Author | Zheng Qiao. After a series of unsuccessful attempts, Ke Holdings finally succeeded in acquiring land in the land auction market. On July 30th, Xi'an Jiajia Zhihe Real Estate Co., Ltd. won two plots of land in the core sector of the second ring road in Xi'an, with a total transaction price of 0.134 billion yuan. The plot numbers are WY10-9-177-1 and WY10-9-177-2. The controlling shareholder of the company is Beihaojia (Xi'an) Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., a residential development service platform established by Ke Holdings in July 2023.

Editor | Wang Xiaojuan

Inspired by the prevalence of 'grandma chic' fashion trend, the luxury brand LEMAIRE has set its sights on china.

On November 12th, the French designer brand LEMAIRE opened its first store in china at Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li in Chengdu, further expanding its presence in the asian market.

LEMAIRE was founded by designer Christophe Lemaire in 1991. However, from 2000 to 2014, Christophe Lemaire placed Lemaire in a secondary position and served as the creative director for Lacoste and Hermès. It wasn't until after leaving Hermès in 2014 that he focused on his personal brand and co-designed with Sarah-Linh Tran, officially renaming the brand as LEMAIRE.

LEMAIRE really gained popularity in china due to its collaboration series with fast retailing.

In 2015, Uniqlo invited Christophe Lemaire to launch the designer collaboration series Uniqlo x Lemaire, which was marketed with the concept of 'designed by former Hermès creative director' and 'enjoying Hermès quality at Uniqlo prices,' quickly sparking a buying frenzy.

At that time, for the relatively unknown LEMAIRE, leveraging Uniqlo's channels quickly boosted the brand's visibility; and for Uniqlo, collaborating with a former Hermès designer added luster to the brand.

Thus, this experimental collaboration eventually developed into a long-term partnership.

A year later, Uniqlo officially invited Christophe Lemaire to serve as the creative design director of the Paris R&D Center, responsible for leading the team to create an upgraded version of the Uniqlo U basic series.

From Hermès to Uniqlo, the brand positioning seems vastly different, but Christophe Lemaire does not see any essential differences between them. He emphasizes, 'Fashion trends change every six months, but personal style does not, as long as you know who you are. We have always been committed to designing a wardrobe with high wearability. Our understanding of luxury should not be consumerism, but utilitarianism.'

As a romantic designer of utilitarianism, Christophe Lemaire openly states that he aims to design clothes that can stay in the wardrobe for a long time, rather than those transient trendy styles that only last for a season or two.

Outstanding design not only attracted the attention of many ordinary consumers to LEMAIRE but also won the love of various celebrities like Kim Min-hee, Gao Yuanyuan, Ni Ni, Jennie, and others.

As LEMAIRE's popularity grows, many knockoff versions have emerged on e-commerce platforms, with prices ranging from hundreds to thousands, inevitably impacting the brand's original tone.

Fortunately, it is not easy to counterfeit the styles of big brands, as the counterfeits have significant differences from the original in terms of materials, patterns, and cutting, which happen to be the areas that LEMAIRE excels in.

It is understood that LEMAIRE invests heavily in fabric selection, with most of the funds going into fabric and design research rather than brand marketing.

Focusing on fabric and design has also brought positive impacts to LEMAIRE. In 2015, LEMAIRE launched its official e-commerce website, and the online channel significantly contributed to the brand's growth. In 2017, the brand's sales doubled compared to two years ago. In 2018, UNIQLO's parent company Fast Retailing Group acquired a minority stake in LEMAIRE for 4.5 million euros. In 2019, the brand's e-commerce sales surged by 300% year-on-year.

According to the data for 2020, LEMAIRE's annual sales reached 19 million euros, with 85% of the sales coming from overseas markets. The Asian and North American markets each account for 35% of LEMAIRE's total sales.

LEMAIRE's entry into China is also an important step in expanding its presence in the Asian market. According to the "Overview of Asian Lifestyle Consumers" report released by the brand operation institution Bluebell Group, Chinese consumers' interest in niche brands has increased by 34%, ranking first in the Asian market for growth.

In order to make it more convenient for Chinese consumers to purchase LEMAIRE products, the brand has long started laying out online channels. In 2022, LEMAIRE opened a flagship store on Tmall and launched a Xiaohongshu (RED) account in April of the same year. Currently, its Tmall flagship store has accumulated 0.248 million fans.

Now, by opening offline stores in China, LEMAIRE is capitalizing on the huge potential of the Chinese market.

As consumer demands become increasingly diversified and personalized, the "first-store economy" is becoming an important force driving the exploration of urban consumption potential and stimulating market consumption vitality.

In recent years, many overseas brands have chosen Chengdu as the location for their first store in China. Previously, The Row's first store in China was also located in Chengdu SKP.

Chengdu Retailers Association and Shanghai Commercial Data jointly released the "2023 Chengdu First Store Economic Development Report", showing that in 2023, the total number of first stores in Chengdu reached 813, hitting a new high in nearly five years, ranking third among cities in the country, only behind Shanghai and Beijing. In 2024, the investment and expectations for first stores in Chengdu's commercial sector continue to rise.

LEMAIRE brand art director Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran stated that the unique rhythm and understated elegance of Chengdu resonates with LEMAIRE's concept. The new store not only showcases the brand's core design aesthetics but also conveys respect for Chinese cultural heritage.

However, opening a store is just the preliminary story of entering the Chinese market. Whether they can achieve greater success depends on Lemaire's subsequent operation and products. After all, the quiet luxury style is no longer a niche market. In China, many brands have entered this competitive field.

To secure a place in the fierce niche market, LEMAIRE not only needs to continue leveraging its advantages in design and fabrics but also keep up with market trends and continuously introduce competitive products.