LONDON — Moynat, the French heritage accessories brand controlled by Bernard Arnault’s family holding company Financière Agache, is looking to court China‘s young and affluent fashion consumers with a dopamine-filled Qixi collaboration with celebrity stylist Lucia Liu, the brand’s first China-focused creative project.
Available from Thursday across selected stores in China, the collaboration sees Liu reimagining the brand’s Duo BB bag in gray and pink, adorned with bows or motifs of albizia flowers, butterflies and acacia beans, symbols of love and joy in traditional Chinese culture.
Bertrand Le Gall, director of image and communications at Moynat, who joined the brand six months ago from Mugler, where held the same title for almost four years, said the collaboration with Liu is a key component of his mission of finding a new expression for the storied house, which would be achieved by a series of crossovers with “special forces” in the creative field.
“It’s a signal that we are moving forward. It’s very important for me and for the house to build a relationship with creatives,” Le Gall said. “Having this collaborative mindset and having something that’s not just an off-one gig, are as meaningful for the product as they are for the house.
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“The first one that I called was Lucia. I met her while she was in Paris for the couture show in January. Talking to her about the project and what I had in mind, and she accepted very gracefully,” recalled Le Gall, adding that the outcome is “a beautiful expression of what the house can do in terms of craftsmanship, pushing boundaries of technicality, but also an expression of love and great aesthetic.”
Liu, often considered one of the most successful and visionary fashion stylists in modern China, said she has long been an admirer and customer of Moynat. She picked the petit and easy-to-carry Duo BB style because she has purchased a few of them over the years.
“I’m very aware of its quality and craftsmanship and the history. To collaborate with such a brand, I feel very confident. I know they will make everything happen in a great way. I chose to decorate the bags with bows because it’s I what respond to the most at the moment. Then you see the other, more subtle details, I wanted to reinterpret all these traditional codes of love through a modern lens,” she added.
In 2015, Liu, who has more than 1 million followers on Weibo, was appointed as the first executive deputy editor and fashion director for T Magazine China prior to its launch. Before that, she was the style director for Harper’s Bazaar China.
She is also the founder of the creative agency The Ballroom. Her clients include award-winning actresses and some of the most in-demand singers in China, such as Zhu Yilong, a Chopard brand ambassador; Louis Vuitton brand ambassador Zhou Dongyu; Yao Chen; Zhou Bichang; Shan Yichun; Jike Junyi, and Ni Ni, the face of Gucci in China.
Qixi, or Chinese Valentine’s Day, which falls on Aug. 10 this year, has become one of the country’s biggest marketing festivals after Chinese New Year. According to data agency Social Beta, luxury labels normally launch the biggest number of localized campaigns during the period.
Le Gall agreed that Qixi is a great occasion to sincerely express Moynat’s admiration for the Chinese culture through the lens of Chinese creatives.
“We are doing many layers of content, some are very commercial, to show the product and the craftsmanship behind our product. Then we have a campaign that is a little movie that expresses the feeling of Qixi. Of course, we also do seeding and placement with celebrities and key opinion leaders so that we can reach a very comprehensive range of people, from megastars to the new generation who are more relatable,” said Le Gall, talking about how Moynat wants to write a new chapter in China, one of the world’s most important luxury markets, where it operates 20 points of sale.
In 2011, Arnault revived the almost-forgotten Moynat, founded in 1849. Moynat is five years older than Louis Vuitton and was best known for its lightweight, waterproof trunks for automobiles. Nowadays, the brand is known for the Réjane Mini handbag, the M canvas range, and the Gabrielle bag, inspired by the sleek lines of Moynat’s historic Limousine Trunk.
Prior to the arrival of Le Gall, the brand had two creative directors Ramesh Nair, current creative director at Joseph Duclos, and Nicholas Knightly, who departed in spring 2022.
