Aiming to go global

Earlier this month, Chen opened The House of Grace Chen in Shanghai.

"The key is to wake up the beauty of a woman, to make you a better person, and to make you understand yourself better."

Chen's clientele includes celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Helen Mirren, Yue-Sai Kan, Yang Lan and Liu Xiaoqing.

Besides customers from the political and business worlds, she also has the new-rich, who tend to follow the latest trends.

She says the most important clients in the future will be young, successful professionals in the technology and finance sectors, many of whom are between 35 and 45.

"These people are the future of the luxury market in China. They will be the most important market, instead of the new-rich. Some big brands are making a mistake, seeing the new-rich as their major clients. The new-rich can be luxury clients, but they are not loyal, true clients. They follow because they imitate, not because they understand the brand.

"The real luxury customers in China start from a spiritual level. This group (successful professionals) is huge, it is very powerful and it has big impact on young people."

Contact the writer at sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn