“Luxury product business requires knowledge, experience and experience”
“I love you so much!”
I know you come from a well-to-do family in Ho Chi Minh City, right?
I was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City (then Saigon) until I was 8 years old when I moved to Germany. My father opened a company specializing in manufacturing shampoo and hair spray, named Le Lang 999, maintained from 1960 to 1975, specializing in supplying hair salons in Vietnam. At that time, there were no supermarkets, hair products were not sold in mass, but people had to go to the shop to buy them, and Le Lang 999 was very popular, especially with older customers.
Dad was born in 1908, died at the age of 99. The difference between my parents is 36 years old, if today it would be a big scandal, but my parents proved the opposite. Mom married her father when he was 20 years old, and his father was 56 years old, the two lived happily together until death. I have never heard two people raise their voices to each other. Dad is very kind and gentle; Mum is a detailed, classy person. At that time, my mother often went to professional associations in the hair industry, so she dressed very well. Mom combs her hair, holds a dress in the 60s-70s, the three couples wear vests and ties, very stylish.
I love my mother very much. As the youngest child in the family, two older brothers, she has her own family, I only have a boyfriend, so my boyfriend and I often take my mother to many places.
Designer Thai Cong and his mother. Photo: NVCC.
Father of designer Thai Cong. Photo: NVCC.
Are you more like your father or more like your mother?
I’m not sure if I’m influenced by dad or mom, but probably more by mom. Ma is a meticulous person, fastidious in eating and drinking. I have never seen anyone who is as difficult to eat as Mom. Mother does not eat raw food, cold water wash, fish sauce or seasoning. The strange thing is that even though I don’t eat raw fish, my mother makes sweet and sour fish sauce with spring rolls that is extremely delicious without trying. Ma’s other dishes are also very good. You are very wise, aren’t you?!
Maybe that’s why I’m influenced by my cheeks a lot. I am very afraid of dirt. From a young age, in Vietnam, there are many kinds of glasses and cups, if there is no pad underneath, they will be yelled at (he said while lifting the cup of water next to him). The cup must be supplied with a platter, emptying the cup is not possible.
A Thai Cong store in Thu Duc City (HCMC).
If you notice, when traveling by plane, business class will be served metal and porcelain tableware; If you’re in economy class, you’ll eat plastic. Therefore, cutlery is an example of “playing around” but it reflects the level of our life. In fact, when I use something expensive, I value it more, more carefully, and therefore less likely to break it. Therefore, I often say do not use cheap, poor quality products because I am very frugal. I dread having to buy the same thing over and over again because it goes bad, and that makes me feel like a waste. When we have requirements for a higher quality of life, more fine details in life, we will find ways to do the best work, serving our own requirements.
In Japan, we see that they do everything for a reason, from selling an apple wrapped in paper, to a bowl that is also designed to put a spoon at the top of the bowl. They think through every detail. That is something worth learning. Like the items in this room, I arrange them all with meaning and reason in the lifestyle, not randomly. In the interior, if an item is placed somewhere, the reason for that arrangement must be answered.
Is such skill too tiring?
No, you just get tired if that’s not your lifestyle, but for some reason you have to try to create that lifestyle, you’ll get tired. When it’s a true lifestyle habit, it makes you comfortable and confident, wherever you go in the world. Many people have small children, their houses are always messy, so they think to buy cheap furniture and plastic items to prevent damage or breakage. But later when it is big, using glassware, it is not used to it and can also break. In fact, when I make beautiful houses for many guests, the children who grow up in those families from a young age, with a proper lifestyle, are formed habits from a young age, so they will get used to that lifestyle. Damage to items is rare. Once it’s a habit, it will form standards for you and for those around you. Clear standards make life comfortable, everyone knows what they want and I also know what I want.
But not every expensive item will make for a good experience. Between the chipped $300 Saint Louis crystal glass and the $3 USD glass, which one would you choose? I would choose the 3 USD glass because it is perfect. Even selling a restaurant, a cup of coffee of 80,000 VND in a cup of 300 USD cannot be used in batches.
“I’m not trying to convince customers”
The move to Germany brought you to the interior design industry, right?
I’m better at arts and math, but hate memorization. I remember when I was a child, when I was bad at school, my father used to find a box to threaten me to sell cigarettes. I have to promise my dad that I won’t be bad at school.
Although strict about studying, my parents never forbade me from doing what I like, only advising. In college, I chose to study fashion design. Studying took 4 years, but never worked. After graduating from college, I worked as a fashion stylist for fashion magazine photographers, then switched to photography and opened a gallery.
At the opening of the photo exhibition, photos taken by many famous photographers are also very picky about buyers, because they prefer to buy art paintings. Then I brought more furniture to display, the customer saw that the picture with the table and chairs matched, so they bought both the picture and the furniture.
And immediately sell luxury goods?
The furniture business also has to go through many stages, it is not easy to sell luxury goods from the beginning, because when it first opens, where does it get capital. That process can be summed up in just a few sentences, but in reality it took place over 10 years, not in a day or two. At first, I chose cheap, easy-to-sell and easy-to-buy items, like a 3 EUR glass, there were thousands of buyers, but a 300 EUR glass would probably have one customer. After that, the store alternates selling expensive products with popular products, gradually people buy it, then switch to selling goods.
There have been quite a few good stories in my 10 years of changing my client file and serving goals. I remember once a newly married female customer often came to my shop to look and buy things alone. At that time, she chose many products and really liked my style. The products I provided at that time were also good but not too classy, like a table lamp that costs about 300 USD. I recommend this client a number of home decorations, each of which is within the same price range.
But the surprising thing is that one day she went with her husband, after seeing a few products selected by his wife, he said: “Why are you bringing these cheap items home?”. At that time, I was very angry and felt very proud because when I worked for many customers before but never met anyone who said that. I wonder who this guest is and why say that? Because a chair costing a few hundred dollars is not cheap.
But after 20 years of working in this profession, I understand that the husband of that customer is a noble family in Germany, the requirements for life are very high and they find all the best for their life. So at that time, the products I had did not meet their requirements.
To be designed by Thai Cong, some customers have to spend millions of dollars. How do you make customers willing to spend so much money?
I don’t try to convince customers to buy my stuff because I believe that the quality will last forever, and each product has a certain value. At this age of the profession, I can choose what is right for me in both life and business, and I will choose to cooperate with people who I find the working process between the two sides is always full. laughter, and comfort.
What is beauty to you?
Beautiful in my eyes is delicate, artistic and intellectual. Not only beautiful to the eyes, but also comfortable and quality. I believe that without knowledge of an area, and practical experience, it will never be possible to distinguish the value of a product. Furniture is the same, it takes knowledge and experience to understand what is the most sophisticated and classy interior product.
So is wearing a suit your beauty standard?
Vest has become my habit, part of my life. Sometimes my vest is opinionated, but for me it’s a natural thing as I’ve grown up in that style in Europe for over 40 years. Dressing for me is about respecting myself, and respecting others. Hopefully, young Vietnamese people living in an era of good economic development, civilization, and understanding will consider it normal to wear suits. It’s nice to wear a vest, isn’t it?
at Blogtuan.info – Source: cafebiz.vn – Read the original article here
