西方珠寶品牌著眼中國市場

During July’s Couture Week in Paris, when high jewellers present their newest creations, one maison’s collection had a distinctly Chinese vibe. Geneva-based jeweller Chopard teamed up with Chinese couturier Guo Pei to create 43 one-off dresses matched with 18 unique gems. The collection, perhaps predictably titled Silk Road, was themed around “a dreamy vision of Asia”, the house said.

在7月巴黎高級定制時裝周期間(高端珠寶商通常在此時展示它們最新的作品)，一家廠商的展品顯示了明顯的中國特色。總部位于日內(nèi)瓦的珠寶商蕭邦(Chopard)與中國女裝設(shè)計師郭培(Guo Pei)合作，推出了43件定制服飾，搭配18顆與眾不同的寶石。蕭邦表示，這一或許很有預(yù)見性地命名為Silk Road的系列，是以“夢寐亞洲”為主題的。

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是一波西方珠寶商與亞洲企業(yè)合作浪潮的一部分，無論合作形式是設(shè)計師協(xié)作，還是公司并購。

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.

市場研究機(jī)構(gòu)歐睿(Euromonitor)預(yù)測，未來5年，中國900億美元的珠寶零售市場將增長22%，跟同期590億美元的美國市場15%的預(yù)計降幅和270億美元的西歐市場4%的預(yù)計漲幅相比，是一個亮點。

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.

中國消費者在驅(qū)動創(chuàng)意的誕生。郭培說，2015年，她的一位中國“VIP顧客”委托她制作婚紗，并想讓蕭邦制作配套的珠寶，這為她的Silk Road系列提供了靈感。這一系列包括一套耀眼的項鏈、耳環(huán)和戒指——上面鑲嵌了玉髓、綠玉髓和淡橘榴石等彩色寶石，而一塊“神秘(表面被遮住)的”鈦白金表鑲嵌了黑蛋白石、祖母綠和玉石，以及一個粉色珍珠母和玉髓表盤。蕭邦聯(lián)席總裁兼藝術(shù)總監(jiān)薛佛樂(Caroline Scheufele)表示，她選擇了亞洲人喜愛的寶石。不久前，蕭邦在京東(JD.com)上設(shè)立了官方店。京東是中國一家擁有2.58億活躍用戶的在線零售商。

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，水晶玻璃工藝品加工商施華洛世奇(Swarovski)構(gòu)建了類似的合作關(guān)系。2012年，施華洛世奇在新加坡設(shè)立了亞太地區(qū)第一家辦事處，一年后則推出了僅限亞太地區(qū)的合作珠寶系列。由施華洛世奇旗下Atelier Swarovski(施華洛世奇與外部設(shè)計師合作的奢侈配飾系列)和北京女裝設(shè)計師王培沂(Wang Peiyi)共同設(shè)計的這個系列有10件作品，讓人想起破碎的鏡子。后續(xù)合作包括與以設(shè)計晚裝與婚紗而聞名的葉明子(Yemingzi)，以及前衛(wèi)時裝設(shè)計師瑪莎(Masha Ma)的合作。瑪莎畢業(yè)于中央圣馬丁藝術(shù)與設(shè)計學(xué)院(Central Saint Martins)，作品曾登上巴黎時裝周(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，進(jìn)入中國只是第一步。“對許多品牌而言，如何在中國經(jīng)營可能是個未解之謎，”擔(dān)任同名奢侈品品牌顧問機(jī)構(gòu)首席執(zhí)行官的Lisa Tse說，“除非你生活(在中國)，并且認(rèn)識可以幫你引薦的人，否則帶著一大筆預(yù)算去中國，希望某件產(chǎn)品將引起轟動，這是不可能的。成功在很大程度上依靠人脈和打造形象。”Lisa Tse的客戶包括尋求在中國立足的西方公司，以及中國富人。

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”.

有許多錯誤等待著粗心者。就拿把品牌名翻譯成中文為例。一個常見的錯誤，Lisa Tse說，是誤譯品牌含義，這可能讓中國觀眾感到可笑。Lisa Tse援引了一家德國豪車制造商的例子，其名字被音譯成漢語，但不久就認(rèn)識到，這個譯名在漢語里的意思是“沖向你的死亡”。

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.

另一個錯誤是，把中國看成是一個同質(zhì)市場。“這里存在巨大的文化差異，”Lisa Tse說，“比如，北京、上海或香港的家庭非常不同。理解這種細(xì)微差別對許多品牌是一種挑戰(zhàn)。”各品牌也應(yīng)考慮，它們應(yīng)如何歡迎前往海外購買奢侈品的大量中國游客。中國富人的數(shù)量在升高：貝恩(Bain & Co)與中國招商銀行(CMB)的顧問不久前的一份報告顯示，過去10年里，中國富人(可投資資產(chǎn)起碼高于150萬美元的人士)數(shù)量增加了7倍多，至近160萬。

Ms Tse observes two different groups of Chinese gem buyers. On one side are affluent twenty-something consumers who like western brands.

Lisa Tse觀察到兩個不同的中國寶石購買群體。一組是喜歡西方品牌、富裕的20多歲的消費者。

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，另一組是年齡稍大的一代人，“傳統(tǒng)、象征和迷信可能在他們的購買決定中發(fā)揮一定的作用”。他們還關(guān)注關(guān)系(往往與珠寶商有私交)，關(guān)注打造定制的、可作傳家寶的物件。“我們說的是非常高端的客戶，”Lisa Tse說，“他們不太在意任何一時的流行或營銷伎倆。”

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.

有些中國公司想與西方珠寶品牌建立更有分量、更長期的關(guān)系。去年，中國甘肅的剛泰集團(tuán)(Gansu Gangtai Holding Group)收購了有98年歷史的意大利珠寶商Buccellati的85%的股權(quán)，對該公司的估值為2.3億歐元;剛泰集團(tuán)是一家中國珠寶批發(fā)商，擁有約350個銷售點，并運營著一個珠寶電商網(wǎng)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.

剛泰集團(tuán)將投資2億歐元，開設(shè)88家專賣店，其中30家將位于大中華區(qū)——主要是北京、上海和澳門。創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)安德烈亞•布切拉蒂(Andrea Buccellati)表示，最初的重點將是推廣Buccellati旗下Mini Blossom(230歐元起)和Mini Hawaii(390歐元起)系列，這兩個系列都符合“奢侈時尚審美”。

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機(jī)會。2013年，科斯坦•愛吉哈扎瑞恩(Costan Eghiazarian)在薩爾斯堡創(chuàng)立了Aenea。他的家族在亞洲生產(chǎn)珠寶已超過了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推出了與徐文玨(Jeanine Hsu)創(chuàng)辦的香港品牌Niin合作的一個系列。這個名為Alaria的系列有13件作品，體現(xiàn)徐文玨的環(huán)保精神氣質(zhì)，從海洋中得到靈感，其5%的銷售額捐獻(xiàn)給了生態(tài)慈善機(jī)構(gòu)大自然保護(hù)協(xié)會(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.”

這一系列在香港面向20個客戶發(fā)布，然后前往薩爾斯堡，在該市的文化節(jié)中展出;接著將返回亞洲，舉行一場規(guī)模更大的發(fā)布會。徐文玨說，她的客戶中，西方人和東方人的比例為7比3。她觀察到，東方客戶開始追求與眾不同。“就連非常富有的那些人都熱衷于混搭——將更大件的大牌物件與更獨特的小眾物件搭配在一起。”

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.”

歸根到底，這種普遍的愿望必須有受眾買賬。“如果每個西方品牌都開始跟中國設(shè)計師協(xié)作的話，情況將變得一清二楚。”Lisa Tse說，“人們會看明白這是怎么一回事。這種愿望背后需要有實質(zhì)性內(nèi)容作支撐。”