Tag: Creative

  • Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Boosts Globalization Strategy with New Global Creative Director, David Tse

    Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Boosts Globalization Strategy with New Global Creative Director, David Tse

    Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group has announced the appointment of David Tse to the newly created role of Global Creative Director. This strategic move is intended to bolster the company’s ongoing globalization efforts.

    Strengthening Position as a Leading Chinese Luxury Brand

    David Tse will be at the forefront of solidifying Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group’s standing as a premier Chinese luxury brand. His responsibilities will encompass shaping the brand’s creative identity and spearheading its overall creative strategy across all customer interactions.

    The decision to bring Tse on board is considered quite timely as the company is in the throes of transforming and globalizing the brand. Tse’s profound understanding of luxury, remarkable creativity, and demonstrated ability to transform brand strategy into compelling narratives are expected to significantly contribute to enhancing the brand’s global reputation.

    An Experienced Leader in Creative Direction

    Tse boasts a wealth of international experience in both the luxury and lifestyle sectors, with an impressive career that spans China and various international markets. He launched his career as an entrepreneur, focusing on creative production, and subsequently led projects for an array of renowned brands, such as Burberry, Golden Goose, Uniqlo, Google, PayPal, Volvo, and Starbucks.

    In his most recent role, Tse was the Creative Director at Hermes in Shanghai, having the distinction of being the first Creative Director appointed outside the brand’s Paris head office.

    In his new role at Chow Tai Fook Jewellery, Tse plans to honor the brand’s rich heritage and encourage innovation and creativity, while always prioritizing customer needs.

    Expansion Amid Slow Domestic Demand

    Earlier this year, in response to decelerating domestic demand, market saturation, and pricing pressure in the world’s second-largest economy, Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group expanded overseas, opening a flagship store at Siam Paragon in Bangkok. This movement forms part of a wider trend of Chinese and Hong Kong consumer brands seeking growth opportunities outside their traditional markets.

    Questions & Answers

    What will David Tse’s role be at Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group?
    As the Global Creative Director, Tse will be responsible for shaping the brand’s creative identity and leading its overall creative strategy across all consumer interactions.

    What experience does Tse bring to the role?
    Tse brings international experience from the luxury and lifestyle sectors, having worked in both China and international markets. He has led projects for a range of well-known brands and was most recently the Creative Director at Hermes in Shanghai.

    Why is Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group expanding overseas?
    The group is expanding overseas in response to slowing domestic demand, market saturation, and pricing pressure in the world’s second-largest economy. Opening a flagship store in Bangkok is part of these ongoing globalization efforts.

  • Pieter Mulier: From Dior and Calvin Klein to Versace’s New Chief Creative Officer

    Pieter Mulier: From Dior and Calvin Klein to Versace’s New Chief Creative Officer

    The Prada Group, a leading player in the world of luxury goods, has appointed Pieter Mulier to the position of Chief Creative Officer for Versace. This new appointment is set to come into effect from July 1 onwards.

    Mulier’s impressive portfolio includes senior roles at renowned fashion brands such as Dior, Raf Simons, Jil Sander, Calvin Klein, and most recently as the creative director at Alaia.

    In his new designation with Versace, he will be answerable to the Executive Chairman, Lorenzo Bertelli.

    According to Bertelli, Mulier was identified as the ideal candidate for the brand during the acquisition process of Versace by Prada Group. He expressed strong confidence in Mulier’s capabilities to fully harness the potential of Versace, and believes that Mulier will effectively engage in meaningful dialogue with the brand’s rich legacy. Bertelli also expressed his excitement about beginning this new journey with Mulier.

    Questions & Answers

    Who has been appointed as the new Chief Creative Officer for Versace?
    Pieter Mulier has been named as the new Chief Creative Officer for Versace.

    Who did Pieter Mulier serve as the creative director for before this new appointment?
    Before his appointment at Versace, Pieter Mulier served as the creative director for Alaia.

    Who will Pieter Mulier report to at Versace?
    In his new role at Versace, Pieter Mulier will be reporting to the Executive Chairman, Lorenzo Bertelli.

  • Versace Bids Farewell to Creative Chief Dario Vitale After Brief Tenure

    Versace Bids Farewell to Creative Chief Dario Vitale After Brief Tenure

    Dario Vitale, the creative director of Italian fashion giant Versace, is set to depart from his role after a brief tenure, the fashion label announced on Thursday.

    Departure Announcement

    Acknowledging Vitale’s contribution, Versace expressed their gratitude for his significant role in shaping the brand’s creative strategy during the transitional phase. The fashion house continued to wish Vitale every success in his future career endeavors.

    Vitale’s departure is scheduled for December 12, as disclosed in the official announcement by Versace. The statement also promised that the name of his successor would be unveiled in the coming times.

    Entry and Exit

    Before joining Versace, Vitale had been an established designer at Miu Miu. He assumed the role of Versace’s chief creative officer in April, stepping into the shoes of Donatella Versace following her impressive tenure of almost three decades.

    The announcement of Vitale’s departure came shortly after the news broke of Versace’s acquisition by Prada. The deal was settled at approximately 1.3 billion euros, resulting in Versace changing hands from Capri Holdings to Prada.

    Questions & Answers

    What role did Dario Vitale play at Versace?
    Dario Vitale was the creative director at Versace. He played a significant role in shaping the brand’s creative strategy during his brief tenure.

    When is Vitale scheduled to leave Versace?
    Vitale is scheduled to depart from Versace on December 12, as disclosed in an official announcement by the company.

    Who will succeed Vitale as the creative director of Versace?
    The successor to Vitale as the creative director of Versace has not been announced yet. Versace has promised to reveal the name in due course.

  • Revolutionizing Retail: How Innovative Design Transforms The Shopping Experience

    Revolutionizing Retail: How Innovative Design Transforms The Shopping Experience

    In the realm of physical retail, innovative and creative designs have a significant influence on the shopping experience. Among the noteworthy brick-and-mortar stores promoting such inventive designs are Farm Rio, Manière de Voir, Crocs, Huckberry, H&M, Todd Synder, and Tm:rw.

    Farm Rio: An Intimate Shopping Experience

    Brazilian brand Farm Rio opened its third and smallest New York City store in August, at 1055 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side. The store greets customers with a stunning mosaic installation, designed in collaboration with Bisazza, an Italian luxury mosaic maker. The mosaic, composed of 1.9 million hand-placed glass tiles, took over 460 hours to install. This store’s design elements include earthy-green carpets and plush gray seating, creating an intimate and luxurious shopping experience. The brand’s international portfolio includes over 140 locations, including stores in Los Angeles, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro, the brand’s hometown.

    Manière de Voir: A Story of Persistence and Vision

    Manière de Voir, a Manchester-born brand, has opened its first US flagship at 521 Broadway in New York City. The brand’s founder and CEO, Reece Wabara, described the store as a “story of persistence, grit and bold vision.” The spacious store, located just steps away from major retail stores like Nike, Uniqlo, and Sephora, offers customers a chic layout in calming tones and an apparel line that blends a London-inspired streetwear aesthetic with a minimalist Parisian approach.

    Crocs: A New Era of Personalization

    In August, Crocs launched a new store concept called Icon at 543 Broadway in New York’s trendy Soho neighborhood. The 4000 sqft store offers an immersive shopping experience and the brand’s largest personalisation venture yet, drawing customers towards a range of shoes and accessories that blend style and functionality. Customers can customize their purchases with Crocs’ signature Jibbitz charms, including exclusive New York City ones.

    Huckberry: A Blend of Style and Adventure

    Huckberry, a prominent destination for men’s style and adventure, has opened its first permanent store in Georgetown, Washington, DC. The space, part gear shop, part art gallery, was designed with warm materials and clean lines, reflecting the brand’s reputation for men’s lifestyle content. Customers can find a variety of brands ranging from Flint and Tinder to emerging brands from Tokyo, Paris, and New York City.

    H&M: Elevated Shopping Experience

    H&M has inaugurated a new flagship store at The Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles. The store, spanning about 15,000 sqft across two floors, features a gallery-like feel with white, curved walls, wooden fitting rooms, and translucent displays. It operates on RFID-enabled systems, ensuring precise stock accuracy and enabling quick item location within the store. The new LA store serves as a model for upcoming stores in São Paulo, Las Vegas, and Toronto.

    Todd Synder: Refined Elegance

    In August, American menswear designer Todd Snyder opened his first Ohio store, drawing inspiration from refined elements of English sartorial style and the raw aesthetic of industrial design. The store features a comprehensive tailoring shop with a range of Italian suits and sport coats, Italian-made shoes and sandals, and an array of best-in-class brands from around the world.

    Tm:rw: The Future of In-Store Shopping

    Tm:rw, a three-story flagship, opened its doors in July in the heart of Times Square, displaying the world’s largest 3D retail hologram and offering an AI-powered digital avatar and immersive window displays. This new model of experiential retail is designed to let people engage with products in unexpected ways. It features rotating concept areas that span gaming, health and wellness, food, beauty, entertainment, and sports.

    Questions & Answers

    What is unique about the design of Farm Rio’s Madison Avenue store in New York City?
    The store features a beautiful mosaic installation made from 1.9 million hand-placed glass tiles. This nature-inspired mosaic is complemented by green, moss-like carpets and plush, gray seating that resembles smooth stones.

    Can customers personalize their purchases at the Crocs Icon store?
    Yes, customers can personalize their purchases with Crocs’ signature Jibbitz charms, including ones exclusive to New York City, at two customization counters in the store.

    What does the Tm:rw store in Times Square offer?
    The Tm:rw store offers a new model of experiential retail, featuring the world’s largest 3D retail hologram, an AI-powered digital avatar, and immersive window displays. It has rotating concept areas across gaming, health and wellness, food, beauty, entertainment, and sports.

  • Dior taps Jonathan Anderson as creative director

    Dior taps Jonathan Anderson as creative director

    Dior has announced the appointment of Jonathan Anderson as its latest creative director. This strategic move allows Anderson to oversee the brand’s women’s, men’s, and haute couture collections.

    Historical Milestone for Dior

    This appointment marks a significant paradigm shift in Dior’s history. For the first time since its inception by Monsieur Dior, a creative director will now lead all significant creative verticals across the brand. Anderson takes over the reins from Maria Grazia Chiuri, who had been part of Dior since 2016, serving as the artistic director of women’s couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories. Chiuri’s departure from her role as the women’s wear creative director preceded Anderson’s appointment.

    About Jonathan Anderson

    Jonathan Anderson, born in 1984, is celebrated as one of the most impactful designers of his era. He established his own label in 2008, which soon caught the attention of luxury conglomerate LVMH. This led to LVMH purchasing a minority stake in his brand in 2013, followed by his appointment as creative director of the Spanish luxury house Loewe. Anderson served in this capacity for over a decade before stepping down in March this year.

    Delphine Arnault, chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture, praised Anderson in an official statement, highlighting his notable career growth since joining the LVMH group over a decade ago. Arnault expressed her belief that Anderson would infuse a creative and modern vision into Dior, drawing inspiration from the legendary story of Monsieur Dior and the unique codes he established. She assured that the experienced teams and skilled ateliers of Dior would support Anderson in bringing his creative ideas to life.

    Anticipating Anderson’s Debut Collection

    Fashion enthusiasts eagerly await the British designer’s first collection for Dior, the Dior Men Summer 2026, which is set to debut on June 27 in Paris.

    Questions & Answers

    Who is Jonathan Anderson?
    Jonathan Anderson is a renowned British designer, celebrated as one of the most impactful designers of his era. He launched his own label in 2008 and served as the creative director of Loewe for over a decade.

    What is significant about Jonathan Anderson’s appointment at Dior?
    This appointment marks a significant shift in Dior’s history. For the first time since its inception, a creative director will lead all major creative lines across the brand.

    When will Jonathan Anderson debut his first collection for Dior?
    Jonathan Anderson will debut his first collection for Dior, the Dior Men Summer 2026, on June 27 in Paris.

  • Alessandro Michele is stepping down as Gucci’s creative director

    Alessandro Michele is stepping down as Gucci’s creative director

    The company announced Wednesday that Alessandro Michele is stepping down as Gucci’s creative director. Michele, who has been with Gucci for 20 years, assumed the role in 2015. Before becoming creative director, he was in the company’s shoe and accessories department.

    “There are times when paths part ways because of the different perspectives each one of us may have,” Michele said in a statement released by Kering, the luxury goods brand that owns Gucci. “Today an extraordinary journey ends for me, lasting more than twenty years, within a company to which I have tirelessly dedicated all my love and creative passion.”

    Michele brought a genderfluid and maximalist aesthetic to the brand, which was a departure from Tom Ford’s sleek and provocative rebranding which saved the company in the 1990s.

    Kering wrote that Michele “has played a fundamental part in making the brand what it is today through his groundbreaking creativity, while staying true to the renowned codes of the House.”

    Dakota Johnson, Harry Styles and Lana Del Ray all led Gucci campaigns, which saw accelerated sales when Michele was in charge. Gucci’s revenue rose from just under €4 billion ($4.1 billion) in 2015 to €9.7 billion ($10 billion) in 2021. However, its success took a hit due to the pandemic, and now Gucci is looking to revamp.

    Michele described the people behind Gucci as his adopted family and thanked them in his statement. He left them with a wish: to continue to cultivate their dreams, “the subtle and intangible matter that makes life worth living.”

    “May you continue to nourish yourselves with poetic and inclusive imagery, remaining faithful to your values,” he said. “May you always live by your passions, propelled by the wind of freedom.”

    A new creative director has not yet been announced.

  • President makes three pleas to creative industry entrepreneurs

    President makes three pleas to creative industry entrepreneurs

    Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has made three pleas to the industry entrepreneurs while inaugurating the Inacraft Exhibition 2017.

    “I have made three pleas to craft and creative industry entrepreneurs in Indonesia to keep their products on spec or meet the buyers specifications, keep the budget or price at a reasonable rate, and timely delivery of the products,” he stated at the Jakarta Convention Center on Wednesday.

    Inacraft exhibition, which will be held from April 26 to April 30, will exhibit products from 1,392 local and foreign participants. This year, Inacraft has taken Yogyakarta as the icon, under the concept “Magnificent of Yogyakarta” and the theme “From Smart Village to Global Market.”

    The second plea from the president was regarding the packaging of the products.

    “Do not forget the packaging. Make the best you can and make it interesting. This is important because most of time, the packaging is what attracts the buyers,” he added.

    His third plea was to deliver the goods on time.

    “The delivery to the consumers could be made easier with various logistics infrastructures that we already have,” he stated.

    Jokowi also pushed the entrepreneurs to make use of the governments people credits program (KUR).

    “I understand the entrepreneurs problems regarding capital. Therefore, I remind the people of the KUR program, which has an interest rate of nine percent only. Hence, the products should be made better to make the investment bigger. I think our credit programs have a competitive interest rate too,” he reiterated.

    Indonesian Exporter and Handicraft Producers (ASEPHI) data, the committee of the exhibition, remarked that the Inacraft 2017 attendees included 65.95 percent of independent individuals, 24.5 percent from the Tourism Department, 8.7 percent from BUMN, and the rest 6.07 percent from other countries such as Myanmar, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, and India.

    This year, Inacraft has set a target of retail business increase of 10 percent, which reaches Rp142 billion, commercial contract of US$12 million, and around 200 thousand buyers from various countries.

    Some of the products exhibited include batik, fashion apparels, accessories, jewelries, and other crafts.

  • Creative Industries Contribute to Economic Growth

    Creative Industries Contribute to Economic Growth

    Indonesia`s creative industry is considered to have the potentials to contribute to national economic growth, according to  Head of Research and Industry Development of Industry Ministry Haris Munandar.

    “Currently, the contribution of t creative industries is still relatively small, which is 7 percent of the national industrial growth of 18-20 per cent, but they have great potentials,” Haris said in Jakarta, Friday, October 14, 2016.

    Haris added that the potential can be seen from the various opportunities to develop creative industries in Indonesia, among them an increasing number of middle class Indonesia as potential consumers of creative products.

    “In recent years, the middle class is growing rapidly. This becomes a great opportunity,” said Haris.

    In addition, socio-cultural diversity and natural resources of Indonesia can inspire creative industries to continue to innovate.