Xu is emblematic of a fast-expanding cohort of ultra-high-net-worth East Asian consumers deeply fluent in both art and luxury fashion. Indeed, look to any of the major art foundations, exhibition committees and museums across the globe, and you’ll immediately note that a substantial portion of listed benefactors happen to be well-clad collectors hailing from Greater China, South Korea and Japan. As the boundaries between fashion and art continue to dissolve and luxury brands double down on top-tier clientele amid a slowdown, this group represents a high-value, high-engagement consumer segment. But how can brands best meet their needs?
How brands are tapping in
Luxury houses are recognizing this consumer class as a strategic priority. In May, Zegna became global sponsor of the Art Basel fairs, including its Hong Kong outpost, to position the brand as a constant fixture. “East Asian clients value relationships built over time — a clienteling model based on trust, memory and continuity,” says Edoardo Zegna, the brand’s chief marketing officer. “When they travel between Hong Kong, Seoul [for Frieze] or Basel for art fairs and enter one of our spaces, they find a familiar sensibility.”
Art Basel chief artistic officer Vincenzo de Bellis sees East Asian collectors — from both the fashion and creative industries — as an essential part of the contemporary art ecosystem. “Their engagement not only supports artists and galleries, but also drives new forms of cultural expression and cross-disciplinary collaboration,” de Bellis says.
To this point, attendees of Art Basel Paris 2025 will have duly noted the “A-Poc Able Issey Miyake” exhibition running as a satellite event during the fair in October. It showcased a collaboration with Japanese artist Eugene Kangawa, featuring artworks made from paper and cloth. “The response exceeded our expectations,” says Yoshiyuki Miyamae, the designer behind the Issey Miyake sub-brand. “We do not set any special strategies in advance for the East Asian art community. That said, the fact remains that our brand’s practices and attitudes have resonated with many people, and as a result, members of the East Asian art community have been responding to what we do. In East Asia, in particular, there is a deep understanding of craft and textiles, and these values are rooted culturally both in art and in daily life.”
This appreciation for craft and quality beyond traditional branding or logos has crept into the art and fashion spaces over time. According to Ida Palombella, global fashion and luxury co-lead at Deloitte, many East Asian luxury consumers — after a rapid wealth spurt — have moved beyond more basic wealth accumulation into a phase where investment in art, architecture and philanthropy is a means of signaling taste, education and legacy. “To appeal to art-engaged East Asian luxury consumers, fashion and luxury brands need to present themselves less as fashion labels and more as cultural actors,” she says.
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