Financial freedom starts with smiling at life

Beijing, the headquarters of VOGUE in the China World Trade Center.

Anna Wintour, the global editor-in-chief of Vogue, made headlines in Beijing, and more accurately, in the Asian fashion world.

It has been ten years since his last visit to China, and in those ten years he has basically not been active in the Asian region.

One reason is her age; she's 75 this year, and her health and energy aren't what they used to be. She doesn't attend events in person unless they're particularly important, and spends most of her time in New York.

Secondly, the passing of her old rival, Karl Lagerfeld, was a huge blow to her. The two had been thriving in the international fashion world for so many years, competing and rivaling each other. With Lagerfeld gone, she felt a deep emptiness.

In losing a close friend, you also lose your only competitor.

The feeling of being alone on a mountaintop is lonely and boring.

Ten years later, it made its first appearance in the Asian fashion scene, landing in Beijing, and immediately caused a major earthquake in the Asian fashion world.

After Shangcheng magazine released its guest list, everyone who follows this industry knew that Anna Wintour's destination was not Beijing, but Jiangnan City.

A western city that has virtually no presence in the fashion industry.

She went to Jiangnan City to participate in an event for one reason only: she was invited by Jiangbei City.

She had little interaction with Jiang Beicheng, and had never even met him, but she knew about the big commotion he had caused in Paris.

When I received the invitation this time, my mindset was no different from before. I wasn't very interested, especially since I was traveling tens of thousands of kilometers to participate in the event, and I didn't have the energy.

But when she learned that Bernard was going in person, her mindset completely changed.

In the fashion industry, those working in fashion media are highly dependent on global fashion brands.

Even though fashion media and fashion brands are mutually beneficial partners in an ecosystem, in reality, media professionals are subservient to brands.

Of course, if you can reach the status of her and Karl Lagerfeld, the brands will actually respect you a lot.

They can even turn around and question the brand.

Anna Wintour, the global fashion icon, once managed to postpone Paris Fashion Week, one of the world's five major fashion weeks, with just a single sentence.

The industrial chain and stakeholders behind this global fashion week are intricately intertwined, but she has the power to make that statement.

She has always had a good friendship with the LVMH family, and she was very surprised that Bernard brought the eldest princess to China to attend a fashion event.

Out of friendship and curiosity about the fashion event, she decided to come to China to participate.

The first stop was Beijing, where they inspected the operations of the Chinese edition of Vogue.

Liu Chong, the editor-in-chief of Vogue China, warmly received her and reported on his work.

Liu Chong has become the object of countless female celebrities' flattery and sycophancy in the Chinese entertainment industry.

In the current Chinese entertainment and fashion industry, Liu Chong is practically the only fashion editor-in-chief who is still presentable and has some creativity.

Otherwise, Vogue wouldn't have poached him from GQ.

After listening to Liu Chong's work report, Anna Wintour asked, "Do you know Mr. Jiang Beicheng? What's your impression of him?"

Liu Chong smiled and nodded.

He and Jiang Beicheng are old friends; he attended the first fashion event of "Shangcheng".

At the time, we didn't really take "Shangcheng" seriously, since the top five periodicals were the dominant fashion magazines in the Chinese entertainment industry.

I'm just curious how much influence Jiang Beicheng must have, with so many celebrities, including his friend Liu Yifei, attending.
He had a very vivid memory of that event, which was food-themed and extremely creative. The final result that night was the best one in China this year.

I was very impressed with Mr. Jiang back then, and I never expected that he would become the undisputed leader in the Chinese entertainment industry.

How much time has passed?

Capital players certainly play a different game.

Liu Chong spoke his true thoughts: "Dear Ms. Anna, for the next ten years, or even longer, the Chinese entertainment and fashion industry will have to be mindful of Mr. Jiang's mood."

even……"

He paused for a moment, then didn't say anything.

Anna Wintour was afraid he would think he was bragging.

Anna Wintour: "Finish what you have to say!"

Liu Chong said, "Perhaps Mr. Jiang will become your next opponent." Anna Wintour first raised an eyebrow, finding it amusing; it had been a long time since anyone dared to compare themselves to her. Then, a smile appeared on her face. "If your prediction comes true, I think I can work for another ten years."

I couldn't help but think of my dear friend, the Empress Dowager.

Can this Mr. Jiang reach the same level as the Empress Dowager?

From a personal perspective, Anna Wintour was unwilling to believe it, because the fashion industry had always been controlled by Western capital.

Jiang Beicheng wants to break the mold, but that can't be achieved simply by organizing a few internationally influential fashion events or cultivating a few fashion celebrities; he needs a voice.

This means he is about to become the helmsman behind the three major luxury goods groups: LVMH, Kering, and Richemont.

At the very least, they should be owners of international brands like Chanel, Hermès, and OTB.

Ten years?

Can he do it?
Anna Wintour suddenly felt a surge of anticipation for her trip to Jiangnan City.

He instructed Liu Chong, "Cancel all activities in the capital. I'm going to Jiangnan City to have dinner with Mr. Jiang ahead of time."

Liu Chong stared blankly at Wintour.

His face looked troubled.

All marketing channels of Vogue China have been integrated.

Now we're just waiting for Wintour to make an appearance, paving the way for Vogue's big series next year.

The magazine's year-end sales will also definitely surge because of Wintour.

However, Wintour is now unwilling to attend events because she wants to have dinner with Jiang Beicheng.

It sounds absurd, and doing so would cause Vogue a huge loss.

But that makes sense; Anna Wintour, the global fashion icon, has this kind of personality.

It was a simple statement, "I want to go home and visit," that led to a week-long postponement of Paris Fashion Week.

The postponement of the event resulted in a huge loss for the entire Paris Fashion Week.

If it weren't postponed, Anna Wintour's absence would have resulted in incalculable losses.

In this circle, she can be considered "presidential" level, and after the Empress Dowager left, she became the sole decision-maker.

Anna Wintour observed Liu Chong's expression. "Is it difficult for you to do this?"

“No! No! No! Ms. Anna, I’ll take care of it right away,” Liu Chong quickly replied.

Anna Wintour's expression softened slightly.

……

The headquarters of the LVMH Group in Paris.

Bernard's secretary presented him with the itinerary for his trip to China.

He glanced at it, shook his head, and wasn't very satisfied.

He instructed his secretary, "The store visit plan in Shanghai will be postponed until after attending Mr. Jiang's event."

I flew directly to Chengdu two days in advance. After visiting the stores in Chengdu, I went to Jiangnan City to have dinner with Mr. Jiang.

After personally arranging the plan, he didn't forget to remind his secretary: "Don't make such a basic mistake again next time."

The secretary looked nervous, nodded, and left.

He truly hadn't expected that Mr. Jiang's dinner would be more important than his store visit in Shanghai.

It's important to know that Shanghai is a key global city in the LVMH Group's strategic layout, which is why LV fashion shows are often held in Shanghai.

The boss actually postponed the Shanghai store visit until after Mr. Jiang's event.

Mr. Jiang's dinner seems to be a bit too extravagant.

This feels even more impressive than Buffett's lunch. (End of Chapter)