The Tamesis
Since Luca de Meo took over as CEO of Kering in September, he has been convinced that the next chapter in luxury goods should include a strong dialogue between cultures. With a special emphasis on Europe and China, this idea quickly evolved into the idea of creative residencies, supporting Chinese design talent through the Kering ecosystem.
Fast forward to early November, at the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, de Meo signed a memorandum of understanding with Shanghai Fashion Week to host CRAFT (Creative Residency in Crafts, Fashion and Technology), a program for up-and-coming designers in China, in Italy, Paris and Shanghai. By February, the group had formed an advisory board spanning industry leaders from both East and West: Gucci artistic director Demna, Kering Greater China president Cai Jinqing, Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei, Qeelin creative director Dennis Chan, Xiaohongshu founder Miranda Qu, vanity fair European Editorial Director Simone Marchetti, writer Camille Charrière, etc.
Kering Group announced the first batch of 10 designers in March, including Cai Jiaen, Hu Nan, Long Hongziwei, Qi Yueqi, Wang Fengchen, Wei Donghui, Xia Rong, Xu Hao, Yu Gengyi and Zhong Zixin.
I followed them for several days during the final leg of their journey to their Italian residency in Florence, during a sweltering heat wave. Fortunately, the 15th-century palazzo that houses the Gucci archives, as well as the state-of-the-art air-conditioned buildings of the Gucci Art Laboratory in Scandicci (where the brand’s products are developed) and the Ginori 1735 manufacturing plant in Sesto Fiorentino provide a welcome respite from the Tuscan sun.
What the program offers
After being greeted by de Meo, the designers met with Gucci CEO Francesca Bellettini, Kering chief sustainability and institutional affairs officer Marie-Claire Daveu, and the CEOs of Pomellato, Brioni, Ginori 1735 and Kering Eyewear. During the month-long residency, they complete a full MBA’s worth of activities (plus some hands-on training) while gaining exclusive access to upcoming ranges, sales data and more, sometimes subject to a non-disclosure agreement. Designers visited Bottega Veneta’s studio in Montebello Vicentino, Balenciaga’s leather goods factory in Cerreto Guidi (known as “The Plant”), Brioni’s studio in Penne in the Abruzzo mountains, Saint Laurent’s shoe factory in Vigonza, and Valenza-based jewelry maker Raselli Franco, recently acquired by Kering.
Most of this group are in their 30s, studied in London (including at the Royal College of Art or Central Saint Martins), and then returned to China to build their own brands, which range in age from 3 to 10 years old. Now, designers are focusing on expanding their businesses. “What’s the reason I joined the program? We’re facing the next phase of challenges,” said Wang, founder of menswear label Feng Chen Wang in Shanghai and London. She was a semi-finalist for the 2016 LVMH Prize and has been featured on the official Paris Fashion Week menswear calendar since 2022. “I haven’t opened my own retail store yet. Exploring the retail part is another world.”
Three out of 10 designers work in the jewelry field. The emphasis on jewelery in terms of designer representation and project activity reflects Kering’s ambitions in the category. The group created a dedicated jewelry unit earlier this year to expand the scale of fast-growing jewelry brands such as Boucheron and develop the category within fashion houses such as Gucci. Kering is familiar with Chinese jewelry and acquired Qeelin in 2013.
