kallista's asia pacific general manager on the philisophies behind the brand's success
For 38 years, Kallista has combined timeless aesthetics with superb craftsmanship to create kitchen and bathroom collections that transcend the everyday and employ the highest quality materials and technology to push the boundaries of design. In town to launch the Script collection, we chat to the general manager of the brand in Asia Pacific, Ricky So, about Kallista’s philosophy and the importance of the bathroom.
KALLISTA IS A GREEK NAME – IT MEANS ‘MOST BEAUTIFUL’. The brand was established in 1979, 28 years ago, and later on it became a member of the Kohler family. For about 20 years, its positioning in the business has been at the top. Kallista’s client base includes upscale residentials, trendy hotels and the homes of celebrities and exquisites in society. For the past 20 years, the presidents of the White House have also entrusted Kallista to deck out their bathrooms.
SCRIPT IS INSPIRED BY THE GILDED AGE AND THE GREAT GATSBY. It's about having lavish parties and socialising with the elite. Part of it also allows the end user to script their own story, so you can go from porcelain handles with crisscross patterns to fired enamel on porcelain plates. Everyone who has seen it so far loves it. It’s all about timeless beauty and artful living.
過去38年，Kallista致力結合永恆美學與超卓工藝技術，成就出卓越不凡的廚房和浴室系列。除了精緻細節和優雅外型之外，產品更選用最高品質用料精製而成，並配備推進設計界限的科技。趁著品牌在港推出Script系列，我們跟亞太區總經理Ricky So談到Kallista的設計哲學和浴室的重要性。
KALLISTA是個希臘名，帶有「最美麗」的意思，品牌始於1979年，自28年前起便成了Kohler大家庭的一份子。20年來，它一直走在業務尖端。Kallista的客戶層包括高級住宅、時尚酒店、名人家居和上流社會。過去20年，白宮多位總統更特意請Kallista裝置他們的浴室。
啟發自鍍金時代和大亨小傳的SCRIPT系列，重點在於享受豪華派對和跟精英交流。系列部分讓最終使用者編寫自己的故事，你可以細選陶瓷手柄、交錯圖紋、陶瓷板上帶燒搪瓷。看過的人都大表喜愛。畢竟，永恆美學和藝術生活才最重要。
THE ELEMENTS OF INSPIRATION CAME FROM NATURE, so there’s a ripple pattern and a wave pattern, and some depicting a flower. The products are beautiful and tactile.
OUR DESIGNER SPENT A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT THE LUXURY MARKET and observed the current prominence of rose gold, but instead of following suit, he asked, what's next? So he created this deeper bronze colour for the collection to give the products a gold bronze matt look.
OUR PRODUCT LINE DOESN’T JUST STOP THE DAY AFTER WE LAUNCH IT. Our products have a lifespan, so after a while, we create an extension of the series. We try to keep the excitement throughout too – when we see something good happening with one of our collections, we try to keep it coming.
RIGHT NOW, WITH CITY LIFE SO HECTIC, you really want a place you can indulge and have a quiet moment to yourself. The bathroom is one such place and you want to enjoy these moments and be surrounded by beautiful aesthetics and peacefulness.
靈感多從大自然來，故可見波紋和海浪型紋，部分更在面層描繪花卉。產品美麗又帶豐富質感，就算是面料潤飾也具備多種款式任君選擇。
我們的設計師花大量時間細看豪華市場，並得出玫瑰金大熱潮流的結論，但與其盲目跟從，他卻會問下一步應怎麼走？於是打造出更深潤的銅色，添上金銅啞面效果。
產品推出那天以後並不表示我們的系列已告完成。它們擁有生命，一段時間後，我們就會想出延續系列的方案，致力保激新鮮感，所以一見系列出現過甚麼好效果，就要努力保留。
城市生活節奏急速，你需要放鬆休息、靜享個人時間的地方。浴室就是其中一個可達到目的的地方，讓你被美學和平靜氣氛緊緊包圍，享受美好時光。
Miele, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary in Hong Kong with the launch of a new and improved state-of-the-art Experience Centre and coffee table book, A Traditional Taste. The impressive Miele Experience Centre spans more than 3,500sqft over two floors and has been designed to offer customers a new way to view, shop and experience the brand. As well as in-situ showcases of Miele’s renowned homecare and kitchen products, visitors to the Experience Centre are also invited to join workshops and enjoy demonstrations led by Miele’s in-house chef, Chan Wing Kuen, who will present different cooking techniques and even hold private master classes by appointment. We caught up with Dr Reinhard Zinkann, executive director and co-proprietor of the German brand, to discuss what Miele’s milestones in the city mean to him and to the company.
HONG KONG MEANS A LOT TO ME AND TO MIELE. When we came here to Hong Kong it was actually a dream – we were here to understand, to learn and to develop the Asian market.
WHEN WE CAME TO HONG KONG WE HAD TO DISCOVER a lot about the needs of consumers here; we had to understand a lot about
全球頂尖家用電器製造商Miele最近在香港開幕Experience Centre，並呈獻美食著作A Traditional Taste，慶祝20周年。面積超過3,500平方呎的Miele Experience Centre樓佔兩層空間，專為客戶以清新視角感受、購物和體驗品牌之作而特別設計。除了陳列Miele著名家具用品和廚具之外，到臨Experience Centre的客人更獲邀參加工作坊，欣賞Miele本部主廚Chan Wing Kuen示範不同烹調技巧，並可預約舉行私人課程。我們跟這德國品牌的執行總監兼合夥人Dr Reinhard Zinkann細談Miele在城中立下重大里程碑對他本人和品牌來說的意義。
香港對我和MIELE來說也意義深遠。到來香港就像做夢般，我們之所以前來，旨在了解、學習和在亞洲市場發展。
到臨香港，我們需要明白這兒客人的需要，也得了解設計、煮食與市場的面貌。要長遠成功，你一定要樂於學習、走在前線，人在、市場也就自然在。
design, about cooking, about the market. To be successful in the long term you have to be willing to go on a learning curve and it’s easier to go on a learning curve in a market that you are present in.
TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE LEARNED, we were the company to invent the built-in steam cooker. Steam cooking itself is nothing new, it was invented here in Asia many thousands of years ago, but we had the idea of bringing it into modern cuisine and bringing it into built-in appliances. In Europe, at the beginning, many people said, ‘we don’t need that.’ And we had to educate the Europeans. Now, everybody is very happy with it, but it takes time.
WE AS A COMPANY HAVE A GOAL TO BE THE PREMIUM BRAND with the best products in our field, but if we want to be that, we have to deliver the best service. And to do that, we speak about pre-sales, but also after-sales – we have to let the customer know that if they have a problem, if they have a question, we have the answer.
WE ARE UNIQUE. WE ARE THE ONLY ONE-BRAND BUSINESS in our field, the only family-owned since five generations, only family-run in unbroken heritage for four generations concentrating on this one business field – appliances.
miele's homecare and kitchen products promote a leisurly lifestyle
要舉一個我們「學有所成」的例子嘛，嵌入式蒸煮爐就是本公司發明。蒸煮本身並非嶄新概念，並早已在亞洲存在數千年，但我們卻想出要怎樣把它帶到現代菜式和品牌的嵌入式電器中。一開始，歐洲人都在說：「我們才不需要這個啦。」那就是教育他們的時候，現在人人都大感滿意呢，但就是需要花上一點時間。
公司目標清晰，旨在成為上乘品牌，供應行內最佳產品。如此一來，我們也需要帶來最出色服務與之配合。有見及此，我們關顧到售前及售後服務的重要性，讓客人清楚知道要是他們有任何疑問，我們也能提供專業答案。
我們獨一無二，既是同行中唯一單品牌業務，也是唯一一個五代相傳的家族擁有業務，並且是唯一一個四代不打破傳統、專注研製電器的家族生意。