Hankook Chinaware to challenge Wedgwood, Lenox
Kim Young-shin, president of Hankook Chinaware, poses at its Seoul office in Sinseol-dong, Seoul, Thursday.
Firm will open London flagship store in Chelsea in April
ProunaDiana teapot
Crystal work process for every Prouna product is done by hand. / Courtesy of Hankook Chinaware
By Rachel Lee
Hankook Chinaware has been known both at home and abroad for its extraordinary high quality products and designs.
Not only has the company been the country’s most prestigious manufacturer of ceramic tableware, its Fine Bone China products have increasingly become popular in countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States and Italy.
“We are currently working in partnership with 70 countries around the world and everything is going as smoothly as planned,” Kim Young-shin, president of Hankook Chinaware, said Thursday in an interview with The Korea Times. Kim is a grandson of the founder Kim Jong-ho. “We have always focused on differentiating our products from world-class brands such as Wedgwood and Lenox by using natural bone only. Our products also contain 50 percent high grade bone ash imported from England, which is the highest level of all.”
Now that the brand is becoming more recognized in many countries, Kim plans to flex the firm’s muscles abroad. He plans more progressive marketing and PR activities in order to position the company in the world chinaware market as a premium brand that produces the finest products.
“We are doing our best to raise our brand awareness by getting more coverage and advertising in luxury publications including in-flight magazines. I believe we will be capable of reaching our ultimate goal in about five year’s time,” Kim said.
The company plans to open a flagship store in April in Chelsea, one of the most affluent areas not only in London but also the world.
Since Hankook Chinaware was established in 1943, three generations of the family have led the company to become a leading world-class corporation. The group now has six manufacturing plants, and monthly capacity is well over 1.5 million pieces of tableware and 1 million sheets of decal transfer paper for ceramic decoration. Decals are pieces of paper with a design on one side, which can be transferred onto a surface by heating or soaking in water.
The company, which marks the 70th anniversary of its founding this year, has jumped into the world market with its finest quality of luxury brand Prouna in 2003, which is now sold at the up-market departments stores worldwide including Harrods in London and Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.
The 51-year-old president proudly describes Prouna a brand that “brings together the finest raw materials with the world’s most gifted designers and artists,” fusing them together to create a new concept in luxury chinaware.
Prouna has two labels: Prouna Classic and Prouna Jewelry launched in 2003 and 2007, respectively. Prouna Jewelry is the fruit of collaboration with renowned crystal maker Swarovski.
“We have continuously worked in collaboration with well-known fashion brands to get ideas and inspiration. About eight years ago, we worked with five British designers, Swarovski from four years ago, and luxury Italian pret-a-porter brand Blumarine,” said Kim. “It’s still true that Prouna’s brand awareness is lower compared with other established brands that boast over 200 years of history. But those savvy, picky customers around the world know what’s special about our brand, which are our unique designs and best quality.”
After massive investment in research for better products, the company developed in 1991 a new tableware body Super Strong, which has a minimum amount of water absorption and three times the strength of normal dinnerware.
“The product is extremely fracture resistant and has three times the life of conventional stoneware. It has become one of the favorite choices for the younger generation as the ware is richly decorated with bright colors, which is difficult to develop at high temperatures with conventional ware,” Kim added.
Chinaware has become a private collection like art pieces, and products of Hankook Chinaware are no exception. The most expensive piece sold in Korea was a vase that cost 7.2 million won, and in the U.K., a shopper from the Middle East paid 20 million won for a Prouna vase.
“You know, now consumers, especially in the high-income bracket want something different and unique with guaranteed quality, not just something everyone else possess easily. An American customer once ordered products worth 70 million won, and it happens quite often at Harrods too. Customers buy dish sets in bulk, thanks to their originality and exclusivity,” the president said.