YesStyle Opens San Francisco Store

It’s not Uniqlo, but it’s start. Earlier this week, PSK gave me the heads up that YesStyle.com – the fashion/beauty/accessories spin off to YesAsia.com – is launching it’s first brick and motor store in San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria today at 2:00 p.m. PT. If you’re in the area and are free – you should check it out and pick up some free gifts:

The first 10 customers who make a purchase on opening day will receive a free Momoko Doll valued at $139*. The following 100 customers who make purchases receive a free Green Banana Beanie (value $25).

As an FYI to everyone who’s not familiar with YesStyle.com, it’s an online store where you can buy FOB style clothes (e.g., the latest styles and fashion trends in Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan). I’ve never shopped on the site, but I have friends that love the site.

Filed under: Beauty, Breaking News, Fashion, Retail, Asian, Beauty, China, Designer, Fashion, Retail, San Francisco Bay Area, YesStyle

When M-A-C Met Hello Kitty

[Flickr/Vida Colorida]

Here’s an unlikely couple for ya….M-A-C Cosmetics has teamed up with Sanrio to help raise funds for the the Museum of FIT, a NY-based that’s dedicated to the art of fashion.

After creating a new color palate which consists of shades of pink, grey, white and black, the two companies have assembled the M-A-C Hello Kitty fashion designer team to create one of a kind pieces that to be sold on eBay with a starting bid of $200. Each piece is an answer to the burning question, “What would M-A-C Hello Kitty wear if she were a fashionista?”

This International team features designers from around the world. Representing the Asia-Pacific region is Japan’s Dress33, Korea’s General Idea: Bum Suk Choi and Sang Beg Ha, China’s Qiu Hao and Taiwan’s Shu-Chi Huang.

When I first read about this, I thought that this was an odd couple. When I think of M-A-C, I think of the club girl or extreme high fashion experiments. When I think of Hello Kitty, I think of the cute Japanese school or anime otaku. But on second thought, but brands have a strong following and I am sure there will be those who are obsessed enough to buy, buy, buy! So in that sense, this was a cool marketing endevor.

I should also mention that this partnership also includes a special makeup collection that includes eyeshadow, glosses, lipsticks and liners. Other Hello Kitty products are brushes, a brush case, jewelry, doll and cosmetics bag. Unlike the designer clothes, this collection will be made for mass consumption…for now.

Filed under: Beauty, Fashion, Marketing, Asian, Beauty, Bum Suk Choi, China, Designer, Dress33, Fashion, General Idea, Hello Kitty, Japan, Korea, M-A-C, Qiu Hao, Sang Beg Ha, Shu-Chi Huang, Taiwan

The Face Shop + Walgreens

shopping for masks at The Face Shop, originally uploaded by shoppingmum.

For Asians living in the U.S. who dearly miss their packaged facial masks, they no longer need to trek to Japantown/Koreatown/Chinatown to find imports. Hallejuia!

The Face Shop, the unbiqious South Korean beauty brand and retailer, has struck a deal with Walgreens as part of their on-going plot to make it in the U.S. Starting in August, Walgreens will be selling 10 different facial mask treatments in its 6,500 retail stores nation-wide. If all goes well (at the bottom line), Walgreens will move forward with its long-term plan to expand its product offerings from The Face Shop. Cross your fingers everyone!

According to WWD.com, this deal emerged after a successful six-month test, in which the Asian facial masks were sold at a few Walgreens stores in Washington and Oregon with high Asian/Asian American foot traffic. Just goes to show that “yes”, we want beauty brands that cater to their skin types. It’s interesting though that Walgreen’s largest demand for more for-Asian products was coming out of Oregon and Washington rather than California and New York. But I suppose that there’s enough imports into SF, LA and NYC that Asians don’t need to ask U.S. retailers to stock special products for them.

Either way, this is nonetheless a huge breakthrough for The Face Shop as its initial U.S. launch in 2005 failed to build much brand awareness among American shoppers. It’s first Manhattan store has since closed, but to-date it does have four branded boutiques in Queens (NY), Palisades Park (NJ), Chicago (IL), and Santa Clara (CA). Call me crazy, but these areas don’t exactly sound like high profile and high traffic markets….but apparently they are planning to open a couple more stores in the California before the end of the year…..hopefully, closer to me.

Filed under: Beauty, Retail, Beauty, Facial, Facial Masks, Korea, The Face Shop, Walgreens

L’Oréal On Selling Beauty To The Chinese Market

 

China counter L’Oreal Paris, originally uploaded by Pat M.

At the WWD Beauty Summit this week, L’Oréal China‘s President and Managing Director, Paolo Gasparrini raised some interesting points about marketing the beauty brand and product Chinese consumers. (Gasparrini established L’Oréal’s business in Mainland China in 1997.)

“Chinese consumers are very demanding and very curious. We had to start from zero and explain to people who we, L’Oréal, was, as a company and our history,” Gasparrini said. “Then they say, ‘OK, we understand that you represent this big company, but why do you think that you are legitimate to sell products to us? Our skin is different from yours. Our hair is different from you. Our taste is different from you.’” —WWD.com (May 30, 2008)

Long story short, L’Oréal needed to prove to the Chinese consumers as a foreign brand that they understood the Chinese hair and skin. So they set up industry in China and built a research and development facility to focus specifically on the needs of the Chinese market.

One interesting point that Gasparrini made how Chinese women want to see their own ideals of beauty reflected in marketing materials, rather than the aesthetics of French beauty. This is a smart move considering how in the U.S., much of the images of Asian American women is based on a Western perception of Asian beauty (i.e. Lucy Liu). Not necessarily the best move, if your company or brand is trying to reach out to the Asian American market.

Filed under: Beauty, Retail, Beauty, China, Consumers, International Marketing, L'Oreal, Marketing, Paolo Gasparrini