Asian design e-commerce platform Vermillion is going global with the launch of its business-to-consumer collection, representing more than 180 contemporary Asian luxury brands for discerning consumers.
Founder Krizia Li launched her business this year with a business-to-business (B2B) catalogue, with the aim of showcasing modern Asian design to the world acros categories from home decor to art and luxury lifestyle.
“There is so much design talent in Asia today. Yet, when we think of modern luxury lifestyle brands, oftentimes only European and Western designs come to mind, as there seems to be a substantial gap in awareness and understanding as to how modern and diverse Asian design truly is,” Li told Inside Retail Asia.
“It is our commitment to steer Asia’s design retail industry into the new digital era on a global scale and to open new opportunities to discover hidden gems across the APAC region; and with the launch of Vermillion’s B2B and B2C catalogues, we made the crucial first step of proactive outreach to the world beyond our own borders.”
Vermillion’s customer base ranges from high-end B2B clients in the hospitality, interior design, or commercial property industries, to individual buyers from all around the globe, who are true art and design aficionados, eager to explore the culture, heritage, and design philosophies from Asia.
Connecting with customers
Currently, Vermillion represents brands from 11 geographies: Greater China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Australia.
“We strongly believe that the younger, more affluent digital-savvy tribes and Gen Z shoppers are increasingly appreciative of their national culture as a source of personal pride, in addition to truly caring about the authenticity and stories behind those individuals that create the objects they purchase for use in their daily lives,” Li said.
Vermillion has hand picked well-versed design, art, retail, and furniture consultants on the ground in each of its key locations – Greater China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Japan. This expert network scours the market for exceptional local artists and design brands based on strategic guiding principles outlined by their headquarters and merchandising team.
“Proposed brands then go through a rigorous internal vetting process, where our team assesses the degree of unique value proposition from each brand, identifying whether it is a heritage brand with a rich culture and history such as Gato Mikio-Shouten, a Japanese lacquerware company with a 450-year-long history,” Li explained.
To help customers along on their buying journey and understand the stories behind each item, products feature in-depth details about their origins and the brand and the inspiration behind the product. Vermillion also provides personalised ‘white glove’ services with expert team members on the ground in key regional markets to provide buyers with an upscale one-stop-shop experience.
“[Customers] can share their requirements with our team and we can put together a customised proposal, based on their brief, vision, and budget, for them to review,” said Li. “In Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, and Bangkok, we also offer installation services to ensure all items are delivered, inspected, and installed, according to our clients’ wishes.”
A shift in the landscape
The lifestyle design and products manufacturing field in Asia is highly fragmented and filled with small or medium scale workshops and ateliers, where Vermillion’s significant value-add lies: in consolidating multiple players, and sharing professional resources, such as cross-border sales operations and marketing, legal, customs, and logistics expert networks, helping brand partners save on operating costs and scale up more resource-efficiently.
The company hopes to provide an ever-growing discovery platform that will showcase a more diverse breadth of Asian design styles and heritage. Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia holds a lot of promise as contemporary creators often feature exquisite handiwork that have a great commitment to heritage artisanship and production quality.
“We aim to present Asian arts and culture in the most authentic way possible, that is practical, easily understandable for others, and can become a part of their everyday lives in an elegant and beautiful way,” Li said.
Plans abound
Interestingly, Li plans on scheduling regular travelling pop-ups, so customers across the globe can touch and feel their newest offerings. Vermillion may also expand into new sourcing and sales markets, as well as new product categories that customers have been requesting.
“Building up a two-sided marketplace means that we have to grow by effectively connecting more buyers to more sellers, and by delivering a differentiated consumer offering that will build up our relevance on the world stage,” said Li.
The post How luxury start-up Vermillion is opening the world to modern Asian design appeared first on Inside Retail.
