Editor’s Note
This analysis examines how luxury brands in Asia are shifting from traditional marketing to integrated brand-building strategies. By blending retail, culture, and hospitality, they aim to forge deeper emotional connections with consumers, turning experiential engagement into a key driver of both brand equity and commercial success.
Across Asia, luxury houses are accelerating the transformation of their activation models, making retail, culture, and hospitality strategic levers for brand building. Exhibitions, hybrid flagships, immersive pop-ups, and lifestyle experiences all reflect the same ambition: to create high-value emotional touchpoints capable of nurturing desirability while supporting commercial performance.
In a context of spending rationalization and rising consumer expectations, luxury brands are doubling down on creativity to maintain desirability and traffic in China. The end-of-year 2025 activations show a clear strategy: invest in experiences with high cultural and emotional value, capable of nurturing brand image while supporting commercial performance.
Maria Cristina Buccellati, Global Communication Director
“The Prince of Goldsmiths: Rediscovering the Classics” was held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center (December 7, 2025 – January 5, 2026), celebrating Buccellati’s artistic heritage and goldsmithing excellence. Inspired by Gabriele d’Annunzio’s 1936 tribute to Mario Buccellati, the exhibition showcases the House’s ability to transform precious metals into timeless works. After a first edition in Venice in 2024, Shanghai marks a key cultural moment for Buccellati in China.
In four custom-designed rooms, 250 creations were presented — 150 pieces of jewelry and 100 silver objects — revealing the House’s signature aesthetic and artisanal mastery.
Conceived by Alba Cappellieri, the retrospective traces four generations of artisans, blending classical architecture and multimedia installations to reinterpret tradition through a contemporary grammar.
Developed with Balich Wonder Studio, the experience prioritizes refined immersion that strengthens Buccellati’s cultural positioning in the Chinese market.
From December 15, 2025, to February 4, 2026, Piaget presented “Shapes of Extraleganza” at Zhangyuan (Shanghai Zhang Garden), alongside the opening of a new boutique. Over 100 pieces of high jewelry and watches highlight the House’s distinctive formal language and technical virtuosity, consolidating its creative presence in Shanghai’s cultural landscape.
In a vintage blue and gold setting, thematic zones dedicated to creativity and craftsmanship showcase demonstrations of techniques like micro-pavé and “snow setting.”
The adjacent boutique is organized around three themes — diversity of forms, excellence of gold, mastery of ultra-thin — for a complete reading of Piaget’s design heritage and watchmaking performance.
By merging exhibition and inauguration, Piaget creates a fluid journey that connects high jewelry and retail narrative, strengthening engagement through a multisensory experience.
From December 2025 to January 2026, Longchamp launched “La Patinoire Longchamp,” an outdoor ice rink on the Bund in Shanghai and at K11 MUSEA in Hong Kong. Conceived as a seasonal lifestyle destination (more than a retail activation), the setup blends skating, winter markets, workshops, and Spring 2026 storytelling, with appearances by Olympic skaters Wu Dajing and Zhu Yi — reinforcing the House’s “accessible urban luxury” positioning.
By setting up on the Bund and Hong Kong’s waterfront, Longchamp moves luxury into open, high-traffic locations and positions itself as a cultural contributor to urban daily life — beyond the boutique.
Guest sessions with Olympic athletes create a peak of attention and social sharing; the “two cities only” format introduces exclusivity without closing access to the general public, balancing openness and premium perception.
Products are integrated into the decor (food chalets, seasonal gift offerings) without breaking the atmosphere: priority is given to time spent and experience coherence rather than direct sales.
In early December 2025, Polène opened its first flagship in China at Taikoo Li Sanlitun, marking its transition from an exclusively digital presence on Tmall (since 2023) to physical retail in Asia. Spanning 180 m² over two levels, the boutique introduces Polène’s “smart luxury.”