A look at the growth of Beijing’s luxe market.
A few weeks ago, I was riding in the back of a taxi along Beijing’s congested West Chang’an Avenue, edging past the enormous Gucci flagship store, when I did a double-take: Hadn’t we just passed Gucci? As the driver swerved to avoid an old woman riding a bicycle, I realized my error — the huge, glowing logo I had registered earlier belonged to one of the other Gucci stores that have recently come to grace China’s capital. In a city where the average monthly income is still less than the cost of a Prada “East-West” metallic tote bag, Gucci has six shops. – From ArtInfo