Managing Creativity at Shanghai Tang – Case Notes
Shanghai Tang Case Before Le Masne/Ooi * too costumey * kitschy * not very modern * not wearable on a daily basis * eccentric * lack of credibility with Chinese population * lack of credibility with fashion people * overpriced * narrow niche of high end tourists * once-in-a-lifetime shopping destination experience After Le Masne/Ooi * a truly unique Chinese brand approach * each collection to reflect Chinese cultural theme * modern * wearable * meant to be a lifestyle brande * addition of home accessories fashion accessories * menswear * celebrities became fans * fashion that people wanted to buy * increase in sales by 50% * increase in stores by 40% – 40 stores in 14 countries * for Le Masne future direction was in China where the wealthy are growing rapidly
Design Process 1. creative director + Le Masne come up with theme for season 2. a briefing is distributed to the 7 in-house designers 3. two-month period of research and sketching – constant feedback from creative director 4. roduct committee meeting – show of preliminary designs a.
brand considerations, DNA b. sales considerations – based on past experience and past customer behavior c. production cost considerations – assure a certain level of margin 5. selection of preliminary designs sent to prototyping 6. another product committee mtg to look at prototypes and select final collection 7. production of sample products 8.
retail mgt meeting – ‘buyers’ from the stores see samples and place orders 9. production begins
Looking Ahead -Le Masne pondering the role of the creative director -China attractive to many luxury brands – new players to enter the market -a direct competitor just launched a highly creative collection that attracted attention -Shanghai Tang’s clientele largely composed by Europeans and Americans -goal is to make brand more appealing to Chinese customers and penetrate china’s mainland market -still keep brand attractive to int’l markets – Le Masne about to talk to customers Questions embedded in the text should Le Masne hire a new creative director? -could his team continue to innovate without a creative director? -how would he evolve the Shanghai Tang design and style to appeal more to Chinese customers in the next collection and beyond? -how could he profitably expand Shanghai Tang into the burgeoning mainland Chinese market – as well as other attractive markets around the globe – while pushing his company’s creativity to an even higher level? -is ‘talking to clients’ a path to get his answer?
