My CIIE Story • Prominent Platform | Tapestry looks to amaze Chinese fashion lovers at expo

Editor's Note: The fifth China International Import Expo is closer as September had come. The "My CIIE Story" activity, which was launched on June 1, has drawn a great deal of attention and many people have shared their experiences related to the expo. A series of works themed on "grand strategy" and "big market" were published in July and August. In September, more stories with the theme "prominent platform", which showcase how the CIIE turns exhibits into commodities and exhibitors into investors, will be released.

Tapestry has been participating in the CIIE since 2019 and I was always present at the expo to interact with visitors.

We can see through the expo China's determination to expand opening-up. The Chinese market is a major driving force behind global industrial development and the CIIE offers us an opportunity to better understand the consumers. We've also gotten the chance to talk to partners and other brands.

I once met a mother at our booth who made a leather card for her daughter who is going to university. She asked if we could inscribe Rexy the Dinosaur, an iconic design by Coach, and her daughter's name on the card as she hoped her girl can be courageous in a new environment and always remember she is loved. I was delighted to see our product helps people show their love and this is what Tapestry has been pursuing.

China is also a source of innovative ideas. Tapestry has been seeking cooperation with Chinese artists and promoting their designs around the world. In 2021, we worked with Donghua University to launch a program aimed at grooming young designers. Some of the students' works were showcased at the fourth CIIE and one of them was commercialized on International Women's Day this year. Part of the profits generated from the series of works will be donated to women's development programs in China.

This June, Tapestry established new partnerships with Chinese brands and artists in a bid to find more inspiration and bring new surprises to China's fashion industry.

The CIIE also shows us the huge market potential in China's second, third and fourth-tier cities. Tapestry is presently stepping up investments in these markets. For example, we signed an agreement with the Hainan International Economic Development Bureau and the Administrative Committee of Haikou Comprehensive Bonded Zone in April to set up our China travel retail headquarters in the Hainan free trade port. The three brands under Tapestry – Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman – have more than 350 stores in China.

We are looking forward to the fifth CIIE in 2022 and will be dedicated to improving customer experience and increasing local investments to bolster the development of China's fashion industry as always.

The author is the president and chief executive officer of Coach China since August 2014 and the president of Tapestry Asia-Pacific since February 2020.