French luxury brand tycoon Bernard Arnault in China

BEIJING — French billionaire and luxury brand magnate Bernard Arnault is in China this week, social media posts showed, the latest visit by a foreign executive keen to reconnect to the world's second-largest economy.

The world's second-richest man after Elon Musk and chairman of LVMH group, Arnault was seen in Beijing visiting the upscale SKP mall and the Arnaulthe Sanlitun Taikoo Li shopping center Tuesday, posts widely circulated on Weibo showed.

He was then spotted in the southwestern city of Chengdu on Wednesday, where he toured the city's International Finance Center and other upscale stores, posts said.

Chinese state media also reported the visit was taking place, citing the social media videos.

Arnault is accompanied by two of his children -- Delphine, who heads the Dior perfume and fashion brand, and Jean, who is director of watch development and marketing at Louis Vuitton -- videos showed.

China is critical to the luxury market, and before the pandemic made up a third of all global luxury goods spending.

The pandemic hit the industry hard, with China's share of the market sinking to 17 percent in 2022, according to analysts at UBS, who have said that 2023 will be the "year of the Chinese consumer".

"The Chinese clientele is much more important than it was in 2019," LVMH's financial director Jean-Jacques Guiony recently told journalists.

Arnault's LVMH group -- which includes dozens of brands including Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Kenzo -- has continued to post strong revenue and profit growth despite global economic headwinds.

Arnault has said he is "optimistic about the Chinese market".

Agence France-Presse

Look at Kylie Jenner’s New $400,000 Luxury Car

Kylie Jenner, the most viewed star on Snapchat, showed off her brand new super car in a new snap. She recorded the arrival of her $400,000 white Rolls Royce Ghost on a low-loader truck while saying, “Yay! It’s here!”

The 18-year-old didn’t think twice and took the luxury saloon for a test drive with her girl friends in Los Angeles. With the cream-colored interior looking sexy and a Chris Brown song blasting in the background, this car makes you wish you were one of Kylie’s best gals. (Yeah, ‘cause she gifts them with a Mercedez-Benz, too, by the way.)

There sure is a lot of room for more cars in this Jenner’s garage. Just this August, her rapper boyfriend Tyga surprised her with a $320,000 Ferrari 458 Italia for her birthday. Prior to it, she has been seen driving a $45,000 Jeep Wrangler, a $195,000 Range Rover, and a $233,000 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon.

The reality TV star is said to have a net worth of $5M. And, according to CNN Money, her new Kylie Jenner app is estimated to make $15M in its first year, outselling any of her sister’s apps. Now that’s a whole lot more super cars for you, Kylie.

[The Daily Mail]



Photo and video courtesy of The Daily Mail

source: preen.inquirer.net

Kylie Jenner, the most viewed star on Snapchat, showed off her brand new super car in a new snap. She recorded the arrival of her $400,000 white Rolls Royce Ghost on a low-loader truck while saying, “Yay! It’s here!” - See more at: http://preen.inquirer.net/14856/look-at-kylie-jenners-new-400000-luxury-car#sthash.lG3H3080.dpuf

Jaguar Philippines launches F-Type sports car

Jaguar Cars, Inc. (JCI) unveiled the Jaguar F-Type today at the Jaguar Lifestyle Centre at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

The new Jaguar F-Type represents a return to the company’s heart: a two-seat, convertible sports car focused on performance, agility and driver involvement. This is also a continuation of a sporting bloodline that dates back to more than 75 years, focusing on delivering performance, agility and maximum driver involvement.

“The ownership of a Jaguar has never been a stronger statement globally. Its performance is all about the aspects of engineering and technological excellence,” said Mr. Wellington Soong, Chair and President of Jaguar Cars, Inc. “This is also a tribute to Sir William Lyon’s ‘Poetry in Motion’.”

The Jaguar F-Type V8 S Petrol combines low vehicle weight (starting at 3,521 pounds), high powered engine (at 495hp) and superb aerodynamics to achieve a pure sports car experience, yet with Jaguar’s known elegance and luxury.



A true two-seat sports car, the all-new Jaguar F-Type is equipped with a modern, lightweight soft top that, when lowered, serves as its own tonneau cover. This not only provides weight efficiency, but also improves packaging and contributes to the car’s low center of gravity for greater sporting agility.

Just like the other members of the Jaguar family, the F-Type has also capitalized on its sinuous, muscular elegance while it adapts to the modern times. The two “heartlines” define the profile and top-down view of the F-Type. The main “heartline” begins in the blade dissecting the shark-like gills on either side of the grille that runs up and forms the sharp top crease of the fender line, providing sight lines that aid the driver in cornering maneuvers. The second “heartline” swells out to form the muscular rear haunch before sweeping dramatically around the rear of the car. With its clean, sleek lines of the tail, it deploys at speed to reduce aerodynamic lift.

For that sports car touch, the top can be fully raised or lowered in just 12 seconds at a speed of up to 48 kph. Its multi-layer construction includes a 3M Thinsulate lining for optimal thermal and sound-insulating properties.


“We wanted the experience of sitting in the F-TYPE to be exciting. A sports car cockpit should be an intimate place and so we aimed to get a sense of the surfaces falling towards and then wrapping around the driver,” said Ian Callum, Director of Design for Jaguar.

Also, JCI recently launched their leasing program called “Lease 2 Go”. In partnership with BPI Rental Corp., customers will get a chance to drive home with a Jaguar or a Land Rover by just paying the one (1) month rental in advance.

source: motioncars.inquirer.net

Can’t afford the car yet? Start with a Porsche bag

The iconic luxury brand Porsche Design holds no qualms in selling in the Philippines its exclusive TwinBag, which could set you back by about $1,800 to as much as $30,000 apiece.

And this plush women’s handbag—which comes in either a single-piece calf leather or exotic skins like ostrich and crocodile, and has been painstakingly handcrafted by workers in Italy—is just one of the brand’s offerings of pricey, luxury items that are readily available in a Porsche Design branch at the Edsa Shangri-La Mall in Mandaluyong.


But Porsche Design believes that the Philippines, and its “design enthusiasts,” are more than ready to embrace the sleek, classic and sophisticated style of the Porsche Design luxury brand, despite the steep price tags.

“We think the potential is definitely there. The [Porsche brand] has been growing [here] over the past two years significantly, and to just support this continued growth, we will focus on future expansion globally and in the Philippines,” says Lars Schmidt, head of franchise and travel retail for Porsche Design Asia Pacific.

Schmidt points out that they have found many Filipinos who “appreciate our purest and timeless design.”

“Our products are not meant to show off, but they’re supposed to be classic and timeless. We are focused on a purist design and that is what we call the iconic Porsche Design, and we’ve found out that there are a lot of people in the Philippines who appreciate those aspects,” he further explains.

Schmidt adds that Porsche Design         in the Philippines has been growing together with their global business, as the first store in the country, located at Resorts World, has been posting double digit growth in sales since it opened late 2010.

For both stores, the Germany-based brand tapped local firm Adrenaline Group of Companies as its franchise partner in the Philippines.

“The Philippines has grown with the [parent] company with a comparable double digit [growth] since we opened here. That’s one of the reasons why we decided to open a second store, as we are looking to further intensify our relationship with Adrenaline, and to grow even further in the future here with our luxury brand,” Schmidt explains.

According to Schmidt, the Asia Pacific is one of their focus regions. While he declines to cite the number of stores to be opened within the year, he assures that they will definitely further expand in this side of the world this year.




“We recognized that people in Asia do appreciate our brand and the aspects that make Porsche Design so special. We already have stores in Hong Kong and Singapore and we just decided to also expand in other markets that’s why we opened a second store in Manila. We also opened in Jakarta and Macau recently,” he adds.

In a separate interview, Adrenaline Group president Hans Clifford O. Yao relates that it did not take much to convince Porsche Design to set up shop in the country, with negotiations lasting only a year.

“We were lucky because [during] the time we’re negotiating, Resorts World was about to open… Their CEO even visited Manila at that time and they were convinced because they saw that there were a lot of developments ongoing in the Philippines at that time,” Yao explains.

“They were convinced it was worth their time. We had to show them the top malls and the presence of high-end luxury brands to show there is a market here. If they didn’t see those high-end brands, they might now have come here. Also, they were expanding quickly in the Asia Pacific region,” he further says.

Porsche Design’s Shangri-La branch, its second store in the Philippines, hosts a complete “modern, purist and functional” luxury product portfolio of their fashion and sports collections for both men and women.

These luxury items include luggage, eyewear such as the P’8478 Aviator, watches like the Black Chronograph, shoes, apparel, writing tools, as well as jewelry and cellphone accessories.

Schmidt admits that their products used to cater primarily to men. It was only three years ago that they decided to further expand their luxury items for women given the growing demand for the Porsche Design brand.

“Our heritage and our focus was on male customers. However, we always had products for women. Over the last few years, we have listened to customers and we decided to expand women’s collection. We started focusing on women as a target customer group over the last two to three years,” he explains. “Women are now getting more important for us.”

Founded in 1972 by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Porsche Design is now a globally renowned design and lifestyle luxury brand with a particular focus on technically inspired products that stand for functional, timeless and purist designs.

Its products are designed in the Porsche Design Studio in Zell am See, Austria and sold around the world in the company’s own stores, shop-in-shops, high-end department stores, exclusive specialist retailers as well as through the official online shop. To date, Porsche Design has 128 stores globally. The Edsa Shangri-La Mall branch is the company’s 21st store in the Asia Pacific region.

source: business.inquirer.net

What and how to fete a Vuitton

FOREMOST restaurateur Colin Mackay did another exceptional job yet again when he prepared the lunch for visiting scion Benoit Louis Vuitton last Monday at his Sala restaurant on Makati Avenue.

How do you suitably feed a Louis Vuitton heir, whose name has become a brand of luxury and sophistication?

Colin made everything simple, stark yet elegant—a table setting in black, crystal and spare blooms, and a menu that was sumptuous yet fresh and refreshing. Nothing pretentious or trying too hard.

Appetizer was seared scallop with Shimeji mushrooms and Jerusalem artichoke veloute. Then came a medallion of duck foie gras, parsnip puree and spiced sauteed apples, followed by a plate of blue swimmer crab, sweet shrimp, fennel and trout caviar spaghettini.

These were all in small portions so that the diner left room for the main course. It was a choice of ocean trout or Wagyu beef flank tagliata. The ocean trout came with beetroot carpaccio and horseradish potatoes; the beef with confited tomatoes, rocket and pangritata.

Dessert was strawberry, white chocolate and macadamia brittle semifreddo, passionfruit and rhubarb sorbet.

After lunch, the guest of honor stood up from the table with a wide smile on his face. Clearly, he was beginning to feel at home. His work done, it was also Colin’s turn to smile at us from the kitchen.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Luxury, elegance, impeccable service–from one hotel to another in the heart of Hong Kong

The Landmark Mandarin is a luxurious oasis in the middle of Central Hong Kong. With only 113 rooms and suites, it is a boutique hotel with the service and amenities of a large luxury hotel. It was rated No. 1 in the 2012 World’s Best Hotels list by Institutional Investors.

Unlike its traditional older sister, the Mandarin Oriental, it is modern and sleek but with all the comforts of a well-appointed home. Every aspect is designed for a pure sensory indulgence. Though it is seven years old (unlike its 50-year-old sister) it remains fresh and very updated.

Designed by Adam Tihany and Peter Remedios, the hotel’s main entrance from Queens Road central is very discreet, and its secondary entrance from the Landmark mall is strategically placed.



At the main entrance, Tihany designed an abstract boat-like feature, inspired by the classic Hong Kong sailing junk, that flanks the main staircase. The use of luxurious materials to shape the iconic hull of a Chinese junk pays homage to current trade and fashion. The seating area at the lobby is intimate and cozy, surrounded by bookshelves with books on art and lifestyle.

The standard rooms are an average size of 50-55 sq m. Very large by Hong Kong standards.  The five types of standard rooms go up to 60 sq m—a luxury in this place.



The Landmark suite is the only type of suite other than the Presidential suite. With a 83-sq-m footprint, it has the feel of a spacious, graciously appointed apartment. The Presidential suite, on the other hand, is luxurious and elegant but low-key, with a private spa/massage room.

The Joe Malone toiletries in lime, basil and mandarin scents are a delight.

Spa pampering

The Oriental Spa is located on two floors of the hotel. It features calming and relaxing natural materials such as bamboo, natural stone and wood. The 25,000-sq-ft spa offers a comprehensive range of health, beauty and massage treatments, with signature treatments created exclusively for Mandarin Oriental. Therapists at the Oriental Spa are trained in the finest ancient traditions of Chinese, European and Thai cultures.



The Oriental Spa offers an indoor heated swimming pool; yoga, pilates, expansive heat experience area featuring Hamam, Laconium, Rasul, Zen relaxation room; and a state-of-the-art gymnasium. A full pilates studio with private classes is offered. According to general manager Greg Liddell, new signature spa treatments will be available this coming June 2013.

If the Chinese have the Shanghainese Pedicure, the French have Bastien, as created by Bastien Gonzalez. The philosophy is the complete opposite of the Shanghainese pedicure, but it still leaves you with squeaky clean hands and feet.  It is a dry pedicure with equipment rivaled by those used in auto detailing shops—in miniature versions, of course, and requiring extreme care and precision.

Luxe bar

The highly focused massage aims to offer optimum mobility, skin elasticity and the highly effective re-plumbing of the fatty cushions in the feet and hands.

For your first treatment, try Albin Brion, the studio manager and podiatrist. Not only is he skilled, he is also the most charming and pleasant pedicurist you will find.

By the left side of the hotel lobby is the very cool and luxe MO Bar. The lighted red circle, the “big O”—a Chinese symbol for shared experience—is a prominent design element. The bar is a place to see and be seen for breakfast, lunch and cocktails.



Comfort food offered here includes fish and chips, teriyaki wagyu burger, Hainan chicken  rice and signature drinks like Rose Petal Martini. The lobster lunch on Sundays is a bestseller.  I didn’t try the Jimmy Choo afternoon tea, but I hear the faux shoes are cute and delicious.

Michelin restaurant

What boutique hotel has a two-star Michelin Restaurant? Well, up on the seventh floor of the Landmark Mandarin is the Amber Restaurant run by chef Richard Ekkebus. He can prepare a 14-course degustation meal, and his resto has been recognized by San Pellegrino as one of the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants.” Amber continues to be the only restaurant in the Greater China region to appear in the top 50 rating.


I strongly recommend the degustation menu with wine and sake pairings. The cuisine’s complex, innovative flavors derive from French and Japanese influences. And the pairings are so well-thought-through. The most unforgettable are the cauliflower velouté with egg sabayon, lobster jell-o with cauliflower caviar seaweed waffles, ebisu oyster and “melt-in-your-mouth” Kagoshima wagyu beef.

The bar’s interiors are spacious and gives the subtle feel of being in a luxury sailing vessel, with its 4,320 golden hanging rods. I guess it carries through from the “Chinese junk” theme at the lobby.

Clearly what the Mandarin Oriental began 50 years ago—commitment to the highest standards of luxury in service and aesthetics—is being carried on by its younger sister, the Landmark Mandarin. Yes, the fruit doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net