Celebrities drive demand for luxury-bag brand
Celebrities and internet personalities often have a dramatic influence on the consumption patterns of Chinese fashionistas. A good example is the Italian luxurybag and accessories brand Valextra. It was relatively unknown before it opened its first China store in Shanghai in January.
But within eight days of the store’s opening, pictures of brand’s bags went viral as people spotted celebrities and internet personalities carrying them.
The frenzy even spread to Europe where Chinese tourists stood in line outside the brand’s stores seeking the same types of bags that the celebrities were carrying.
“In 20 years in this business, I have never seen a reaction like this,” says CEO Sara Ferrero.
Despite the attention, Ferrero is focused on the future.
“Being the new kid on the block gets you a lot of attention. But we really need to understand the consumers and what they need. We have to be able to create a love story, more than a love affair,” she says.
Meanwhile, Valextra, which plans to open a second store in Beijing by July, recently marked its 80th anniversary with a photography event in the Chinese capital called the Personal Subject, which was earlier held in Milan, where the brand originated.
In Milan, designers, musicians and artists were invited to pose with their favorite Valextra bags in the city.
They were photographed by renowned photographer Marco Pietracupa.
The event will also be held in Tokyo and New York, and selected pictures from the events in the cities where it was held will be exhibited in Milan in November.
Separately, in Beijing, Valextra showcased its 2017 autumn/winter collections, featuring 80 classic Iside bags and 80 Passepartout bags in different colors and adorned with fur.
Ferrero says that it is meant to create a connection between people and objects.
“We want to explain who we are. We are less about glossy magazines and more about real people — makers and shapers of the world. It is important that the personality remains the center, not the product,” she says.
Valextra now has 40 stores around the world. Italy and Japan are its biggest markets.
Its customers in Asia are considerably younger than those in Europe or the United States. And people in Asia love to give the bags as presents to family members and close friends, says Ferrero.
Ferrero previously worked with brands like Joseph and Furla. But in 2015 she decided to dedicate herself to Valextra as she saw great potential in the brand.
“For 80 years, it has been a symbol of good taste and superior quality. There’s this combination of details — from the leather and the stitching to the color and the style.”
Ferrero’s job is to make 80 years of history relevant to modern customers.
“When I joined, I found a fantastic brand. But there was a story waiting to be told.
“It (buying Valextra) is not about just going to a shop. For a lot of people, it is about Italy.”
But Italy is very different if one is in Milan, Rome or Sicily.
“We have different ways of interpreting fashion. For us, Milan is a big anchor, along with design and architecture.”