Canton Road is a good choice for this. The Chow Tai Fook flagship store will be sharing the Hong Kong high street with brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci. It’s a spot frequented by tourists from all over the world and has major pull with tourists from the mainland – historically big spenders in Hong Kong. While securing instant footfall from consumers that recognise the brand, CTFJ has also ingratiated itself into international company by sharing a postcode with luxury’s global cream.  

The new store spans around 10,000 square feet, making it the jeweller’s largest location in the Hong Kong and Macau market. Emphasis is on open layouts and immersive display areas, moving away from the traditional jewellery counter formats. You’ll also find concierge-style service areas, curated displays and storytelling zones designed to encourage exploration rather than transactional shopping. 

It’s part of a wider shift toward experience-led environments that encourage longer dwell times and emotional brand connection, common in the flagship store playbook. Emotional connection is pushed here with an emphasis on heritage: galleries introduce themes of craftsmanship, trust and innovation. A spotlight is put on the brand’s nearly hundred-year-long history.   

Making its debut is CTFJ’s new HOME collection (caps all theirs). It’s a sidestep project and an interesting one, though not much info is available on it yet. From what we can gather it’s a look into lifestyle through the lens of their core offering. With that in mind, are we looking at a transformational moment for CTFJ? With a lifestyle push and international ambitions, we just might be.  

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The pendant features the phrase in Chinese characters on the front and the word jia on the reverse – a reference to ‘加’ (to add), in a suggestion of doubled good fortune. Priced at just over RMB 3,000 (approx. US $428.95), the product quickly gained attention and climbed social-media trending lists in late December. 

The Chow Tai Fook ox-horse design has been framed in traditional symbolic terms. CTFJ said the ox represents diligence and steadiness, while the horse stands for drive and forward momentum, with the overall message intended to convey perseverance and auspicious meaning. 

But that’s not how netizens saw things. Critics argued that the term ‘牛马’ has taken on a distinctly negative connotation among younger workers, where it is used to express exhaustion, lack of agency and perceived exploitation in the workplace. From this perspective, turning the phrase into a gold accessory looked tone-deaf, or even downright mocking. 

Others defended the product as self-deprecating humour aligned with contemporary internet culture, suggesting the backlash reflected oversensitivity rather than malicious intent. After the surge in discussion, the pendant was reported as sold out or removed from some online listings, though Chow Tai Fook has not announced a formal withdrawal. 

The Chow Tai Fook ox-horse bust up highlights the risks traditional consumer brands face as they attempt to integrate internet slang and youth culture into product design. While such language may carry playful meanings in peer-to-peer contexts, its commercialisation – particularly by brands that can be seen as mainstream – can trigger very different interpretations when placed on the shelf. 

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The Fly and Run Park (HOKA 飞跑公园) functioned on four bases across Shanghai’s Yongyuan Road for two weeks in the build-up to the marathon. Each base offering something essential to runners: warm-ups, gear and number-bib pick-up, casual hangout areas before and after the race.  

Hoka also pulled local business into the mix, arranging discounts and perks for marathon runners at cafes, restaurants, bars and shops. Once the race was over they threw a party where merch giveaways took place alongside run-recovery pop-ups and music. By doing all this they plugged an angle they’re always keen to highlight: lifestyle.  

In China’s sportswear industry, brands with high-price tags like Hoka are positioned as luxury items. To sell this position, a lifestyle angle helps. With it, Hoka becomes a shoe for the urban cosmo-elite, not just for runners.  

Hoka have been big on this outside the Shanghai Marathon too. At the latest Shanghai Sports Expo, the brand turned up with the HOKA LAB for pro-level gait and fitness testing, an extension of the services offered at their ‘global brand experience centre’ in Xintiandi, one of Shanghai’s high-end shopping districts.  

Stores like this tap into another core element of the Chinese shopping experience: experience itself. Increasingly brands look to draw customers in by offering a shop that has more than just stock on the shelves.  

The Fly and Run Park allows Hoka to run two races at once. They’ve linked experience and lifestyle, all while tying themselves to a key event in the sports calendar, and one that matches the prestige Hoka wants to project. 

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The operation ran out of villa-sized ‘factories’ that produced near-perfect replicas of pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and Bulgari. The setup stretched well beyond jewellery assembly: investigators found full packaging lines capable of recreating branded boxes, certificates and accessories – a sign that counterfeiters are now mirroring luxury supply chains from top to bottom, rather than relying on piecemeal workshops.

Distribution was just as modern. Instead of street-level stalls or private chat groups, the ring relied heavily on livestreams, tapping into China’s vast live-commerce ecosystem to move high volumes at speed. It’s a shift that makes enforcement harder and raises fresh questions about platform governance as counterfeiters piggyback on the trust and immediacy of real-time sales.

For luxury houses, the risks are familiar. Industrialised counterfeiting chips away at exclusivity and erodes pricing power, while livestream-based sales blur the lines between legitimate and illicit channels. For parent companies like Richemont and LVMH, China remains a critical market, but cases like this highlight the need for tighter authentication, supply-chain traceability and proactive monitoring of fast-moving content platforms.

This Chinese counterfeit jewellery bust also reflects Beijing’s continued emphasis on intellectual-property enforcement, particularly in sectors tied to consumer confidence and international trade. While the authorities did not release full details – such as the number of arrests or the provinces involved – the reported scale of the operation suggests a coordinated, long-running effort.

As China’s luxury rebound splinters between cautious buyers and big spenders, it’s likely that authenticity becomes an even bigger selling point. If a market is flooded with ever-more convincing fakes, reassurance will become part of the product. For brands, that means trust might now be as valuable as design.

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The Cartier exhibition unfolds across three themed chapters – Colour Fusion, Geometric Rhythm, and Light Composition – each exploring balance through a dialogue of materials, movement and light. Alongside the latest EN ÉQUILIBRE designs, visitors can view high-jewellery watches and pieces from Cartier’s historic archives, assembled to trace the maison’s evolving aesthetic codes. 

And equally impressive is the exhibition’s setting: the Aman Summer Palace, a restored Qing-era guesthouse adjoining Beijing’s famed imperial gardens. The backdrop combines modern artistry with centuries-old Chinese elegance and imperial grandeur. Through this smart choice, the location itself becomes part of the storytelling, its courtyards and pavilions echoing the exhibition’s themes of symmetry and poise.  

This interplay of place and craftsmanship is no accident. In recent years, Cartier has favoured architecturally and culturally significant venues for major presentations from Paris to Kyoto. Each exhibition then turns into a dialogue between art, history, and contemporary luxury. Their choice in Beijing continues that trajectory as well as playing to the Chinese market.  

China remains an important market for Cartier’s high-jewellery business, and the Beijing exhibition underscores both commercial focus and cultural intent. Beyond its role as a display of fine craftsmanship, EN ÉQUILIBRE serves as an immersive brand experience aimed at deepening relationships with Chinese collectors and connoisseurs.  

By anchoring its storytelling in spaces that speak to heritage, Cartier reinforces its East-West narrative, one that aligns modern design with the timeless pursuit of equilibrium. In a market where China is increasingly setting trends instead of following them, this kind of cultural sensitivity can go a long way. 

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For China, this uptick offers a faint signal of renewed momentum after a punishing slump. In other words, the single month rebound looks promising, but it arrives against the backdrop of a two-year erosion of Chinese demand. 

Why does this matter? China remains one of Switzerland’s top three export destinations by value, alongside the U.S. and Hong Kong. For brands that built their growth model on Chinese aspirational luxury buyers, the pivot from boom to bust is still underway. The bounce in September suggests the trough may be behind us – but the industry is scarcely celebrating. 

Globally, the Swiss watch industry is wrestling with multiple headwinds. The U.S. market, by far the largest single export destination, collapsed 55.6 % in September to about CHF 157.7 million. That drop was largely driven by U.S. tariffs introduced in August.  

Only one price-segment is growing: export-price watches in the CHF 500-3 000 (about RMB 4,000 – 24,000, or US $550 – 3,300 per watch) band rose 4.2 %, while price brackets on either side of those figures shrank.  

For Swiss brands, the message is clear: China’s appetite isn’t gone, but it may not be the steam engine of consumption it once was. In the world’s most-watched luxury market signs like this can easily be misread. This uptick in China sales are flickers of renewed willingness to spend, especially by those chasing affordable luxury. As global brands continue to treat China as a key growth engine, investing heavily in marketing, e-commerce and flagship stores, that might be something they’d do well to notice. 

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Loopy is a part of a show called Pororo the Little Penguin, the premise of which is a group of animal friends embarking on various adventures in the fictional Porong Porong Forest. At first glance this is strange direction for the brand – one synonymous with high luxury, glamour, and not so much (you’d expect) cuteness or animal adventures. However, this isn’t the first time Chow Tai Fook’s taken this direction, just the latest.   

In recent years, the brand has teamed up with everyone from Chiikawa to Disney and Black Myth Wukong to MCM. The range of collaborations hopes to attract a younger audience to the brand. On the basis that Loopy fans don’t have the money, or even agency, to buy jewellery, we can also assume they’re looking to establish brand loyalty with the aim of cashing it in when the young consumers come of age.  

The Chow Tai Fook Loopy collaboration – and the collabs that preceded it – feature ranges of small trinkets that are more playful than outright luxurious. These products don’t come accompanied by hefty price tags, making Chow Tai Fook more accessible to first-time buyers. Regular readers of these pages will also understand the viral potential of a collaboration like this in a region where cute culture generates major engagement.  

It’s a smart move in more ways than just the above. By partnering with a wide range of IPs, Chow Tai Fook also aligns with the times: Today’s consumers, and the consumers of tomorrow, want items that reflect their personal interests and identities. New generations of Chinese are growing more individualistic. The rise of individualism offers new and enormous streams of revenue. Chow Tai Fook clearly recognises that. They just need to make sure, in the face of stiff competition, they don’t water down their luxury image chasing it.  

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The collection includes 55 lipsticks, 10 lip balms and 8 eyeshadows, and will be available globally in select Louis Vuitton stores and on its official website from 29 August, following pre-orders that opened on 25 August. Customers in Nanjing, however, have been able to view the products in person since 20 August. This sparked discussion online surrounding the high prices and the product design, pitted against its competitors like Chanel and Hermès.

• #LV卷美妆能成功吗 Can Louis Vuitton succeed in the beauty competition: 1.31 million views on Weibo, ranking number 48 on the Hot Search list

The choice of location for the dedicated beauty store from Louis Vuitton is part of its localisation strategy in China, recently exemplified by The Louis, the ship-shaped concept space in Shanghai. Deji Plaza became the highest-selling high-end shopping centre in China in 2024, generating 24.5 billion RMB (3.43 billion USD), a 15% year-on-year increase, overtaking SKP Beijing. Nanjing, despite ranking only 10th in total GDP among Chinese cities, has the highest retail sales of consumer goods per capita. The choice of both the location and the city reflects Louis Vuitton’s informed localisation strategy. How the colour cosmetics line fares in the long term, however, remains to be observed.

Need to boost your China strategy? Dao Pro delivers bespoke insights on marketing, innovation, and digital trends, direct from Chinese sources. Find out more from our Dao Strategy Team here.

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Regarding the opening and the subsequent travel campaign from the fashion house, Dao Insights is honoured to have received direct comments from Louis Vuitton. The new flagship is not only a bold step for the brand to expand its offline retail presence, but also a reflection of the Maison’s understanding of and adaptation to the ever-evolving Chinese market and its consumers.

Location, location, etc.

The Louis is located on Wujiang Road and is part of the HKRI Taikoo Hui in the centre of Shanghai. Combined with the nearby Zhangyuan, this area is quickly emerging as the new luxury hub in the city that complements established locations such as Nanjing Road. As The Louis is meant to be a new landmark for travellers to Shanghai and a “connection to local culture”, Louis Vuitton believes that its presence will likely accelerate the shift as it adds much to the cluster, making the ship a must-visit destination for fashion and lifestyle.

The ship-shaped space, with its stacked upper levels above the deck resembling historic trunks, makes the Shanghai flagship the third Louis Vuitton luggage-inspired store after Paris and New York. However, the design of The Louis is inspired by Shanghai’s rich maritime and boating history as a port city and “Gateway to the East”, as well as Louis Vuitton’s early innovations in luggage for transoceanic voyages.

Experiential economy, in luxury

The Louis, however, is so much more than a retail location. The ship also hosts an exhibition area and a café, as well as space for events and activations. Its space, with bars, seating, and tables, alludes to ocean liners of bygone eras. Le Café Louis Vuitton provides a luxury snacking menu, including dishes such as Mandarin Croque, which ties French cuisine with local delicacies.

The OMA-designed exhibition space spans over 1,200 square metres across two floors with a gift shop, where visitors can get their hands on a selection of leather goods, shoes and travel items, as well as Shanghai-exclusive accessories. At the grand opening, The Louis hosted the Louis Vuitton Visionary Journey exhibition. The immersive exhibition “guides visitors on a voyage inspired by the savoir-faire of the House that connects past and future, culture and imagination”.  Across the vast exhibition, items on display ranged from Gaston-Louis Vuitton’s travel sketches to reimagined LV classics by Pharrell Williams.

Cultural edge

Louis Vuitton’s hybrid model reflects the brand’s vision of the Chinese market’s changing landscape, especially in the luxury sector, where consumers increasingly demand immersive luxury experiences. Younger generations, especially Gen Z, favour storytelling over mere transactional shopping. This aligns with the larger rise of the “experience economy” in China and calls for innovation from brands. That’s why we have been seeing more pop-ups, exhibitions and interactive art-retail recently. Louis Vuitton took the chance to provide such an experience with The Louis.

Louis Vuitton recognises the resilience and evolution of the post-pandemic luxury market in China, where Gen Z consumers drive growth through digital engagement with brands but also crave the exclusivity of experience. Now, the luxury consumer in China seeks cultural relevance.  For luxury brands, staying competitive against emerging domestic rivals means striking a balance between global prestige with localised strategies.

Hyper-localisation

Louis Vuitton has gone a step further, with many of its recent offline campaigns hyper-localised for the cities that host them. From collaborations with local boutique coffee shops and the “Nóng Hó, Shanghai” takeover at the Fotografiska in 2023, to its accompanying podcast dedicated to Shanghai, its sequel about Beijing in 2024, and even the most recent pop-up at the Postal Museum in Shanghai, all pay tribute to the culture and lifestyle of their host cities.

With travel being the essence of the Maison, hyper-localisation can make a global luxury brand feel intimate. With nationalism and local pride on the rise in China, campaigns that celebrate regional culture resonate more deeply. Louis Vuitton adopts hyper-localisation as a savvy way to stand out in a crowded market and foster emotional connections. 

Travel campaign from China to the world

A few days after its grand opening, Louis Vuitton unveiled its latest travel campaign in China ahead of its global launch. Called Spirit of Travel, it is a photography campaign in partnership with American photographer Alec Soth, travelling to the sublime sights of China and showcasing Soth’s unique blend of documentary realism and poetic artistry, with images featuring Louis Vuitton luggage blending into the scenery. The campaign video is also shown at the “Trunkscape” installation in The Louis.

For Louis Vuitton, the campaign further emphasises its roots in intercontinental travel while also highlighting the brand as a cultural bridge in luxury. Leveraging the growing interest after its reopening in 2023 and the recent visa waivers for cross-border travellers, the campaign reinforces the universal narrative of Louis Vuitton. The first part of the campaign focuses on Lijiang and Guilin, with two follow-up series to be unveiled later.

Louis Vuitton has aligned the ideas of hyper-localisation and experience economy together with The Louis, but it is also a continuation of its localisation campaigns in China. As the ship is not a pop-up and is likely to remain, it has been reported that Louis Vuitton is already planning future exhibitions and experiences at the location. In fact, it hosted a 24-hour event for select guests just before its public opening, which included activities such as a midnight screening, sunrise Tai Chi, an illustration workshop, and a culinary masterclass. With small activities like this, The Louis has the potential to build a community of affluent shoppers in the centre of the new luxury hub of Shanghai. While the docking of The Louis brought the world, especially France, to Shanghai, “The Spirit of Travel” is taking it a step further and taking China to the world.

Need to boost your China strategy? Dao Pro delivers bespoke insights on marketing, innovation, and digital trends, direct from Chinese sources. Find out more from our Dao Strategy Team here.

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Loewe, ever on the forefront of localisation in China, took up the format of microdrama marketing this Qixi. The vertical short-form series features five episodes, each lasting 45 seconds. The series is titled “Say yes to love” (鹊定爱). The Chinese title is a play on “确” (to confirm) and “鹊” (magpie), which are both pronounced “que”. Magpies are known in the Qixi myth for forming a bridge over the Milky Way (a river in Chinese mythology) for the star-crossed lovers, Weaver Girl and Cowherd, to meet each year.

The series is written by Loewe’s cultural advisor Qin Wen, and stars actress Chen Duling (陈都灵) and actor Chen Zheyuan (陈哲远) and tells a story of encounter and a budding romance, with a Loewe magpie bag charm as the key item in the story. Alongside the bag charm, the capsule collection also includes apparel and bags.

Microdrama continues to boom in 2025, not just as a content format but as a branding and marketing tool. In the first four months of the year, there were 153 new branded microdrama series in China, nearly half of which were first timers. Loewe, as a luxury brand, of course risks diluting its brand image with microdrama, as it is often associated with low production value and shock value in the story.

However, the simple love story, with artistic direction from Loewe, resembles more a vertical video campaign with narrative than a luxury microdrama. This is also likely why it features A-list actors, to avoid being called a microdrama and instead be seen as an “original series”.

Need to boost your China strategy? Dao Pro delivers bespoke insights on marketing, innovation, and digital trends, direct from Chinese sources. Find out more from our Dao Strategy Team here.

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