British luxury brands target China

Walpole, the alliance of Britain’s finest luxury brands, is leading a delegation of preeminent industry figures to the Great Festival of Creativity in Shanghai this week.

As the curator of the ‘luxury and fashion’ content of the three-day programme which started today, (March 2), Walpole is showcasing the central role that luxury and fashion brands play to the UK creative industries and the importance of relationships between British and Chinese businesses.

Key members of this delegation include Jo Malone MBE, Michael Ward of Harrods, Savile Row tailor Patrick Grant, Dunhill’s Fabrizio Cardinali, Vertu’s Massimilano Polgani and footwear designer, Rupert Sanderson.

The leaders will be speaking at the festival, representing the luxury and fashion industries and representing Walpole’s 170 members. They are discussing some of the most prominent issues shaping the future of the luxury industry. Topics include, the bespoke revolution, the luxury menswear market in China, how to build a luxury brand and the future of luxury & fashion retail.

“Walpole exists to promote, protect and develop the British luxury industry, both at home and abroad. China is a vital growth market for British luxury brands and the Great Festival of Creativity brings together business leaders and creative minds to promote business, share insights and develop relationships between the UK and China,” said Charlotte Keesing, director of Walpole.

“Chinese consumers are intrigued by British luxury brands and our association with heritage, craftsmanship and sophistication and we are honoured to be playing a central role in the Festival.”

The Festival, at Shanghai’s Long Museum, will be opened by The Duke of Cambridge, with Walpole curating the programme for the third day of the Festival on March 4. The event will be attended by world-leading businesses and creative leaders from both the UK and China.

Highlights of March 4 include:

• ‘A Nose for Luxury’ with Jo Malone MBE, with the founder of Jo Malone and now Jo Loves giving an insight into her creative process, entrepreneurial insights, and how innovative new products and entertaining experiences are brought to life at her Fragrance Brasserie Bar. This session will be hosted by Vogue China’s editor-in-chief Angelica Cheung.

• ‘The Bespoke Revolution’ – a panel discussion where leaders from the worlds of fashion and luxury including Fabrizio Cardinali from Dunhill, Roja Dove, Roger Smith, Grace Chen and Dylan Thomas from GQ join the stage to discuss and share their understanding of what it means to be truly bespoke by examining the latest developments in tailoring, fashion, accessories, and fragrance.

• ‘Luxury Menswear in China’ – Fabrizio Cardinali from Dunhill, Richard Cohen from Trinity Group, Madam Xia from Eve Fashion, Patrick Grant from E. Tautz and Grant Pearce from GQ in Asia reflect on both the business and fashion elements of the world of menswear in China.What are the drivers of growth in the market, the role of creativity in branding and marketing, and what are the keys to future success.

• ‘View From the Front Row’ – Fresh from New York, London, Milan & Paris Fashion Weeks, Liz Schimel from Conde Nast China, Angelica Cheung from Vogue China and Francesca Muston from WGSN give an editor’s view of what’s in store and online for A/ W 2015.

• ‘How to Build a Luxury Brand’ – The luxury world has gained significant traction in the past decade. Savile Row tailor Rupert Sanderson, Douglas Fang from Pringle and Massimiliano Pogliani from Vertu share insights and experiences from both heritage businesses and emerging brands, unearthing together the common themes linking their stories of success.

• ‘The Future of Luxury and Fashion Retail’ – How will new high tech stores change the future of retailing? Victor Fung from Li & Fung, Michael Ward from Harrods, Andrew Keith from Lane Crawford, David Zhao from Shangpin and Dan Cotton from WGSN will predict what will define the next 15 years of luxury and fashion retail.

 Walpole is an alliance of diverse luxury businesses, including Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Rolls-Royce, Selfridges and The Savoy, united in a commitment to quality. Walpole’s mission is to give British excellence a collective voice in an increasingly competitive global market and to help luxury businesses meet the special challenges and opportunities arising from it. Walpole exists to promote, develop and protect British luxury at home and abroad.

The Great Festival of Creativity Shanghai will be held at the Long Museum.

The Great Britain campaign is the UK’s Government’s ambitious international marketing campaign aimed at showcasing the very best of what Britain has to offer and encourage the world to visit, study and do business with the UK.