西方珠寶品牌着眼中國市場
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.
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合作浪潮的一部分，無論合作形式是設計師協作，還是公司併購。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.
市場研究機構歐睿(Euromonitor)預測，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%的預計降幅和270億美元的西歐市場4%的預計漲幅相比，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 , a Chinese internet retailer with 258m active users.
中國消費者在驅動創意的誕生。郭培說，2015年，她的一位中國“VIP顧客”委託她製作婚紗，並想讓蕭邦製作配套的珠寶，這爲她的Silk Road系列提供了靈感。這一系列包括一套耀眼的項鍊、耳環和戒指——上面鑲嵌了玉髓、綠玉髓和淡橘榴石等彩色寶石，而一塊“神祕（表面被遮住）的”鈦白金錶鑲嵌了黑蛋白石、祖母綠和玉石，以及一個粉色珍珠母和玉髓錶盤。蕭邦聯席總裁兼藝術總監薛佛樂(Caroline Scheufele)表示，她選擇了亞洲人喜愛的寶石。不久前，蕭邦在京東()上設立了官方店。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)構建了類似的合作關係。2012年，施華洛世奇在新加坡設立了亞太地區第一家辦事處，一年後則推出了僅限亞太地區的合作珠寶系列。由施華洛世奇旗下Atelier Swarovski（施華洛世奇與外部設計師合作的奢侈配飾系列）和北京女裝設計師王培沂(Wang Peiyi)共同設計的這個系列有10件作品，讓人想起破碎的鏡子。後續合作包括與以設計晚裝與婚紗而聞名的葉明子(Yemingzi)，以及前衛時裝設計師瑪莎(Masha Ma)的合作。瑪莎畢業於中央聖馬丁藝術與設計學院(Central Saint Martins)，作品曾登上巴黎時裝週(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，進入中國只是第一步。“對許多品牌而言，如何在中國經營可能是個未解之謎，”擔任同名奢侈品品牌顧問機構首席執行官的Lisa Tse說，“除非你生活（在中國），並且認識可以幫你引薦的人，否則帶着一大筆預算去中國，希望某件產品將引起轟動，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”.
有許多錯誤等待着粗心者。就拿把品牌名翻譯成中文爲例。一個常見的錯誤，Lisa Tse說，是誤譯品牌含義，這可能讓中國觀衆感到可笑。Lisa Tse援引了一家德國豪車製造商的例子，其名字被音譯成漢語，但不久就認識到，這個譯名在漢語裏的意思是“衝向你的死亡”。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市場。“這裏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。理解這種細微差別對許多品牌是一種挑戰。”各品牌也應考慮，它們應如何歡迎前往海外購買奢侈品的大量中國遊客。中國富人的數量在升高：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年裏，中國富人（可投資資產起碼高於150萬美元的人士）數量增加了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羣體。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、象徵和迷信可能在他們的購買決定中發揮一定的作用”。他們還關注關係（往往與珠寶商有私交），關注打造定製的、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。”
