Francesco Sani is the founder and CEO of the architecture and design studio SANI+partners, headquartered in the province of Florence with operational offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Kampala.
\nFrancesco Sani, born in 1978, graduated in Architecture from the University of Florence and specialised in Interior Design at the Politecnico di Milano. As a designer of both interiors and furniture and lighting products he has won numerous international awards, and in 2020 the British magazine Build named SANI+partners \u201cMost Innovative Multi-National Interior Design Specialist\u201d.<\/p>\n
What is SANI+partners' experience in the Chinese market?<\/strong><\/em> How can bespoke design create added value specifically for the Chinese market?<\/strong> Do your counterparts have the sensitivity needed to appreciate the exclusive value of the bespoke niche?<\/strong><\/em> As your studio is present in several markets, where do you see the most interesting developments for bespoke design in the near future?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI first arrived in China in 2013, as I always say, \u201cthrough the service entrance\u201d, that is, through the heart of manufacturing China. I began my adventure as a designer of lighting and furniture products for companies in Guangdong province, winning among other things international awards such as an iF Home Style Award in 2016. I then moved into teaching, and today, together with my staff in Shanghai and Hong Kong, we work in interior design in both the commercial and residential sectors.
\nAs you can imagine, my path has led me to get to know different sides of the Chinese market and to deal with different types of clients, from small entrepreneurs to large multinationals.
\nWhen I came into contact with OnlyOne I immediately thought there could be many opportunities in this market, and I joined the team straight away, handling distribution of the magazine in Hong Kong and Shanghai.<\/p>\n
\nThe furniture and design market in China is very mature and receptive. You can find flagship stores of the most important international brands and concept stores selling top-level products and accessories, not to mention the endless ranks of grey-market operators which, as with fashion products, are perhaps the main sales channel for high-end products in China. In this context, being able to \u201coffer\u201d personalised services and products is certainly the best way to provide the added value that allows the individual to become unique.<\/p>\n
\nEvery time we approach a new project we always propose something different and \u201cnever seen before\u201d, so we can say that our way of working is also, in a sense, bespoke.
\nI can say that, however vast the Chinese market may be, the niche that can access bespoke products is very small, almost like the tip of a pyramid.
\nThe big difficulty is not only reaching those who have the financial means to access the most exclusive productions and brands, but those who have the cultural capacity to understand the value behind a made-to-measure product and to grasp how this value is today the only way to be truly exclusive.
\nThe path to establishing bespoke in China must therefore start with educating the market, something OnlyOne is already doing with the magazine and that in future we will also do together through other interesting initiatives designed specifically for this market.<\/p>\n
\nAs a studio we are now investing heavily in the African continent as a future outlet for our work, and I can already say with small but encouraging results. As for the world of bespoke, I think that the whole of Asia, not just China, is definitely the market of the present and the near future.<\/p>\n