Herm

Florian Craen, Herms managing director in north Asia, told the

Financial Times

that the Shang Xia brand, which means up and down, would remain completely separate from the main Hermès line to avoid customer confusion. The move reflects the trend for luxury brands to appeal to the Chinese market with localized products without jeopardizing the value of their brands.

Shang Xia will initially sell home products, such as tableware and furniture, with a traditional Chinese theme. However, Craen says it might later expand into other areas and that Hermès would bring the brand to other countries if it did well in China. The main Hermès line, which has 18 stores in China, would not make special products for the Chinese market.