Mary Ching: Creating a Global Luxury Brand through a Remix of Italian, British and Chinese Fashion

Chinese fashion icon Alison Mary Ching Yeung has a flamboyant taste. It is fortunate that her tastes have coincided with increasing demand in Chinese upper class to look for looks that stand out. Yeung fashion philosophy revolves around ‘contradictions and tensions” and this is seen in her black lace-up boots, leopard-print slippers and red stilettos.

Yeung established Mary Ching in 2009. Prior to her company, Yeung lived in the UK where she worked for a private equity firm. Her job required her to travel a lot and her experiences helped her to fuse different national symbols and identities into the Mary Ching brand. For instance, last fall, Mary Ching launched the Chinese Whisper, a luxury leather shoes which Mary Ching designed in Shanghai but manufactured in Italy. Chinese Whisper is snatched up by Chinese fashionistas and by Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Mary Ching’s simple mission is to redefine what “Made in China” means. Beginning with a cashmere footwear adorned with Chinese motif, which eventually became Mary Ching’s bestseller, “Made in China” will cease from connoting poorly made and cheap stuff to a global icon of luxury.

Slowly, Mary Ching became a known brand of opulent items. With “Forbidden Opulence” as its main business concept, Mary Ching targets the women with provocative and elegant taste for luxury products. Most of Mary Ching clients are independent women belonging to Asia Pacific families who grew up within traditional family values. Mary Ching challenges these boundaries to give these women a new level of independence.The new trends of stilettos and cashmere shoes empowers women.

Mary Ching has been successful in becoming one of the most talked about brands in the Chinese luxury fashion circles. It has gained a reputation for playful designs and editorial acclaim through its celebrity endorsements. Since 2009 when mary Ching was established, the company has gained traction in changing the world view concerning Chinese craftsmanship.

Aside from Mary Ching boutiques and independent retailers, its products are also available in the leading five-star hotels and online.