Brand building

"Very few newcomers have entered this industry in recent years because it is not easy," Brochard said.

Nonetheless, he still invested all his money in the business when it started.

"I was excited by the business vision Chan had," he said.

A long history and brands' stories are significant for the success of luxury brands in luring adherents. New brands lack this essential quality.

Usually, Chinese brands that employ traditional factors are not good at telling stories. The Frenchman, who worked for a luxury watch company for 10 years, overcame this.

Qeelin's products are connected with Chinese culture, giving Qeelin many stories to tell.

Every collection of Qeelin is a symbol of Chinese philosophy, about which Western people are curious, Brochard said.

The first collection of Qeelin was launched in 2004 and called Wu Lu, the Cantonese word for gourd, which is "arguably the strongest expression in Chinese culture of good fortune and positive energy", according to an introduction to the collection.

The simple lines and curves of the design also made the traditional Chinese mascot more easily accepted by Westerners. The collection quickly became Qeelin's flagship product.

Brochard is confident of Qeelin being able to combine Chinese spirit and a universal appearance in its jewelry products, Brochard said.

Qeelin's collections also show the contradiction between tradition and modernity, something that attracted Brochard, just like Beijing, his favorite Chinese city.

"I really like this contradiction," he added.

In 2006, Qeelin launched another collection named Bo Bo, inspired by pandas and teddy bears.

"The panda represents Chinese culture and the teddy bear is also well-known in Western culture," Brochard said. "That is why both Chinese and Western customers like the collection."

Competition

As Chinese culture gets more popular around the world and Chinese customers are becoming more and more important to international luxury brands, Chinese elements are no longer rare in luxury items. Qeelin faces many competitors, including some very big names.

At the end of 2011, Piaget launched a set of two watches featuring a dragon and a phoenix, totems of China.

Dragons have also featured in Cartier's designs many times and China red has been a frequent element in international luxury brand products for years.

"Chinese people know how to distinguish real Chinese culture from mere superficial printing," Brochard said. He does not worry about the competition.

"Chinese people are not naive and they do not want shallow items," he added.

As an international company, Qeelin's products are manufactured all over the world.

Its gold products are made in Bangkok and items involving jade are made in Hong Kong.

Qeelin has adopted a slow but sure strategy to develop its business over the years, like other international luxury brand operators.

"Chinese brands that aim to be international luxury brands should go step by step," said Jerome De Witt, president of Montres DeWitt SA, an independent watch brand from Switzerland.

De Witt, who established his watch brand in 2003, said the new Chinese brands should insist on becoming international luxury brands and consider every small detail of their products.

During the past eight years, Qeelin has launched just six collections.

"We launched only one collection at a time because we did not have enough money for more collections at the beginning," Brochard said.

The beneficial consequence of this slow development was that the brand had a guarantee in the quality of every product, Guillaume said. Furthermore, the brand built up its reputation little by little.

After eight years, Qeelin now has investors and is operating well enough to support further expansion, Brochard said.

He has recently started to consider recruiting more staff and wants further expansion both in China and the West.

But there is a new problem. Not only is the luxury goods industry being hurt by the global economic crisis, but Qeelin's business in Paris and London is experiencing recession.

"We are looking to markets beyond Western countries," Brochard said.

Qeelin is exploring countries such as Russia and Brazil, he added.

"As a small company, Qeelin can still find customers and there are many jewelry markets worldwide," Brochard said.

 

Q+A: Guillaume P. Brochard

 

wangwen@chinadaily.com.cn