"Kering Galaxy" depicts a magnificent fashion universe created by Kering Group and its brands
In 2021, Kering and all its brands appeared at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) for the third consecutive year. The Kering Pavilion is named "Kering Galaxy" and depicts a magnificent fashion universe. The pavilion was redesigned by the international architecture firm Büroole Scheeren.
Like the universe, "Kering Galaxy" takes Kering Group as the core, composed of the group's various brands, each brand is like a planet, with its own unique history, innovation and development journey, which is both independent and related to each other, and has the pursuit of high quality, creativity and exquisite skills. Like a reel, a timeline-framed video introduces the history of Kering and its brands.
In the center of the pavilion, Kering showcased its art project "Women in Motion" to highlight women's influence in art and culture. At the same time, Kering's recently successful "Moving Her Shadow in the West Bund" project in China was also presented in the pavilion, which aims to promote women's creativity in the field of dance and choreography.
The exhibition area showcases a series of representative, classic and timeless works of Kering Group, presenting Kering's interpretation of "modern luxury": innovative, sustainable, inclusive, as well as self-expression and authenticity.
Gucci showcases the brand's heritage with its white bamboo handbags in its new series ARIA- Fashion Aria. Modeled after the iconic bamboo handbag from 1947, the handbag is punctuated with a red-and-green woven shoulder strap inspired by equestrian accessories, reimagining the brand's classic designs with a contemporary perspective. In an era of shortage of raw materials, especially leather, the brand's founders introduced bamboo knuckle materials to make handbag handles, which were a huge success as soon as they were introduced. This classic handbag has been used by many celebrities such as Ingrid Bergman and Vanessa Redgrave.
This saint laurent red satin long shirt dress was specially designed for this year's Expo. At the end of the 1960s, Mr. Saint Laurent applied the key and basic elements of menswear to womenswear design and was inspired by distant references. This long dress showcases the iconic character of the Saint Laurent brand, blending a men's shirt with a strong red evening gown. This red color, which symbolizes the classic Chinese red lacquer, was used by the founder, Mr. Saint Laurent, when designing the Ao Piao Tea perfume bottle in 1977.
Bottega veneta's cassette bag precisely interprets the brand's basic philosophy – the brand is known for its understated style and luxurious leather goods. The brand-less handbag is designed with the concept of "when your name is enough" and can be quickly recognized by its unique leather weaving technique. This weaving technique, developed in the early 1970s, is called intrecciato and has recently been reinterpreted by the brand. This is an example of the perfect combination of true innovation and timeless branding. The brand style does not fade away, but is immortalized through reinterpretation.
Balenciaga's ivory silk pink floral embroidered long dress, inspired by cristóbal Balenciaga's classic collection design launched in the summer of 1964, was completed by the Maison lesage workshop. It was featured at Balenciaga's 50th Season Haute Couture Launch in 2021 – the brand's first haute couture launch since its founder left the fashion world in 1968. This piece is a perfect interpretation of the creative classics and perpetuality of Mr. Cristóbal Balenciaga, and the brand's exquisite craftsmanship has maintained its vigorous vitality.
Alexander McQueen turned creativity into a luxury through his mastery of technology and cultural and social references. The dress was inspired by the illustrations created by the 18th-century British poet, painter and printmaker William Blake for Dante's Divine Comedy. It focuses on sunlight and air, symbolizing the brilliance of life born in darkness. This exhibit presents history and art in a modern way with innovative techniques from the unique perspective of Alexander McQueen. Evening gowns incorporate modern t-shirt elements to present a sense of drama that is both harmonious and conflicting. The dramatic evening dress was transformed into a modern embroidered T-shirt. The past, present and future are condensed into eternity.
In 1968, Brioni designed the first tailor-made travel jacket for a wealthy globetrotter. The innovative jacket originally had 16 pockets and compartments to store all the basics of travel: a compass, a ticket and passport, as well as newspapers and watches. The jacket quickly became a brioni icon and became an important character in its menswear collection. A continuation of the original classic, the rejuvenated travel jacket responds to the needs of modern men's lives and pays homage to its origins in subtle details. Interestingly, the need for a guest's intelligence will evolve over time to coincide with the pursuits of many men.
Boucheron's work showcases the contemporaneity of modern fine art and the innovative spirit of the family. It was the first brand of fine jewelry to be full of vitality. Working with a state-of-the-art glass laboratory, the Creative Director has developed a holographic material that allows the gemstones to reflect an infinitely changing color of light and shadow while maintaining their original appearance, just as the bloom of a flower changes with the sun. This piece vividly demonstrates the use and integration of state-of-the-art technology in fine jewelry to bring the craft to life. The Eternal Bloom ring is A family's signature piece that perfectly combines the most natural elements with state-of-the-art technology to pay homage to nature's endless inspiration.
Behind every iconic piece is a boundless vision, creativity and even a bold subversion of tradition. Pomellato's iconic iconica bavarole necklace epitomizes the brand's ethos: when it was designed, it revolutionized the jewellery tradition by interweaving rose gold and white gold chains of different sizes to pave more than 1,500 brilliant diamonds. Bowman Lando's aesthetic design pushes the boundaries of traditional jewelry, offering bold and uninhibited innovations while paying homage to generations of craftsmanship.
Each exhibit best represents the essence of luxury and the most symbolic. Before becoming timeless and iconic, each work is first and foremost an expression based on a great vision, a humanity and true wisdom. QEELIN Jewelry's wulu collection necklace embodies all of the above: On the red carpet at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival in France, the wulu collection made its stunning debut. The famous actress Maggie Cheung wore a single wulu earring and ascended to the podium for best actress, elegantly showing the modern and charming oriental charm. Wulu is the most representative collection of qeelin, transforming the magical cultural meaning behind the gourd into a fashion symbol, bringing positive wishes and beauty to our lives. The wulu harmonic "Fluke" symbolizes the amulet that summons health and luck. The 8-character shape of the gourd is homophonous with the "hair" representing wealth, symbolizing the rolling of wealth. The wulu collection is simple and elegant, with smooth and harmonious lines set with sparkling diamonds, which is the perfect interpretation of Qeelin's philosophy of balance and harmony.
This year marks the 230th anniversary of Girard-Perregaux. As part of the celebrations, Girard-Perregaux reinterpreted its classic models with a design concept of the iconic hidden inside and exposed, infusing modern style with the launch of the new Sanfeiqiao tourbillon watch. For the first time, the watch is made of precious metals, creating a new plate bridge with three neo bridges in rose gold. At the same time, a particularly distinctive feature is its clever use of three-dimensional construction, placing different dial elements at different heights, which is a common feature of high-end architecture in the world. While interpreting modern fashion, the Sanfeiqiao tourbillon watch adheres to the representative traditional skills of the haute horlogerie industry.
One of the most stunning exhibits: on the occasion of the brand's 175th anniversary, Nardin boldly reinvented the observatory timepiece with wild imagination and launched a new ufo grandfather clock. This new work is not only a grandfather clock, but also has a rich connotation. The mechanical structure that sways leisurely is like a constant wave on the surface of the sea. The three-sided design of the three places is displayed, symbolizing the past, present and future. This time, Nardin has once again brought an unexpected shock to the world of watches, following the footsteps of the brand's continuous innovation and exploration, adding attention to the novelty timepiece family inspired by the sea and the sky. The new ufo grandfather clock combines the rich watchmaking heritage of Nardin watches, from the nautical observatory watches of the 19th and 20th centuries, to the 2001 fantasy collection, to the 2020 blast watch, condensing the essence of the same craftsmanship to create extraordinary works. To have eternal creativity is like trying to predict the future, and the best way to predict the future is to create it.
Kering Glasses brings together sixteen internationally renowned brands and is the most influential player in the boutique eyewear segment. This year's CIIE Kering glasses will exhibit nine brands of glasses: gucci, saint laurent, bottega veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander mcqueen, brioni, boucheron, Pomellato and the recently acquired Danish luxury eyewear brand lindberg.
"Kering's third participation in the Expo, I think it is of great significance to both the Chinese and world fashion industry. This year's carefully selected exhibits from our brands are the perfect combination of timeless classics and contemporary icons. We believe this unique blend will give people a historical perspective on Kering's development and demonstrate our understanding of the vision of 'modern luxury': creative, passionate, sustainable and continuous innovation." For Kering, fine products are far from exquisite craftsmanship, expertise and the pursuit of excellence. We see fine art as an obsessive commitment to culture, heritage, creation and all that gives us imagination. 'Modern luxury' means caring for our planet in a bold and impactful way," said Jean-François palus, Managing Director of Kering.
"Participating in the Shanghai CIIE for three times has allowed us to take another step forward in becoming the most influential boutique group in terms of creativity, sustainable development and performance, and also reflects our commitment to achieving sustainable development in China and in collaboration with our partners." Innovation and collaboration are essential for the deep transformation of business models. China is the key to achieving the overall transformation of the industry and setting an example for the world. Therefore, we will continue to work with our partners in China to develop and promote innovative strategies that are conducive to China's social development. 'Creating imagination' is Kering's belief, and it also makes us more determined to move forward on the road of sustainable innovation," said Cai Jinqing, President of Kering Greater China. Kering will serve as the Chairman of the Annual Committee of the Sustainable Fashion and Lifestyle Committee, which is led by CIIE. The inauguration ceremony of the Sustainable Fashion and Lifestyle Committee will be held on November 7 at the China International Import Expo Exhibition Hall.
Kering continues to promote the sustainable development of the fashion boutique industry. In the first half of 2021, Kering released the "Achieving Full Circlecoming" report, which describes Kering's strategy to achieve a circular economy and the specific actions taken by its fashion brands around circular development. This fall, Kering announced that all of its brands will no longer use animal furs and, in partnership with the International Jewellery Responsibility Committee (RJC), has launched the Watches & Jewellery 2030 Initiative with Cartier. In April this year, Kering and global innovation platform Plug and Play launched the second edition of the Kering Sustainable Innovation Pioneer Awards to empower China's younger generation of innovative enterprises. These companies have the ability to propose global solutions of a certain scale to promote the sustainable development of the fashion industry. An international jury of industry leaders from the fashion, boutique, business, academia, sustainability and innovation sectors will select the top 3 winners in December this year.
About Kering
As a global high-end boutique group, Kering brings together a range of well-known fashion, leather goods, jewelry and watch brands: gucci, saint laurent, bottega veneta, Balenciaga, alexander mcqueen, brioni, boucheron, pomellato, Dodo, qeelin, ulysse nardin, girard-perregaux and Kering glasses. With imagination and creativity as its core strategy, Kering is committed to driving its brands to innovate boldly and push the boundaries, while jointly creating a better tomorrow for the luxury industry with a sustainable and responsible business model. This philosophy also echoes the Group's credo, "Create imagination".
About Kering Pavilion
At this year's 2021 Shanghai Expo, Kering will showcase the theme of "Universe and Solar System". After a complex period of human history and a world of fickleness and vicissitudes, Kering wants to emphasize the importance of protecting the universe and show its eternal beauty.
Like the universe, "Kering Galaxy" takes Kering Group as the core and is composed of various brands around the group, which are like planets, with their own unique history, innovation and development journey, which are both independent and related to each other, and have a common pursuit of high quality, creativity and exquisite technology.
(Liu Mengyan)