Location Is Second In Mainland China, Following Opening Of Beijing Boutique In 2008#
It's pretty obvious that we're big fans of Qeelin, the Hong Kong-based purveyors of Sino-French fusion jewelry and "the first international jewelry brand to bring Chinese aesthetics and culture to the world," according to company CEO Guillaume Brochard. As Jing Daily wrote recently, we're bullish about Qeelin's chances for success not only in the Greater China region but also in tough overseas markets, as its incorporation of China-infused design and indigenous materials like jade sets it apart from older, more established brands like Tiffany or Cartier.
Interestingly enough, the company has already made strides in overseas expansion, opening two boutiques in Paris and one in London and selling in retail outlets in Tokyo, Singapore and Los Angeles, and counting celebrities like Marc Jacobs and Maggie Cheung as fans. Cheung is also the face of Qeelin, having appeared in advertisements for the brand since 2004.
In mainland China, Qeelin's approach has been more "cautiously optimistic" than anything else, with the brand opening one boutique in Beijing in 2008 and offering products at Beijing's Seasons Place Lane Crawford department store. Considering many wealthier urban Chinese are still somewhat infatuated with imported luxury jewelry and hesitant to deck themselves out in a "created in China" brand, this isn't much of a surprise. But as luxury brands from around the world have crowded the market, and the nouveau riche from interior provinces have appeared on the scene in Beijing and Shanghai, some adventurous shoppers are looking to new brands like Qeelin to set them apart.
Qeelin seems to recognize this opportunity, and yesterday opened its second mainland China boutique, this time in Shanghai's Hong Kong Plaza. Likely hoping to get some business from the hordes of Chinese tourists that continue to converge on the city for the Shanghai World Expo while getting the attention of locals, this is Qeelin's ninth boutique and first Shanghai outpost. We'll be sure to keep an eye on where the brand expects to set up shop next in the mainland, but considering Bottega Veneta recently opened a location in Nanjing and Hermes a store in Harbin, we'd hazard to guess that we could see a Qeelin boutique in a city like Xi'an or Chengdu before too long.
Qeelin Shanghai#
Hong Kong Plaza
Unit SL1-08, South Podium
283 Huai Hai Road Central
Shanghai 200021
上海市卢湾区淮海中路283号
Tel: +86 021 6390 9096