西方珠宝品牌着眼中国市场
在7月巴黎高级定制时装周期间(高端珠宝商通常在此时展示它们最新的作品)，一家厂商的展品显示了明显的中国特色。总部位于日内瓦的珠宝商萧邦(Chopard)与中国女装设计师郭培(Guo Pei)合作，推出了43件定制服饰，搭配18颗与众不同的宝石。萧邦表示，这一或许很有预见性地命名为Silk Road的系列，是以“梦寐亚洲”为主题的。
Silk Road is part of a wave of partnerships being forged between western jewellery houses and Asian companies, whether in the form of designer collaborations or corporate acquisitions.
Silk Road是一波西方珠宝商与亚洲企业合作浪潮的一部分，无论合作形式是设计师协作，还是公司并购。
Market research provider Euromonitor predicts that China’s $90bn jewellery retail market will grow 22 per cent over the next five years, which is a bright spot compared with a 15 per cent decline for the $59bn US market and a 4 per cent increase for western Europe’s $27bn market over the same period.
市场研究机构欧睿(Euromonitor)预测，未来5年，中国900亿美元的珠宝零售市场将增长22%，跟同期590亿美元的美国市场15%的预计降幅和270亿美元的西欧市场4%的预计涨幅相比，是一个亮点。
Chinese consumers are driving the creative impetus. In 2015, one of Guo Pei’s Chinese “VIP customers” commissioned a wedding dress and wanted Chopard to make the matching jewellery, she says, inspiring the Silk Road collection. Pieces include a vivid necklace, earring and ring set with coloured stones such as chalcedony, chrysoprase and mandarin garnets, while a titanium and white gold “secret” watch (with the face concealed) comes with black opal, emeralds and jade, and a pink mother-of-pearl and chalcedony dial. Chopard co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele says she chose gems that Asian people loved. Last month Chopard launched on JD.com, a Chinese internet retailer with 258m active users.
中国消费者在驱动创意的诞生。郭培说，2015年，她的一位中国“VIP顾客”委托她制作婚纱，并想让萧邦制作配套的珠宝，这为她的Silk Road系列提供了灵感。这一系列包括一套耀眼的项链、耳环和戒指——上面镶嵌了玉髓、绿玉髓和淡橘榴石等彩色宝石，而一块“神秘(表面被遮住)的”钛白金表镶嵌了黑蛋白石、祖母绿和玉石，以及一个粉色珍珠母和玉髓表盘。萧邦联席总裁兼艺术总监薛佛乐(Caroline Scheufele)表示，她选择了亚洲人喜爱的宝石。不久前，萧邦在京东(JD.com)上设立了官方店。京东是中国一家拥有2.58亿活跃用户的在线零售商。
Crystal specialists Swarovski ventured into a similar partnership in 2013. It opened its first Asia-Pacific office in 2012, in Singapore, and a year later launched a jewellery collaboration exclusive to the region. Created by Atelier Swarovski — its luxury accessory range which partners with outside designers — and Beijing-based couturier Wang Peiyi, the 10-piece collection recalled broken mirrors. Follow-up collaborations include lines with Ye Mingzi, known for her evening- and bridalwear, and avant-garde fashion designer Masha Ma, a Central Saint Martins graduate who shows at Paris Fashion Week.
2013年，水晶玻璃工艺品加工商施华洛世奇(Swarovski)构建了类似的合作关系。2012年，施华洛世奇在新加坡设立了亚太地区第一家办事处，一年后则推出了仅限亚太地区的合作珠宝系列。由施华洛世奇旗下Atelier Swarovski(施华洛世奇与外部设计师合作的奢侈配饰系列)和北京女装设计师王培沂(Wang Peiyi)共同设计的这个系列有10件作品，让人想起破碎的镜子。后续合作包括与以设计晚装与婚纱而闻名的叶明子(Yemingzi)，以及前卫时装设计师玛莎(Masha Ma)的合作。玛莎毕业于中央圣马丁艺术与设计学院(Central Saint Martins)，作品曾登上巴黎时装周(Paris Fashion Week)。
entering China is only the first step, however. “Working in China can be a mystery for many brands,” says Lisa Tse, chief executive of her eponymous luxury branding agency, whose clients include both western companies looking to build a stronghold in China and wealthy Chinese individuals. “Unless you are out [in China] and know people who can get you through the door, it’s not a case of just walking over there with a big budget, hoping that something will hit. It’s a lot about relationships and image-building.”
然而，进入中国只是第一步。“对许多品牌而言，如何在中国经营可能是个未解之谜，”担任同名奢侈品品牌顾问机构首席执行官的Lisa Tse说，“除非你生活(在中国)，并且认识可以帮你引荐的人，否则带着一大笔预算去中国，希望某件产品将引起轰动，这是不可能的。成功在很大程度上依靠人脉和打造形象。”Lisa Tse的客户包括寻求在中国立足的西方公司，以及中国富人。
There are many mistakes awaiting the unwary. Take the simple task of translating one’s brand name into Chinese. A common mistake, says Ms Tse, is misinterpretations of meanings, which can result in ridicule by Chinese audiences. Ms Tse cites a German luxury carmaker that translated its western name phonetically into Chinese, but soon realised it meant “rushing to your death”.
有许多错误等待着粗心者。就拿把品牌名翻译成中文为例。一个常见的错误，Lisa Tse说，是误译品牌含义，这可能让中国观众感到可笑。Lisa Tse援引了一家德国豪车制造商的例子，其名字被音译成汉语，但不久就认识到，这个译名在汉语里的意思是“冲向你的死亡”。
Another mistake is viewing Chinese customers as a homogeneous market. “There are huge cultural differences,” says Ms Tse. “Malaysian families, for example, are very different from those in Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong. Understanding that nuance is a challenge for many brands.” Brands should also consider how they welcome the large number of Chinese travelling abroad to buy luxury goods. The number of wealthy Chinese is on the rise: according to a recent report by consultants Bain & Co and China Merchants Bank, China’s rich (those with at least $1.5m in investable assets) have grown more than eightfold in the past decade to nearly 1.6m individuals.
另一个错误是，把中国看成是一个同质市场。“这里存在巨大的文化差异，”Lisa Tse说，“比如，北京、上海或香港的家庭非常不同。理解这种细微差别对许多品牌是一种挑战。”各品牌也应考虑，它们应如何欢迎前往海外购买奢侈品的大量中国游客。中国富人的数量在升高：贝恩(Bain & Co)与中国招商银行(CMB)的顾问不久前的一份报告显示，过去10年里，中国富人(可投资资产起码高于150万美元的人士)数量增加了7倍多，至近160万。
Ms Tse observes two different groups of Chinese gem buyers. On one side are affluent twenty-something consumers who like western brands.
Lisa Tse观察到两个不同的中国宝石购买群体。一组是喜欢西方品牌、富裕的20多岁的消费者。
The second group is an older generation where “tradition, symbolism and superstition can play a part in purchasing decisions”, says Ms Tse. There is also a focus on relationships — often the clients know the jewellers personally — and creating bespoke, heirloom pieces. “We’re talking a very high level,” says Ms Tse. “They are less fazed by any kinds of fads or marketing gimmicks.”
Lisa Tse表示，另一组是年龄稍大的一代人，“传统、象征和迷信可能在他们的购买决定中发挥一定的作用”。他们还关注关系(往往与珠宝商有私交)，关注打造定制的、可作传家宝的物件。“我们说的是非常高端的客户，”Lisa Tse说，“他们不太在意任何一时的流行或营销伎俩。”
Some Chinese companies want larger, longer-term relationships with western jewellery brands. China’s Gansu Gangtai Holding Group last year acquired an 85 per cent stake in 98-year-old Italian house Buccellati, valuing it at €230m; Gansu is a Chinese jewellery wholesaler with about 350 points of sale and runs a jewellery ecommerce site.
有些中国公司想与西方珠宝品牌建立更有分量、更长期的关系。去年，中国甘肃的刚泰集团(Gansu Gangtai Holding Group)收购了有98年历史的意大利珠宝商Buccellati的85%的股权，对该公司的估值为2.3亿欧元;刚泰集团是一家中国珠宝批发商，拥有约350个销售点，并运营着一个珠宝电商网站。
Gansu will invest €200m in opening 88 monobrand stores, about 30 of which will be in Greater China, notably Beijing, Shanghai and Macau. The initial focus is on promoting Buccellati’s Mini Blossom (from €230) and Mini Hawaii (from €390) lines which suit the “luxury fashion aesthetic”, says creative director Andrea Buccellati.
刚泰集团将投资2亿欧元，开设88家专卖店，其中30家将位于大中华区——主要是北京、上海和澳门。创意总监安德烈亚•布切拉蒂(Andrea Buccellati)表示，最初的重点将是推广Buccellati旗下Mini Blossom(230欧元起)和Mini Hawaii(390欧元起)系列，这两个系列都符合“奢侈时尚审美”。
Smaller brands too are seeing a boost. Aenea, from Salzburg, was founded in 2013 by Costan Eghiazarian, whose family has produced jewellery in Asia for more than 25 years.
更小的品牌也看到了机会。2013年，科斯坦•爱吉哈扎瑞恩(Costan Eghiazarian)在萨尔斯堡创立了Aenea。他的家族在亚洲生产珠宝已超过了25年。
This summer Aenea launched a joint collection with Hong Kong-based Niin, founded by Jeanine Hsu. The 13-piece Alaria collection, which embraces Ms Hsu’s eco-friendly ethos, is inspired by the oceans, with 5 per cent of sales donated to the Nature Conservancy, an ecological charity.
今年夏季，Aenea推出了与徐文珏(Jeanine Hsu)创办的香港品牌Niin合作的一个系列。这个名为Alaria的系列有13件作品，体现徐文珏的环保精神气质，从海洋中得到灵感，其5%的销售额捐献给了生态慈善机构大自然保护协会(Nature Conservancy)。
The collection was presented in Hong Kong to 20 clients before travelling to Salzburg to coincide with the city’s cultural festival; it will return to Asia for a bigger launch. Ms Hsu, who says her clients are 70:30 western-eastern, observes the latter are seeking the unusual. “Even the very wealthy are keen on mixing and matching — having bigger, brand-value pieces with something more unique and under the radar.”
这一系列在香港面向20个客户发布，然后前往萨尔斯堡，在该市的文化节中展出;接着将返回亚洲，举行一场规模更大的发布会。徐文珏说，她的客户中，西方人和东方人的比例为7比3。她观察到，东方客户开始追求与众不同。“就连非常富有的那些人都热衷于混搭——将更大件的大牌物件与更独特的小众物件搭配在一起。”
Ultimately, the shared vision must resonate. “It would start being transparent if every western brand started collaborating with Chinese designers,” says Ms Tse. “People would see through that. There needs to be substance behind it.”
归根到底，这种普遍的愿望必须有受众买账。“如果每个西方品牌都开始跟中国设计师协作的话，情况将变得一清二楚。”Lisa Tse说，“人们会看明白这是怎么一回事。这种愿望背后需要有实质性内容作支撑。”
