Korean pop-stars and WeChat shopping: behind the scenes at Moncler's new Hong Kong store

The level of hysteria outside the entrance to Moncler's new flagship store on Hong Kong Canton Road is, I'd imagine, second only to the welcome accorded to Justin Bieber. Certainly, I can't remember ever screaming so loudly from excitement myself, but for these teenage girls, tonight is a very big night. They are waiting for the star-studded guest list of tonight's opening to arrive, and in particular, for 23 year old South Korean singer/actor/model Oh Se-hun. 

I must admit, the few European journalists in attendance (myself included) are at something of a loss as fans line up along balconies in the mall's atrium, riding the escalators up and down, up and down as they wait, trying to get a better view. With 11 plus million Instagram followers to his name, the star has certainly drawn a crowd - and while the teens lined up outside might be young, they are no less valuable in the current luxury shopping market. Associations like this run deep, and there's no doubt that every screaming young woman here will be saving up for a jacket just like Oh Se-hun's.

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Because it is these jackets - the same padded down jackets that can be seen on every ski slope across the globe - that are core to the Moncler brand. "We don't sell fashion," says Remo Ruffini, Chairman and CEO of Moncler. "We sell a product that lasts, that people will continue to buy. Quality is very important. Quality, and not to be too much in fashion, so that you can wear that jacket for three, four, five years." 

But while Moncler has made these jackets since 1952, in recent years the brand has become known as a fashion label, thanks to catwalk shows with guest designers. Earlier this month, Moncler announced that it will be shuttering the two catwalk sub-brands, Moncler Gamme Blue (designed by Thom Browne) for men, and Moncler Gamme Rouge, designed by Giambattista Valli, and shown during Paris fashion week, for women. 

"The world is very fast. We opened Gamme in 2009, and I think the market has really changed in those last eight years. I was very satisfied with those two projects, but I felt it was the moment to step ahead."

"Our strategy is to have really one idea, one concept. But obviously we adapt; in Asia, you use different channels to connect with the customer. As a market it's much younger, less mature than the United States, so we have to change our approach, but the projects, product, and strategy are very very similar."

That approach means a sales method that will seem futuristic to most of us. In Hong Kong, many customers shop through WeChat - the equivalent of buying your clothes through Whatsapp. "China is the only place where there's an integrated platform. Unfortunately Europe and the United States are not ready yet, but surely soon, someone at Facebook [the social giant also owns messaging service Whatsapp] will have to do something, and we'll have an integrated platform worldwide. I think that is the future." 

But not quite yet - Ruffini's new 500 square metre shop is testament to the fact that he is not yet ready to put all his eggs in the digital basket. "I don't think that the luxury market will move so fast. E-commerce will be a huge part of the business, but I think the physical stores, the physical experience, will be, at least for the next 10 years, very important for our industry." 

And perhaps it is the exclusivity of these designs that is drawing physical crowds, rather than virtual ones. Limited edition jackets made for the launch were selling out within hours, at over ￡1000 each. And for those who couldn't afford one, there were the thousand-plus Mr. Moncler figures, standing 19" tall in several different spots across the city, which were given away for free to (politely) queuing hordes. 350 more were given away after being customised by artist Craig Costello, emerging gilded in silver to match the jackets. Moncler may choose to sell quality, not fashion - but even without the fashion shows, it seems they will continue to create spectacles.