OCTOBER 28, 2013, Hong Kong – Today, DFS Group (DFS), the world’s leading luxury travel retailer, installed the new T Galleria by DFS brand — the new brand it first unveiled in September at a special event in Hawaii — to its three downtown stores in Hong Kong. In celebration of the achievement in what is both the founding city and global headquarters of DFS, the Group hosted an exclusive preview day for a large contingent of international press, who arrived in town specifically for the occasion. There, they also witnessed the launch of DFS’ new “T in Art” showcase inspired by the rebranding. Joining them for the festivities were senior management from the Group and renowned Hong Kong actor and DFS friend Daniel Wu.
“We are proud and excited to finally bring T Galleria to our home here in Hong Kong”, said Mr Philippe Schaus, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DFS Group. “Since the birth of our company in 1960 at Hong Kong’s very own Kai Tak Airport, this city has been our core, and for the last half decade, our dedicated teams here have worked tirelessly to elevate the quality and relevance of our offering for our unique clientele: world travellers. T stands for travel, and our new T Galleria is made for the traveller.”
With locations in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Tsim Sha Tsui Canton Road and Causeway Bay Hysan Place, T Galleria Hong Kong represents the ultimate evolution in luxury travel retail. Optimised to deliver seamless shopping experiences tailored to the lifestyle of world travellers, the downtown stores serve as retail havens for more than 18 million visitors a year. In unison with the 48 retail spaces that DFS operates at Hong Kong International Airport, the Group offers world travellers in Hong Kong an expertly curated assortment of products and services across the four key categories of luxury: beauty & fragrances, fashion & accessories, watches & jewellery, and wine & spirits.
At the Canton Road store in particular, DFS has enhanced its renowned luxury brand selection and services with a series of renovations and new offerings. In addition to opening six new boutiques throughout its beauty, fashion, and luxury floors - including DFS’ first Tory Burch boutique in Hong Kong - the Group has remodelled ten of its beauty and watches & jewellery boutiques. In an effort to improve its personalised service options, DFS has also introduced its signature Beauty Concierge, enabling even more customers to experience its professional and award-winning beauty services. For a limited time as well, all T Galleria Hong Kong shoppers will have the opportunity to receive branded shopping totes featuring the city’s iconic skyline when buying from any of the Group’s downtown locations.
Inspiration down to a “T” — Artistic variations on DFS’ bold new design
In an effort to share the arrival of T Galleria in Hong Kong with everyone from travellers to locals alike, DFS has built a novel new platform for tourism in the city: “T in Art.” Paying homage to the people and culture of DFS’ hometown Hong Kong, the public arts work is hosted within the city’s iconic tourist destination, Avenue of the Stars. Composed of giant sculptures of “T”’s placed in succession in a series along the boardwalk, it mirrors the very path visitors take as they journey along the space.
“These ‘T’ sculptures are monuments in celebration of our bold new identity,” said Mr. Schaus. “Inspired by the notion of flight and movement, and resembling the wings of a modern aircraft, our T logo reflects precisely what DFS has become — the world traveller’s preferred destination for luxury shopping. So we have asked 9 individuals—whose identities and achievements we feel are inseparable today from the very spirit and culture of Hong Kong — to design their own T’s, taking inspiration from the universality of ours as they captured the unique flavour and energy of both Hong Kong and travel.”
To be publicly unveiled along the Avenue of the Stars on November 9, the “T in Art” showcase features a diverse range of iconic Hong Kong artists and entrepreneurs, including film director Patrick Kong and hotelier Yenn Wong, the mastermind behind JIA Boutique Hotels. Particularly noteworthy among them is also actor Daniel Wu, who became first to unveil his own “T” design, when he joined the media and DFS on the preview day.
The Hong Kong journey, by DFS
Following the press conference in which Mr. Schaus outlined the continued evolution of DFS and now, T Galleria, the day’s activities came to a climax with Mr. Wu’s surprise appearance alongside his “T” design at the new T Galleria Hong Kong at Sun Plaza. Inspired by his own deeply personal journey to South Africa and his subsequent marriage there, Mr Wu’s sculpture was a celebration of one of his dearest travels, and now, treasures in Hong Kong - his wife Lisa. A red-toned collage of over 800 personal photos taken in Hong Kong and South Africa, Mr Wu’s “T” will be showcased in the Galleria for public viewing throughout this autumn.
After the press conference and unveiling of the first of the “T in Art” sculptures, media were taken on guided tours of the Galleria and then whisked back to Hong Kong Island for an exclusive dinner with senior management and friends of DFS at the renowned contemporary art space, Galerie Perrotin. There, the Group showcased “T in Art” pieces, including an interactive 3D art installation that brought to life the vibrant tone and energy of DFS’ dynamic Fall/Winter 2013 campaign.
Closing the dinner with a speech that evening, Mr. Schaus concluded: “After more than half a century of innovating for and curating to the world traveller, we are proud to reaffirm again today not a promise of who we will become, but a confident statement on who we already are. The launch of T Galleria follows several years of significant upgrades to our global store network and the introduction of highly personalized services that today have made our Galleria’s luxury retail destinations unto themselves. We could not be more excited to continue down this path as we never stop perfecting our offerings for travellers everywhere.”
Following the rebranding in Hong Kong, the DFS journey will continue in 2013 with the conversions of two Galleria’s in Macao at the end of the year.