Asia's luxury consumers shift shopping priorities: Bluebell Group
'Brands can no longer rely on heritage or aspiration alone—they must prove their worth across every touchpoint. Whether it's through quality, relevance, innovation or service, the new luxury equation is about earning trust and loyalty in distinct markets that are both fast-evolving and fundamentally recalibrating.'
One of the most significant findings is a growing demand for substance over form. As prices rise and access broadens, Asian consumers are increasingly scrutinising the value behind the label through product quality and performance, investment value, and resale potential. The pursuit of value is also fuelling interest in affordable alternatives, with 75% of Korean and 64% of Chinese and Southeast Asian consumers open to dupes.
This value-driven shift is creating space for Asian home-grown and niche brands. Across the region, especially in China, Southeast Asia, and Hong Kong, there's a growing appetite for brands that are innovative, emotionally resonant and culturally relevant. Interest in Asian luxury labels remains strong, with Chinese consumer interest at 86% and Southeast Asian at 83%. At the same time, limited-edition and niche collections are seeing more demand.
Alongside changing product preferences, the survey highlights rising expectations around service. More than 90% of respondents expect rewards and perks when shopping, and many are increasingly drawn to immersive or advisory in-store experiences, especially in China and Southeast Asia.
Lastly, the report also suggests a geographic shift in luxury spending patterns. While outbound travel from China has dropped significantly—with only 58% of Chinese respondents planning to travel abroad in 2025, down from 78% in 2024—intent remains strong in other markets such as Korea, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. New travel hotspots like Dubai and Sydney are gaining traction, reshaping tourism flows and retail opportunities for global luxury brands.
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Euronews
2 hours ago
- Euronews
Israel deports Greta Thunberg and activists aboard Gaza aid boat
The United States and China have agreed in principle on a framework to implement a deal they reached to resolve their trade disputes last month, according to Chinese state media. The announcement came after the conclusion of two days of discussions in London on Tuesday. The agreement was disrupted by a number of disputes in the weeks that followed, leading to a phone call last week between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, aimed at easing tensions. Li Chenggang, who serves as a vice minister of commerce and represents China in international trade, stated that both parties have reached a preliminary agreement on a framework to execute the deal established between the two leaders, as well as during discussions held in May in Geneva. Further details, including plans for a potential next round of talks, were not immediately available. Li and Wang Wentao, China's commerce minister, were part of the delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. They met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at Lancaster House, a 200-year-old mansion near Buckingham Palace. Lutnick said as he arrived on Tuesday morning that the talks were "going well," and he expected them to continue all day. The two parties aimed to capitalise on discussions held in Geneva last month, which resulted in a 90-day pause on the majority of tariffs levied against one another which exceeded 100% during a growing trade conflict that had raised concerns about a potential recession. Since the Geneva talks, Washington and Beijing have engaged in heated exchanges regarding advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, the issuance of visas for Chinese students attending US universities, and rare earth minerals vital for carmakers and various other sectors. Last week, Trump and Jinping held a lengthy phone call in a bid to restore relations. The call was later followed by an announcement that trade discussions would resume in London. China, the largest producer of rare earths globally, has indicated a potential relaxation of the export restrictions imposed on these materials in April, causing concern among automakers worldwide who depend on them. In response, Beijing urged Washington to lift restrictions on China's access to the technology necessary for the production of advanced semiconductors. Trump said that he wants to 'open up China,' the world's largest producer of goods, to US products. 'If we don't open up China, maybe we won't do anything,' Trump said at the White House. 'But we want to open up China.' Israel says it has deported climate activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, just one day after the Israeli military seized the ship she was on which was bound for Gaza. Upon her arrival in Paris – while on her way back to her home country of Sweden – Thunberg urged for the release of the other activists who were taken into custody aboard the Madleen flotilla. She characterised the situation during their detention as "quite chaotic and uncertain." The conditions they faced 'are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now," she added. The trip was meant to protest Israeli restrictions on aid to Gaza's population of over 2 million people after 20 months of war, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group behind the journey. "We were well aware of the risks of this mission," Thunberg noted. 'The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid.' She said the activists would continue trying to get aid into the enclave and breach what she called an unjust siege. On Monday, US President Donald Trump called Thunberg 'strange' and 'a young angry person' and recommended she take anger management classes. "I think the world need a lot more young angry women," Thunberg said Tuesday in response to Trump, who she's clashed with online on previous occasions. She also asserted that some of the activists detained experienced difficulties in contacting their lawyers. Asked why she agreed to deportation, she said, 'Why would I want to stay in an Israeli prison more than necessary?' The activist urged her supporters to demand their governments not only allow humanitarian aid into Gaza but, more crucially, to seek an end to the occupation and to the ongoing systemic oppression and violence that Palestinians endure daily. She added that recognition of a Palestinian state is the absolute minimum governments around the world can do to help. Thunberg was among 11 other passengers aboard the Madleen. Early Monday, Israeli naval forces captured the vessel without any incident approximately 200 kilometres from Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in conjunction with various rights organisations, stated that Israel's actions in international waters constitute a violation of international law. Israel however denies this accusation, asserting that these ships aim to violate what it claims is a legitimate naval blockade of the territory. The group said three activists, including Thunberg, had been deported. A journalist who was on board the vessel was also released and deported back to Paris. Sabine Haddad, a spokesperson for Israel's Interior Ministry, stated that the activists deported on Tuesday waved their rights to present their case before a judge. She added that all the remaining passengers aboard the Madleen will be held in detention for 96-hours prior, where they will be presented before a judge and their deportations scheduled for after the hearing. Syria will need "substantial international" support for its efforts to rehabilitate the economy, meet urgent humanitarian needs and rebuild essential institutions and infrastructure, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday. Since interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa led an insurgency that ousted the authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad in December, countries have gradually begun restoring ties with Syria, with some lifting sanctions in a bid to kickstart the economy. During a five-day visit by the IMF in early June, the first to Syria by the 191-country lending organisation since 2009, its team met with officials from the public and private sectors, notably the finance minister and central bank governor. "Syria faces enormous challenges following years of conflict that caused immense human suffering and reduced its economy to a fraction of its former size," the IMF said. "While the years of conflict and displacement have weakened administrative capacity, staff at the finance ministry and central bank demonstrated strong commitment and solid understanding." Around 6 million people are estimated to have fled Syria during more than a decade of civil war and the United Nations estimates that 90% of those who stayed lived in poverty and relied on humanitarian aid to survive. Half a million people were killed in the conflict. Damascus now anticipates investments and business projects with Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and others, as they re-establish flight paths and hold high-level political and economic meetings. US President Donald Trump said that Washington will lift decades-long sanctions against Syria, but it is unclear how long that process could take. The European Union and the United Kingdom have also eased some restrictions. Meanwhile, oil-rich nations Saudi Arabia and Qatar paid of Syria's debt to the World Bank, valued at nearly $15 billion (€13 billion). The IMF said it is developing a roadmap for Syria's policy and capacity building priorities for key economic institutions, including the finance ministry, central bank and statistics agency. But Syria has a laundry list of reforms it must undertake, including improving its tax collection system, making sure its national budget can pay public sector salaries and basic healthcare and education, empowering the central bank to take measures to bring back confidence to the local currency and rehabilitate its outdated and battered banking system in line with international standards. In 2017, the United Nations estimated that rebuilding Syria would cost about $250 billion (€218 billion). Since al-Assad was overthrown at the end of last year, some experts say that number could be as high as $400 billion (€350 billion).
France 24
12 hours ago
- France 24
The most eye-catching products at Paris's Vivatech trade fair
Here are some of the highlights of this year's show gathered by AFP on the scene: - Anti-counterfeiting AI - For humans, spotting the difference between a Lacoste polo shirt and a fake sporting the brand's crocodile logo can be tricky. But French startup Vrai AI believes its artificial intelligence model can tell the two apart based on a simple photo. "AI can detect micro-mistakes" made by counterfeit manufacturers of products like off-the-rack clothes, banknotes or even anti-malarial medications, co-founder Hugo Garcia-Cotte tells AFP. "It's more reliable than humans," he adds. Lacoste has been testing the AI model since November, with customs services in countries like Cameroon and Senegal also taking an interest. Robotic telemedicine Scooting around on castor wheels, column-shaped robots from Hong Kong firm Robocore can serve as mobile advertising billboards -- but for now are mostly deployed for medical purposes in hospitals and retirement homes. "We are in about 200 elderly homes in the United States, 1,000 elderly homes in Hong Kong, and we are in a lot of hospitals as well," boss Long Hei Roy Lim tells AFP. The robots, each a few feet high, use AI to navigate environments autonomously, including taking the lift. They can also analyse patients' medical data and have conversations powered by chatbots from American developer OpenAI or Chinese competitor DeepSeek. Robocore says its robots can save time for health workers, whose workload is cut to simply checking up on what the robots have distributed to patients -- hopefully limiting the impact of doctor shortages. With 50,000 units deployed across 33 countries, Robocore was hoping to expand into new markets thanks to its attendance at Vivatech. Nimble electric vehicles At just 79 centimetres (two and half feet) wide and 2.4 metres (seven and a half feet) long, French startup Aemotion's four-wheeled electric vehicle is designed to weave through traffic, saving commuters time spent in jams. Built in central France, the black transport that's not quite a motor scooter nor really a car is fully enclosed and can carry two people at up to 115 kilometres per hour (70 mph). "We aim to sell 5,000 of these a year within five years," company chief Alexandre Lagrange told AFP at the company's stand, where he is showing off the third version of Aeomotion's prototype. Pre-orders are already open for the vehicle, with the company aiming to get road licensing early next year, with a price tag of 20,000 euros ($23,000). The first drivers will get their hands on one in late 2026 or early 2027, co-founder Alain Dublin said. Smart shoes Imagine being guided on a walk around busy city streets not by brightly-coloured signs and traffic lights, but by vibrations in your feet. That's the promise of Japanese start-up Ashirase, which has developed a vibrating tool that slips into shoes aimed at making life easier for visually impaired people. 'We use AI for accurate positioning, by mixing the sensor data from the Ashirase device and location data from (a) smartphone,' development chief Ryohei Tokuda said. Users simply have to select a destination in the accompanying app and the buzzing inserts will let them know when to turn. Backed by carmaker Honda, Ashirase's smart shoe upgrades are already on sale in Japan. It hopes to bring them to Europe starting with a launch in Germany in September.
France 24
14 hours ago
- France 24
787 Dreamliner is Boeing's flagship long-distance plane
Lightweight After first entering service in October 2011, with Japan's All Nippon Airways, 2,598 of the planes have been ordered by more than 80 airlines around the world, with 889 still awaiting delivery. Its appeal is its lightweight structure, half of which is made from composite materials, allowing it to burn up to 20 percent less fuel over long distances than older, equivalent-sized passenger planes. It can be used for "point-to-point" services, meaning it can fly direct to a destination instead of relying on a "hub" system used by heavier aircraft. Boeing says the use of the 787 has opened up 180 such "point-to-point" routes, more than the 80 initially banked upon. Three versions There are currently three versions of the 787: the 787-8, which can carry up to 248 passengers over distances up to 13,530 kilometres (8,400 miles); the 787-9, carrying up to 296 passengers up to 14,010 kilometres; and the 787-10, with up to 330 passengers, up to 11,910 kilometres. The one that went down in Ahmedabad, India on Thursday was the 787-8 version, carrying 242 passengers and crew. It was scheduled to fly to London, but crashed shortly after taking off from the western Indian city. Boeing said it was "aware" of the reports of of the crash and was "working to gather more information". It was the first deadly crash of a 787 Dreamliner. Boeing setbacks Boeing's programme for the plane had suffered several setbacks, including repeated and costly delivery suspensions between 2021 and 2023, mainly due to assembly faults and manufacturing quality issues. The US Federal Aviation Administration ended up reinforcing quality assurance checks and inspections on the production lines. In April this year, the FAA authorised Boeing to step up its production pace to make seven planes a month, from five previously. In terms of sales, Boeing is facing headwinds. The manufacturer did not deliver any aircraft to China in May, despite having a green light from Beijing, which the month before had temporarily barred Chinese airlines from dealing with the company because of the trade war unleashed by Washington. © 2025 AFP
