Howdy people from the 852,
Let me start with a tribute to this guy who has influenced an entire generation of youngsters.
This picture of Akira Toriyama was taken in Beijing in 1984.
For those unfamiliar, Toriyama is the creator of Dragon Ball: 42 volumes and over 250 million copies sold worldwide.
Seriously, who has never tried to transform into a Super Saiyan? Or to perform a Kamehameha with his hands?
Toriyama passed away last week at 68 years old and sadly Shenron — the magical wish-granting dragon — won’t bring him back….
さようなら 先生
In this edition of Better Read Paul:
Introduction: The latest tourism trend is all about a zero-budget challenge for visiting Hong Kong.
Your Opinion: The most popular luxury bag in China is..a bubble tea bag?
My Entrepreneur Portrait: Renaud-Louis Chavanis last week worked 18 years for Rolex before opening his own watchmaking business: Amplitude.
PS: In January, I started a new side-gig: creating websites. I noticed a market opportunity: Since web agencies are slow and expensive, I can offer a way better service for a more affordable price.
Here's my business plan. What do you think? I’m now working on my second website order.
There is this new tourism trend buzzing on Chinese social media
It's known as 特種兵旅遊, and it revolves around a zero-budget challenge when visiting Hong Kong.
Gone are the days of traditional Chinese tourists spending days in the city and splurging on luxury stuff. “Shop till you drop” is dead.
Now, post-pandemic visitors snub usual attractions and use Xiaohongshu — The Insta-like Chinese app — to experience Hong Kong's gem spots in less than 24 hours while spending as little as possible.
Some become "McRefugees” and sleep at 24-hour McDonald's branches to save on hotel fees.
Most of the local restaurants in my area, Tai Hang, have opened their own business profiles on Xiaohongshu to attract young Mainland tourists every weekend.
And it's successful! Now I have to wait in line for 20 minutes to get my Sunday breakfast…
Thank you for reading me,
Paul
Sauvereign, the Hong Kong luxury brand, pulled off an unexpected marketing stunt as one of their brooches was used by Cillian Murphy during the recent Oscar ceremony, where he won the Best Actor award for "Oppenheimer."
DIOR + BUBBLE TEA?
This opinion piece was written by Inna 樱娜 Kochanzhi, a Chief Account Officer at GMA - an agency that has been at the forefront of China’s marketing and e commerce industry for 11 years
The most popular bag in China is..a bubble tea bag?
Yes, you heard right! Move over, Parisian luxury. The streets of China's bustling cities have crowned a new queen of style, and it's none other than Chagee (or 霸王茶姬).
This isn't your average tale of high fashion - it's a story brewed with humour, design brilliance, and a dash of controversy, serving up billions of yuan along the way.
The Cup That Conquered China
Imagine strolling through Shanghai or any major Chinese city, and you're more likely to bump into someone clutching a Chagee tea cup than not.
The brand's explosive growth from 300 outlets in 2021 to a staggering 2,900 by 2024 is a testament to its popularity. With 100 million cups of a single SKU sold in 2033, it feels like there's a Chagee cup in every hand!
But here's the twist: how many people bought it because of..Dior? Yes, who needs a runway when you have a tea shop?
Tea-riffic Market Insights
Let's spill some tea on China's beverage scene. Tea is not just a drink; it's a cultural institution, with the market bubbling up to $91 billion in 2023. The twist? A large sip of this comes from quirky stalls serving up everything from bubble tea to fruit, milk, and even coffee-based concoctions. Names like CoCo, Happy Lemon, and Lelecha are just the tip of the iceberg in a sea of options.
Yet, amidst this ocean of choices, Chagee emerges as the pearl.
The Design Brew-haha
The brand showed up in 2017 - exactly when the tea drink craze was at its peak and new brands were spreading at a fungi growth speed. Yet, until recently, Chagee seems to have been falling behind.
Now looking into the history of its social media, one can say the brand was pushing for the best design. They did well: the cup designs of the leading brands have always been way simpler. However, the industry leaders focused on scope, pricing, flavours, consistency, and setting new standards in the market.
For its fifth anniversary at the end of 2022, Chagee launched a special campaign and it became a total blast.
Best designers are known to draw inspiration from existing ideas, right? But at Chagee, they have outgrown anyone: the new design was not just looking like Dior’s bag - it was the same!
Colours, elements like flowers and animals, a blue band with a brand name.. This wasn't their first rodeo with designer doppelgangers, as eagle-eyed fans spotted similarities to other luxury brands like Gucci and LV.
Public Opinion
Meanwhile, heated discussions on social media show three most popular opinions:
Buy an 18-kuai tea and get yourself a Dior bag!
Dior deserved this after the cultural appropriation skirt story.
It is low to use such a design.
Neither Chagee nor Dior commented on the issue. What is known is that no cooperation took place between the brands. There has been no allegations so far either. Some local sources state that the Chagee design is inspired by Yunnan motifs and traditional Chinese elements, and so it “happened to collide with Dior”, and the discussion has to end.
But let's steep in the truth for a moment: whether or not the tea's popularity was entirely due to its designer doppelganger design, one thing's for sure - Chagee didn't just sell a drink; they sold an experience.
Seen In Hong Kong
Spotted at Hong Kong MTR station, they definitely chose the right planet…
The Entrepreneur of the Week
While men in their 30s are usually into Rolex and wine bottles, I have been wearing the same Casio watch for the past 2 years and I’m a beer lover. So by curiosity, I decided to interview Renaud-Louis Chavanis last week. This 43-year-old French horologist worked 18 years for Rolex before opening his own watchmaking business: Amplitude.
Here is his story:
"I'm originally from Saint-Étienne, a small French city (Thimothée Chalamet, the superstar actor from Dune is a huge fan of our local football club).
In 1998, I was 17 when I visited a friend who was creating jewelries in his basement and I loved manipulating those small pieces.
On my way back, I walked past a watchmaker's shop called “Marc Zimmermann” and that's when I decided I wanted to become a watchmaker.
The next day, I stormed into the shop and asked Mr. Zimmermann to take me as an apprentice.
He gave me a mechanical alarm clock and asked me to repair it. I totally failed and was sent home. To my surprise, Marc changed his mind a few days later and let me try again.
So I began working as a 17-year-old apprentice watchmaker at Marc Zimmerman's, where I spent three years learning the craft. Around the same time, I also started what would become my second passion in life: playing rugby (I needed to release and there is no better place than a rugby pitch for that!)
Finally, in 2001, I opened my first watchmaker shop “TIK TAK firm” and became my own boss. I mostly replaced watch batteries and did some maintenance during 2 years!
It was my first attempt at running my own gig.
In June 2003, I met my future wife at a birthday party, and later that year we spent holidays in Hong Kong.
It was my first time far from home, and I became fascinated by this different world, 10,000 km away from my small French city.
I fell so in love with Hong Kong that I offered my wife to come back together and settle there.
So I sold my shop and in November 2004, I landed in Hong Kong for the second time with two passions in mind: rugby and watches.
But finding a job was quite challenging, but fortunately, I became a full-time player for the Hong Kong rugby team and represented the city on international pitches.
Finally, in 2005, I found a job at the world’s No. 1 luxury watchmaker Rolex and spent 18 years there, learning the importance of excellence and perfection in the watch industry.
At that time, Rolex had just started its watch retail business in Mainland China. and the company offered me the opportunity to develop their Shanghai branch.
So I made the decision to relocate my family to Shanghai before eventually returning to Hong Kong in 2018 (I was missing the city so bad).
Back there, I was still working at Rolex, but the idea of creating another Tik Tak firm started growing, and I began working on it in 2021.
In December 2022, I had a discussion with a friend to determine the financial requirements and find the necessary funding.
My contract at Rolex was ending on July 31, 2023, and a few weeks later, I found a two-floor space in the hip neighbourhood of Sheung Wan and opened my watchmaker shop Amplitude.
Amplitude focuses on service, education and maintenance with 95% of our revenue coming from the later.
At first, Amplitude’s client base began with my inner circle—the rugby community, my friends, and former colleagues. Now with the help of my wife who is taking care of social media and marketing we are expanding our customers base to reach both watch collectors and newbies.
Within six months, we have already established contact with over 200 clients
My working hours stretch from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the most challenging aspect is getting spare parts from selected suppliers.
It's been over two decades since I started my watchmaking apprenticeship.
Time surely flies, especially when you're selling watches! Looking back, I can't help but wonder what would have to me if I hadn't passed through this watchmaker's shop in 1998.
No regrets, though!
If you want to discuss watches with Renaud, you can contact him on LinkedIn
If you have not done it yet:
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Until next Wednesday!
Paul from Hong Kong,