Cosmetics with the allure of candy
DAMIEN ZHONG: When I first considered entering the
cosmetics industry, I was certain that I didn’t want to
give my brand a name that was too predictable or had
anything to do with makeup. I love eating prune-flavoured
gumdrops, a traditional snack that’s really popular in
China. We call them hua mei tang – they’re tangy, sour and
sweet all at the same time. I thought it would be a fitting
name for my brand because makeup products are slightly
reminiscent of candy, both in the way they’re packaged
as well as in the way we savour them – a little bit at a time.
Harmay is just a loose English phoneticization of hua mei.
I hope that when customers visit one of our stores, they
feel like they’re picking out candy to take home and going
on a sensuous journey that they chart themselves.
Offering solitude while shopping
After conducting some consumer research, I found that
a pet peeve for Chinese customers is having sales assis-
tants hovering over them as they shop. I can empathize:
having a pushy salesperson trying to sell me something
when I’m just browsing puts me off the idea of going shop-
ping. I want to ensure that Harmay’s customers can always
enjoy a comfortable, serene experience while in one of our
stores, especially given that picking out cosmetics is very
much an intimate and personal act. You don’t want some-
one intruding on your thoughts while you’re looking for
the perfect face cream. All of Harmay’s stores are designed
with these intentions firmly in mind – we encourage our
customers to explore every nook and cranny and discover
new products at their own pace. They’re completely in
control. In the meantime, shop assistants can focus their
efforts on taking stock and finishing other logistical tasks,
while being on hand to answer any questions if necessary.
The enduring appeal of brick-and-mortar
locations
Prior to 2015, Harmay products were available only online,
via Taobao, and there was a lot of pessimism about the
future of brick-and-mortar retail. Despite all this, we
created our first store, in Shanghai. Instead of thinking of
online shopping as a threat to offline stores, we considered
how one could complement the other – and vice versa.
When someone walks into a shop, it’s no longer to simply
buy something. It’s about them taking the initiative to
inspire themselves and pique their curiosity with products
they weren’t expecting. That’s also why I’m adamant that
our stores should have inconspicuous entrances. From
the minute customers step through the door they’re in
for a surprise, and that’s the sort of feeling you can't
replicate online.
The concept behind Harmay’s flagship in
Hong Kong evolved from it being merely a warehouse
to store our products, which we then sold to the Chinese
market. But I wondered if there was perhaps a more
innovative way of fully utilizing a space we already had to
engage with our customers. I’ve always been fascinated by
the look of traditional apothecaries in the city, which ped-
dle all sorts of Chinese medicine. In particular, I love the
little drawers that you can pull out to see what lies within.
At the same time, I wanted to be able to preserve the
feeling of the original space, with its sleek industrial decor.
That’s how the design of the Hong Kong shop came about,
with its numerous drawers that encourage tactility. I was
also very keen on having the display shelves suspended
in the air rather than resting on the ground, as they do in
most typical stores. It’s these little acts of rebellion against
conventional design that I enjoy. »56 In Practice