pricey eyewear. This has been good for designers focused on the Asia market, both within China and overseas, with the likes of home-grown designer Chair Yuan and London-based Fei Wang creating wearable fashions that sell at a premium.
