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Adrienne Ma • Chic Shepherd
"Worry not that no one knows of you; seek to be worth knowing." The teachings of the ancient philosopher Confucius seem pertinent once more as a cluster of luxury brands seeks to capitalize on China's new middle class. For Western companies, navigating the nation of 1.3 billion residents is akin to deciphering a Chinese riddle. That's where Adrienne Ma comes in. As managing director of the Hong Kong-based retailer Joyce Boutique Holdings, Ma is a Chloé-wearing shepherd to the fashion flock.
Ma's brain wave is a subfranchising model that enables brands to dip a manicured toe into the water without opening their own stores. Joyce helps its vendors find appropriate retailers in China to open shops for their brands and then acts as the liaison between the designer and the local store, ensuring that image, pricing and merchandising are consistent. "Niche retailers like us serve as interpreters of the language of luxury, a language that is still foreign to many in this region," says Ma, 39, who has, for example, shepherded Versace in Guangzhou, Versus in Xi'an, and Etro in Shanghai.
Established by Ma's mother Joyce in 1970, the business started as a single store catering to Hong Kong's tai-tais, socialites who dress in heavyweight brands. Today Joyce has three multilabel stores, 25 designer boutiques and five beauty shops in Asia, where a new generation of customers mixes Helmut Lang with H&M. Ma is always on the lookout for nascent labels. Even Armani was unknown in Hong Kong when Joyce acquired his collection. Ma must have felt vindicated by the theme of the Italian maestro's latest spring collection: chinoiserie.
—By George Epaminondas |
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