THE TAILOR-MADE LUXURY IN THE CHINESE MARKET
Francesco Sani is the founder and CEO of the architecture and design studio SANI + Partners, with its main headquarters in the province of Florence and operational offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Kampala.
Born in 1978, Francesco Sani graduated in Architecture from the University of Florence and specialized in Interior Design at the Politecnico di Milano.
As an interior, furniture, and lighting designer, he has won numerous international awards and, in 2020, the British magazine Build recognized SANI + Partners as “Most Innovative Multi-National Interior Design Specialist”.
WHAT IS SANI + PARTNERS’ EXPERIENCE IN THE CHINESE MARKET?
I first arrived in China in 2013, as I like to say, “entering through the back door”, meaning by going through the heart of China’s manufacturing world. I actually began my journey as a product designer for lighting and furniture companies in the Guangdong province, winning, among other things, international awards such as the IF Home Style Award in 2016.
Later, I moved into teaching and today, together with my staff in Shanghai and Hong Kong, I work in interior design both in the commercial and residential sectors.
As you can imagine, my path has led me to get to know different facets of the Chinese market and to deal with very different types of clients, from small entrepreneurs to large multinational corporations.
When I came into contact with OnlyOne, I immediately thought that there could be many opportunities in this market and I promptly joined the team, taking care of the distribution of the magazine in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
HOW CAN BESPOKE DESIGN CREATE ADDED VALUE FOR THE CHINESE MARKET?
The furniture and design market in China is a highly mature and receptive one. You can find flagship stores of the most important international brands, concept stores selling top-level products and accessories, not to mention the endless number of parallel market operators which, as with fashion products, perhaps represent the main sales channel in China for high-end goods.
In this context, being able to “offer” customized services and products is certainly the best way to provide that added value that allows the individual to become unique.
DO STAKEHOLDERS HAVE THE SENSITIVITY TO APPRECIATE THE EXCLUSIVE VALUE OF THE BESPOKE NICHE?
Every time we approach a new project, we always propose something different and “never seen before”, and in a sense, our way of working can also be considered bespoke.
I can say that, although the Chinese market is enormous, the niche that can access bespoke products is very small, almost like the tip of a pyramid.
The main difficulty is not only identifying those who have the financial means to access these productions and exclusive brands, but above all those who have the cultural capacity to understand the value behind a tailor-made product, and to recognize how this value is today the only way to truly be exclusive.
The path to establishing bespoke design in China must therefore start with educating the market, something that OnlyOne is already doing with the magazine and that we will also continue in the future through other interesting initiatives specifically designed for this market.
YOUR STUDIO IS PRESENT IN DIFFERENT MARKETS: WHERE DO YOU SEE THE MOST INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS FOR BESPOKE DESIGN IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
As a studio, we are investing heavily in the African continent as a future outlet for our work, and I can already speak of small but encouraging results.
As for the world of bespoke design, I believe that all of Asia, not only China, is definitely the market of the present and the near future.