April 6, 2012 |
It’s hard to get more quintessentially British than Pringle of Scotland. Yet it’s thanks to Hong Kong’s Fang family, who purchased the luxury knitwear brand back in 2000, that its status as a modern classic has been confirmed in the past decade.
Its CEO Jean Fang has steered the brand’s rebirth, playing on its past while maintaining an up-to-the-minute edge: witness Alistair Carr’s elegant silhouettes and rethink of the argyle pattern as bold abstract geometries for his debut spring/summer 2012 collection; Pringle’s choice of muse, the red-headed indie queen Tilda Swinton; and a string of high-concept collaborations with everyone from art cartoonist David Shrigley to its current campaign, shot by the daddy of sexed-up, docu-style art photography, Walter Pfeiffer. It’s a recipe that’s proving as successful in Hong Kong as here. So, what went right? Jean Fang filled us in.
What do you think Pringle’s appeal is in Asia and especially Hong Kong?”
“Pringle, being the oldest luxury brand, with 196 years of history, truly has a great advantage in China. Our customers value the heritage, tradition and its established reputation. There’s also a trust in the craftsmanship and quality. Our long relationship with royalty is a big endorsement, too. We’re often asked about this. People are very impressed by the royal warrants granted by the Queen and the Queen Mother. In addition, in our shops in Hong Kong, we have photos of past patriots like Audrey Hepburn, Jean Simmons and Grace Kelly.”
Is the brand’s Scottish heritage important?
“Very. Our cashmere being made in Scotland in Hawick is a great factor. There are lots of cashmere jumpers being made in Hong Kong and China, but as I said, the authenticity and craftsmanship is what people greatly value. We make sure that our cashmere pieces are made in Hawick wherever possible.”
Do you have shops in mainland China?
“There are three in Hong Kong but not in mainland China. I have to say that the stores in Hong Kong cater to the mainland Chinese customers. At this point, to a lot of people, Hong Kong is still the window and the gateway to the Western world. People can make visits to Hong Kong from the mainland as frequently as once a month.”
Which style icons interest you?
“One person would be Grace Kelly. Icons should be able to present and yet transcend their time. Designers might present features like shapes and colours each season. But all the pieces should be viable a few years down the road. Fast fashion belongs to another segment of the marketplace.”
What would you say Chinese fashionistas are looking for – is it labels, classic style or something more fashion forward?
“I would say the majority of fashionistas at this point still go for labels. They want to be part of what represents the best of the world. They look for brand logos and identities and the more renowned brands become the obvious choices. However, having said that, there is a small group, increasing in size, in a quantum-leap way, that’s starting to look for individuality. They want to look different. Within the large population in China, this is a small segment, from the coastal cities and Shanghai and Beijing. They’re very well informed and extremely receptive to new ideas.”
Of course, Pringle has established a reputation for itself as leading incredible artist-fashion house collaborations. I did see that Louis Vuitton has staged a show with Chinese artist Zhang Huan this year [in Macao], which would suggest that there is an appetite in mainland China for something more conceptually led and forward thinking.
“Beijing is really into art. There are a lot of exhibitions and collaborations happening. In Shanghai I would say less so. People there are more focused on fashion alone, rather than more collaborative projects and artworks.”
You began your career working for Ralph Lauren womenswear in New York. What have you been able to learn from working in both New York and Asia? How do they compare?
“I’m quite split among all three continents – between 10 years in Hong Kong, 15 in the US and 10 in the UK. I have to say that NY is a dynamic and efficient city. I think my colleagues there were very straightforward and self-expressive. In Asia we have a very wide spectrum of cultures and mentalities. Hong Kong is a very westernised city and not much different from New York. I think that’s why I got used to New York really quickly. China is very bureaucratic and relationship driven, as is Japan and Korea as well. China is going through a supersonic phase of catching up with other markets. The energy and enthusiasm are really exciting to see. What I experienced in New York 20 years back is quite similar to what is happening in China now; this is across all industries, from banking to real estate and, our favourite, fashion.”
What are you most excited about in your new design director Alistair Carr’s first collection for Pringle?
“I was taken aback by his love of colour. It’s a perfect fit for Pringle. Secondly his mix of patterns and colour are very modern. While I have said a lot about fashion being timeless and having the capability of lasting, I think fitting to the modern world is very important, too. A simple twinset back in the 1950s will no longer fit today’s world. Having a similar concept and making it modern is very important, and Alistair’s expertise is his eye on the modern take of fashion.”
Your current autumn/winter campaign features Tilda Swinton and the Scottish sculptor Jim Lambie. It’s shot by the influential art photographer Walter Pfeiffer, in the Glasgow School of Art, though the surrounds are very traditional – the library, wood-panelled rooms, old carvings and classical sculpture. What does working with artists bring to the brand and how does Pringle select the artists it works with?
“As you’ve mentioned we’ve done a lot of different types of artist collaborations. There’s a unique reason behind each one, but in most cases we’d try to find a Scottish artist, because that gives a reinforcement of our heritage. We’re really proud of that. One of our first collaborations was with David Shrigley, who is, of course, Scottish. His collaboration was originally an initiative for fashion week in London that turned into something more long term. We did a store window concept with him, followed by a film and then the 195 artist collaborations followed.”
Walter Pfeiffer’s campaigns for you have been, I believe, his first ever fashion collaborations. Though he’s been very active since the 1960s, he’s lesser known than some of the star photographers he has influenced, including Nan Goldin and much younger artists such as Ryan McGinley, who has also shot a campaign for Pringle. What interested you about his work?
“He’s famous for his photographs of day-to-day life, whether it’s famous people, or his neighbours. I think a realistic capturing of the moment is what we were most interested in. We’re about knitwear and that means peace, comfort and practicality. I think it’s a very realistic shoot, as well as being beautiful.”
Rather than using the expected very young models who conform to a fashion-industry type, both Jim Lambie and Tilda Swinton are of an age and peer group who actually buy high fashion. Was that important?
“Yes, we think that their character is a reflection as well. Ideally we’d like to find people who fit the brand, the clothes and really enjoy wearing them, whether they’re in the shoot or just day to day.”
Is Tilda Swinton now Pringle’s ongoing muse?
“She’s the brand’s ambassador and a close friend. Again, she’s Scottish! And also of course, a very stylish character herself. She demonstrates self-confidence. She loves history and heritage and she really loves Scotland.”
Her family has one of the oldest aristocratic lineages in Britain, I believe. She can trace her ancestors back to the Dark Ages.
“We’re in constant talks about how we can promote Scotland in general to different parts of the world. From Tilda’s character and style to her vision, she’s very much a perfect fit for us.”
When your father bought Pringle, what was it about the company that appealed to him? Was it always his vision to turn Pringle into a high-end fashion house?
“We have opportunities to review quite a few brands. One of the reasons we love Pringle in particular is because our own family-business history is knitwear. We started off as a knitwear-manufacturing company and our expertise has always been in knitwear. It was Asia and US driven. Having a company like Pringle, with such a long history and the oldest founding company in knitwear, is a very rare opportunity. At the time we were reviewing the brand, Pringle had been really quiet for 10 or 20 years. It was really a shame because my father was a part of Pringle when he was younger. He’d experienced it in its heyday. We said it was a sleeping tiger and we thought it would be great to rejuvenate the brand.”
by Skye Sherwin
