BONJOUR BRAND, A SINO-FRENCH COOPERATION

Every year since 2014, French and Chinese brands meet. For this 7th edition, the participants met in Paris at the UNESCO house (75007) on September 14, 2022. As in previous years, the honorary president was Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French Prime Minister but also Honorary President of the event.

Bonjour Brand’s goal is to establish an emotional connection with more than 200 million young Chinese consumers, surprise their daily lives and contribute to known sales by impulse counting in the Chinese market in collaboration with the best designers and brands. French. Today, innovation makes it possible to develop creativity and cooperation with the Chinese market. This forum makes it possible to communicate internationally and to perpetuate the industrial collaboration of the brands of the 2 countries.

Bonjour Brand was created in 2014 by Yang Jing, who also founded the company Bonjour Shanghai in Paris in 2011 to provide design services for Chinese companies setting up in France.

All editions

The first edition took place in Paris, Place Vendôme in 2014, the year the forum was created. It brought together 436 guests, including fashion designer Pierre Cardin and Laurence Parisot, former president of Medef and business leader, who became President of the American bank CITI in France. There were more than 3,000 meetings between the guests and the 173 companies represented, including Le Printemps, Antonelle and Pierre Cardin on the French side and Huawei, Hisense and China Telecom on the Chinese side, under the watchful eye of 103 Chinese and French media.

This forum was organized in Paris on October 2, 2014, place Vendôme, in cooperation with the CCI Paris-Ile de France by Bonjour Shanghai and the communication agency « Mediane », the day after the 50th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. On the program, creation and innovation have made it possible to establish exceptional relationships and meetings. The Médiane agency allowed the interview of Pierre Cardin and the partnership of the brands (…) on the theme of the dialogue with the new China:

Made in France for China dialogues with Made in China for France

• Creators dialogue with manufacturers
• The new Made in France dialogues with the new Made in China
• Brands engage with consumers

Considered as the land of brands, France offers opportunities for fair partnerships with China, which considers brand strategy as inevitable. This is why more than 50 Chinese companies took part in this Parisian forum. About twenty partners made the trip especially to find a partner.

Present during this first edition in Paris:

• Laurence Parisot (IFOP)
• Philippe Houzé (Galeries Lafayette)
• Pierre Cardin
• Mao Jihong (Exception from Mixmind)
• Song Kai (Huawei)
• Antoaneta Metchanova (Publicis)
• Yuan Yue (China Horizon)
• Chris McCarthy (Google and Youtube), this essential Franco-Chinese event has since returned each year to an emblematic place for the 2 countries with the same philosophy in order to break down borders and build creative collaboration: « Make multicultural dialogue a source of innovation for development and cooperation between brands.”
• 2016, second edition took place at the end of May at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Theme: « French design + Chinese industry ».
• 2017, 3rd edition at the beginning of April at the Unesco house in Paris then at the international design biennial in St Etienne. Theme: « French creators + Chinese industry ».
• 2018, 4th edition at the end of May at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. Theme: « The bridge between the French creative industry and Chinese entrepreneurship ».
• 2019, 5th edition at the beginning of October at the Center Pompidou in Paris. Theme: « Utopia » with the support of the online sales giant « Alibaba » and the opening of a pop-up store near the Place du Châtelet. The following day, the Théâtre de Paris hosted interprofessional meetings as well as a gala dinner.
• 2021, 6th edition mid-July at the Eiffel Tower. Theme: « Franco-Chinese co-creation » in the presence of Senator Catherine Dumas, Vice-President of the France-China Friendship Group and President of the Fine Crafts Study Group and HE Lu Shaye, Ambassador of the PRC in France, 1st China Guochao exhibition.
• 2022, 7th edition at the beginning of October at the UNESCO house in Paris. Theme: « Embrace the imagination and make creativity travel » Expo China Guochao.

2022 edition

The 2022 edition is the 7th of the name. It took place in the presence of Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin, honorary president; HE Lu Shaye, Chinese Ambassador to France; Chris Tung, CMO of Alibaba Group; Philippe Starck, designer; Jing Yang, founder of Bonjour Brand and Shanghai; Pascal Morand, President of the Haute Couture and Fashion Federation; Laurent Boillot, CEO of Hennessy (video), Eic Bongiovanni, designer: Thomas.V, jewelry designer; Antoine Corbineau, illustrator…

For this edition, there were more than 110 international creatives, more than 800 creations, the presence of more than 120 Chinese brands. This initiative highlighted the latest productions from numerous Sino-French collaborations, deserved lasting communication between French and Chinese brands, while following a philosophy of intercultural exchanges. Bonjour Brand has become a brand incubator for more than 100 million Chinese consumers after the Covid-19 pandemic since 2020, therefore, creators from all over the world must come together to inspire the public and contribute to industrial upgrading and find effective solutions.

This year, the Foresight and Innovation Foundation (FPI) was one of the institutional partners with Forbes, The Paper (information site belonging to the company Shanghai United Media Group), Huazeng Media, IP Shanghai, and Shanghai International Fashion Foundation (SHIFF) .

As a reminder, the FPI was created in 1989 by René Monory, former President of the Senate and Minister in collaboration with François Dalle, former President of L’Oréal, it is now interpreted by Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Forum program

After the welcome of the guests at 9 a.m., the inauguration of the forum whose theme was « Ignite the imagination and make creativity travel », we attended the testimony on Sino-French cooperation before the signing ceremony of the contract of the industrial sector, and speeches by Chinese and French guests representing companies and institutes.

The first round table was about « When French trends meet China Guochao (Chinese fashion) ». The second opened in the afternoon after the lunch break. Its theme was « Women entrepreneurs: sustainability & creativity in the post Covid-19 world and was followed by the 3rd: « Creativity without borders », subject of the 10×10 exhibition « China Guochao » which presented many artistic creations aimed at to highlight the multiple possibilities of interpreting the concept.The latter is concretized by a logo composed of Chinese characters meaning « A thousand facets of China Guochao ».These works of French and Chinese artists make it possible to weave intercultural dialogues around the logo.

Bonjour Marque 2022 international creatives

The 7th edition brought together a dozen international creatives who have been collaborating on the project for several years and have succeeded in several projects:

• Lydie Bossuet, creator, illustrator and designer: 2 years of collaboration, 8 successful projects
• Eric Bongiovanni, shoe designer. He started his career at Bally and is currently designing A. Testoni, « the Italian shoe king », responsible for the creative design of shoes and luggage. With his precision, he accurately captures fashion trends, delicately controls various materials, provides trend suggestions and analysis for Chanel and TOD, and supports the creativity of creating new series. : 4 years of collaboration and 3 successful projects including « Felyue-DaFu.« 
• Eric Berthes, designer, creator of the « Planet Design » studio in 2000 graduated from the Boulle school and Strate College, he works for Asian brands exporting products throughout Europe. Artistic director of the Orfèvre d’Anjou, he designed champagne buckets for Lanson, Ruinart, Bollinger, Mumm, Rémy Martin and Chivas. In 200, he designed the small « clippot » pots and in 2011, he collaborated with the Jean d’Alos boutiques in Bordeaux by designing a piano for La Cornue: 4 years of collaboration, 6 successful projects including Yunmai
• Thomas.V, designer of handmade unisex jewelry with an « avant garde » touch: 7 years of collaboration and 6 successful projects including NIO and OREO.
• Vincent du Sartel, designer whose workshop is the only French creation and design studio specializing in leather goods, shoes and accessories. This graduate of the Beaux-Arts de Versailles was trained in cabinetmaking at the Institut St Luc, at ESDI. His career goes through the restoration of 18th century furniture at the Vuitton house where he remained 13 years as artistic director of the Loewe house: 4 years of collaboration and 5 successful projects including NIO.
• William Rigoulet, artistic designer, graphic design and logo for leather goods, fashion accessories, watches and jewelry, furniture. His 15 years of experience in luxury and fashion have enabled him to acquire knowledge of materials and a sense of detail: 4 years of collaboration and 4 successful projects including L/M.
• Louis Barthélémy, French designer of textiles inspired by antique tapestries. Based in Egypt and then in Marrakech, he counts Christian Louboutin and Pierre Frey among his clients: 2 years of experience and 3 successful projects.
• Antoine Corbineau, illustrator based in Nantes. A graduate of Camberwell College of Arts in London and the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg, he has worked with major brands, newspapers and advertising agencies around the world. His colorful and startlingly complex works have already been popular with businesses and organizations around the world. Using a range of mediums and techniques, Antoine has dealt beautifully with textures, patchwork, imagery and creative typography. His work has the rare and powerful gift of instantly communicating a simple key message or brand: 2 years of collaboration and 2 successful projects including WEI.
• Cécile Vico, graphic designer graduated from Ensaama. She worked at Renault Trucks, Atelier 360, Maison Louis Vuitton Malletier where she was able to expand her design: 3 years of collaboration and 6 successful projects including BLISS.
• Karine Arabian, Designer of shoes and accessories for women. Daughter of an Armenian tailor and shoemaker family. A graduate of ESAT, she then joined Studio Berçot where she obtained her diploma. Mariot Chanet’s assistant, she takes care of the accessories and soon after creates her own jewelry. Noticed by Marthe Lagache, she became in 1993, winner of the International Fashion Competition of Hyères. She then joined Swarovski under the direction of Rosemary Legallet, Karl Lagerfeld’s right arm at Chloé. In 1996, she joined the Chanel house where she created collections of bags, jewelry and accessories until 1999: 3 years of collaboration and 2 completed projects including MERCURY.
• Nathalie Sokerkia, fashion designer mainly in the fields of accessories and jewelry. After beginnings by making jewelry and theater accessories, she collaborated with many luxury houses (Vuitton, Lacroix, Hermès, Cartier, Dior, Kenzo, Messika), then for these same companies as an independent. Consultant in a design office in a school of precious metal jewelry, she is also an independent designer for high jewelry inspired by buckles and the requirement in terms of finishes in order to surprise her customers. Transmitting his knowledge is his dearest desire, each of his jewels is an enigma to be solved: 5 years of collaboration and 5 successful projects including BOJEM.

First World Cities Design and Creativity Conference (WDCC 2022)

The first conference of design and creativity of the cities of the world is held in Shanghai for its first edition. It made it possible to develop future collaborations with French creators and to tell their own stories to the public. Chinese brands include Shanghai Watch, founded in 1955 by China’s first watchmakers; Perchoin Group, the oldest skin care brand in China and Sansen, another brand of the group that targets young people; Warrior, a well-known brand of sports shoes established in 1927, highly appreciated by Chinese for its quality and luxury; Feiyu China, sports shoes whose trademark dates from 1931 and registered in 1958. Like Warrior, it depends on the parent company Huayi. Feiyue shoes have a more modern design that breaks conventional rules.

A distinguished guest

During this forum, we were able to meet an artist, out of the ordinary, Li Jing who is also called Jin Paris Artist. Jing took his first steps in the art by approaching calligraphy with the master of culture and Chinese calligraphy Ouyang Zhongshi. Since 2008, she has been creating series on the theme of love which she has exhibited across the country, imagining installations, sculptures, traditional ink paintings, these are what she calls « Links of Love », designed to connect the world while enriching its bold vision of Love. One of the most important was « Love Rose Valley », about the blooming world and the ruins of the Wenchuan earthquake. There is also « Jing Pandora’s House », « Love Graveyard » in Africa, « Love chips » in Las Vegas but also « l’Eglise d’amour » at Swann castle in Combray Villiers whose owner is none other than the French writer of Chinese origin, Ya Ding. Painted in red, the color of love but also of China, his native country, this concept has become a controversy because we are asking for the withdrawal of this color.

However, the artist’s concept aims to sublimate the architecture of the « Church of Love » and break down religious barriers through all forms of artistic expression.

On the occasion of the Fête de la Musique, Jing Paris Artist pushed back its limits by exhibiting « Love is linked » in the gardens of the Bourse du Commerce Pinault Collection, an unmissable high place of culture thanks to nearly 10 000 works by nearly 350 artists. This place was therefore predestined to host the parade « Love is linked » which Ya Ding was the instigator of this name. Moreover, the date of June 21 is not insignificant, Jing being an admirer of Jack Lang. For her, « The Fête de la Musique is everyone’s stage, the essence of art is love and freedom ». On this occasion, the immersive exhibition had Christian Audiger as guests and young designers such as Homolog, Gregory Assad, Hsimen, Promulias, Frobolous, during the parade.

Voted personality of the year 2021 in the art industry in China, the artist was encouraged by many cultural personalities including Noëlle Xie, international curator of contemporary art for this event symbol of an art in releasing Love strengthened in religion. According to art historian Man Bu, her creativity is « a feminist version of Ai Weiwei.

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