Mr. Bags Taps Into Fine Jewelry and Watch Market
SHOP WITH HIM: Tao Liang, or commonly known as Mr. Bags to his millions of followers in China across WeChat, Weibo and Xiaohongshu (Red), unveiled his new project Mr. Jewelry & Watch on Monday.
Its WeChat account amassed more than 10,000 followers within the first hour of launch, and its first article about iconic jewelry from 23 luxury brands had 50,000 views in two hours.
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Liang said the new vertical will be targeting female readers who “have bought many luxury handbags and want to pursue something more precious and long-lasting.” It will focus on the brand’s classic collections and gradually expand into seasonal or special collections.
“I think this would be a perfect opportunity, just like how I started Mr. Bags; Mr. Jewelry & Watch will become a guide to Chinese consumers. As one of them, I know what they want to know, what they are curious about, and how to educate and communicate with them,” he said.
“Many Chinese girls own 20-plus luxury handbags in their closet and know so much about handbags. When it comes to fine jewelry, however, they only know about Cartier Love and Tiffany T. Not to mention they have no idea of the price point of watches from Audemars Piguet, Omega and IWC,” he added.
Liang believes he can duplicate his success from Mr. Bags to a much more premium market. “I am very good at building up logic structures around things. I used to categorize handbags into different groups — the Classics, the New Classics, the Super-Hot Ones, for example — to help my followers make decisions while purchasing the bags. I think I can help them again in the field of fine jewelry and watches, leading them to purchase the right pieces for themselves.”
One of the most successful Chinese fashion influencers, with an 18-person team and a combined following of seven million, Liang runs Mr. Bags and Mr. Jewelry & Watch on WeChat, Mr. Bags and Mr. Heels on Weibo and Mr. Bags on Xiaohongshu (Red).
He pointed out that Xiaohongshu is one of its fastest-growing platforms. “Every day we have over 1,000 new followers. The content on it is short videos, which are very popular in China right now,” Liang said.
Liang pioneered the special collaborations business model and proved that fashion influencers can have a high follower to consumer conversion rate. Mr. Bags has done 11 crossovers with luxury brands, such as Tod’s, Longchamp, Chloé, Givenchy, Dunhill and Burberry, and all sold out within minutes of launch.
Liang declined to reveal any jewelry-related new initiatives, but said he is in touch with a well-known e-commerce platform. “We are working on a new project. Hope it will bring something new to my fans,” he said.
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