appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Gloria Tso

Since 2018, fragrance brand To Summer has gradually transcended its mainland Chinese origins to become one of the hottest up-and-coming names on the market globally. Rather than purporting to bridge East and West, its signature scents and gorgeous retail stores are proudly Asian, bearing an innate and distinctive cultural authenticity that has proven to be a strong formula for success. From WeChat to TikTok, the brand took off on social media and is now continuing that rapid expansion with its first overseas store in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. We speak to co-founder Shen Li about To Summer’s astronomical rise to aromatic fame.

What’s the significance of your first store in Hong Kong and how are you approaching business here differently from the mainland?
The mainland Chinese market is actually quite different. Chinese culture and Eastern aesthetics were already prominent there maybe around five years ago, earlier than the Hong Kong market. And working in the media back then, we perhaps perceived that resurgence in Eastern culture even sooner than the commercial market.
In the mainland, we’ve insisted on not opening commercial stores in shopping malls, but instead hope our different locations offer local cultural experiences unique to their respective cities. We don’t want any of our stores to feel coldly indifferent [to the customer]. Passing through these classic old buildings and ancient-style street locations, we hope our stores convey our culture, becoming a space which tells our story, crafts our narrative.
Coming to Hong Kong, we hope to show respect to local culture and customs, unlocking the city’s unique characteristics. We’re not directly importing all we do in the mainland. For example, our Hong Kong store is located in a building on Yun Ping Road in the bustling heart of Causeway Bay which dates back to 1958. Based on historical records, we believe this used to be an old residential building where the first floor was later divided into a bathroom, living room and reading room. We hope to recreate scenes of what daily life was like here for a woman in the 1960s, this metaphorical woman being our tribute to the women of Hong Kong.

Your aromas are infused with a nostalgic, distinctly Chinese aura. What was important to you about bringing the brand’s Chinese heritage to global audiences through the world of fragrance?
Fifteen years ago during the golden age of Chinese fashion media, I was working at Harper’s Bazaar and on one hand, we helped some Western luxury groups with their storytelling and communications for the Chinese market. We also learned their strategies for brand building and reaching consumers, so our generation was actually the first or second wave of media professionals in mainland China to learn these concepts. At the same time, we were also constantly uncovering some aspects of our own Eastern identity and culture, exploring Eastern aesthetics with local photographers.
We don’t want to use old-fashioned Oriental aesthetics. For a long time people thought Eastern aesthetics were all about stereotypical dragons or phoenixes. Let’s look at what the rest of the world is exporting. Europe has luxury. The US produced Big Tech. Germany produces hi-tech cars. South Korea has K-pop. Brands from these countries have a global, international vision for exporting themselves to the world. We discussed how we needed to unleash a distinctly Eastern ‘New Modern’ aesthetic which would be universally understood by the world, just as it emerged from the Bauhaus style and school of design.

Chinese fragrance brands are having a big moment right now, and Western companies like L’Oréal have started investing in brands like To Summer. Why have international conglomerates started paying attention?
We’ve been in contact with the founders, CEOs and general managers of global companies like LVMH, Estée Lauder and L’Oréal. In those conversations, they all knew big changes were coming in the Chinese market and they expressed their hopes and anxieties for the future. Why? Because the future Chinese market is like today’s Japanese market, where if we go to department stores like Isetan or Mitsukoshi, we’ll find Western brands competing head to head with Japanese ones.
We chose L’Oréal as our investor [over Estée Lauder] because Sino-French relations were friendlier. The days of just making money by lying around and doing whatever in the Chinese market are perhaps long gone, and that’s why they want to learn from us by investing in us. Meanwhile, we’ve accepted their investment because we want to learn from them and globalise our brand.
What are some of the challenges of competing with international brands, both in China and abroad?
In Asian markets, including Southeast Asia, we don’t face as many challenges because we all share similar cultural backgrounds and an understanding of Eastern aesthetics; our challenge lies in the European and American markets. Our consumers there like To Summer and think our products are interesting and novel, since Chinese brands feel fresher than European brands, but I found the American market to be very competitive. And while in Asia we might be able to communicate with one another through a common language, culture or values, (it’s harder) to explain the underlying philosophy or values to Western consumers.

What gave you the confidence to launch in Hong Kong despite the global economic downturn? How are you moving forward?
We faced significant challenges opening this new store, one being that our shareholders’ brands weren’t performing well in the Hong Kong market. Many international groups were implementing lay-offs and downsizing their physical footprint or store count here. But our confidence [in our brand] comes from our confidence in our culture, a judgment based on cultural sensibilities or sensitivities. I think Hong Kong consumers share that heritage. Just from the opening days, we can tell consumers are really fond of the new store.
We also made a very rational decision based on our data, which shows we already have around 35,000 users in Hong Kong who previously travelled to Shenzhen or Shanghai to buy To Summer, or bought our products online. So we just thought, why not [open a store here]? To Summer isn’t a brand that’s available just anywhere.
In the past when some Chinese brands went global, they didn’t always have cultural depth behind their vision or branding, but perhaps took off globally due to supply chain or price advantages – but the new generation of brand leaders in China will be more confident in exporting our culture, meaning it’ll no longer just be ‘made in China’, but created in China.


Style Edit: Zegna’s new Hong Kong store at Harbour City embodies an Alpine-inspired retail vision

Luxury bar soap revival: how Chanel, Jo Malone, Diptyque and Aesop elevated everyday cleansers

How Hong Kong artisan perfume house Floriography bottles memories and the city’s vibes

Perfumes from Tom Ford, Aesop, Byredo and Penhaligon’s that inspire wanderlust

Fragrances

To Summer co-founder Shen Li on the Chinese fragrance brand’s Hong Kong expansion

To Summer co-founder Shen Li talks to us about expansion and the brand’s first overseas store in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. Photo: Handout

The new To Summer store in Hong Kong has a deliberate 1960s vibe. Photo: Handout

A model holds the To Summer Cedarwood fragrance. Photo: Handout

The Her fragrance, by To Summer. Photo: Handout

The To Summer store in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay. Photo: Handout

Beauty news and autumn releases from Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and more

A beauty look from Chanel’s autumn/winter 2025 haute couture show. Photo: Handout

Hermès autumn/winter 2025 make-up collection. Photo: Handout

Comme des Garçons Parfums Max Richter 01 eau de toilette. Photo: Handout

Anna Sui Mini Lotion Kit. Photo: Handout

Chanel Les 4 Ombres – 308 Clair-Obscur eye shadow palette. Photo: Handout

English actor Tom Holland is the current face of the Spider-Man films. Photo: Handout

La Mer The Balancing Treatment Lotion. Photo: Handout

The Ritual of Yozakura collection. Photo: Handout

Style according to ... iconic designer Anna Sui, who made boho cool

Fashion designer Anna Sui at a New York screening in 2016. Photo: Getty Images

Designer Anna Sui on her travels. Photo: Handout

Jeanne Moreau and Marcello Mastroianni star in La Notte, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Photo: Handout

Berkeley, California’s Tinsel Trading is one of Anna Sui’s go-tos for antique fabric. Photo: Handout

R+Co Television Perfect Hair Conditioner and Perfect Hair Shampoo. Photo: Handout

Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream is a favourite of Anna Sui’s. Photo: Handout

Anna Sui wearing black pearls from Tahiti. Photo: Handout

Il San Pietro di Positano on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Photo: Handout

Ayaz Qala fortress on the ancient Silk Road in Uzbekistan. Photo: Shutterstock

German-Italian actress, artist and model Anita Pallenberg on the set of the psychological thriller Performance, in 1968. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Anna Sui faux fur trim coat. Photo: Handout

Luxe laundry: now even washing your clothes is elevated, as high-end fragrance brands like Le Labo have their own formulas, as do dermatologist Barbara Sturm and Kardashian matriarch, Kris Jenner

French brand Kerzon uses traditional methods. Photo: Handout

Bestselling Dedtergent by Dedcool. Photo: Handout

Emerald Fresh products come in pretty, recycled packaging. Photo: Handout

High-end fragrance brands like Maison Francis Kurkdjian are moving into laundry detergents. Photo: Handout

L’Avant Collective packaging is refillable. Photo: Handout

Meet Troye Sivan’s sister Sage Mellet, who inspired his new fragrance

Troye Sivan’s younger sister, Sage Mellet, is the inspiration behind his scent and lifestyle brand’s Sage’s Rose fragrance. Photo: @sageybabey/Instagram

Troye Sivan’s sister Sage Mellet posted a photo of herself in Japan this February. Photo: @sageybabey/Instagram

Troye Sivan and Sage Mellet in June. Photo: @sageybabey/Instagram

Troye Sivan’s sister Sage Mellet offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creative direction for Sage’s Rose. Photo: @sageybabey/Instagram

Troye Sivan’s sister Sage Mellet posing with a Michael Kors bag in May. Photo: @sageybabey/Instagram

Troye Sivan’s sister Sage Mellet in Corfu, Greece, in July. Photo: @sageybabey/Instagram

How modern designers are transforming glassware from mere dining table staples to decorative accents

Donatello Glassware at Cabana. Photo: Sarah Rainer

Venini Fazzoletto a Canne vase at Abask. Photo: Handout

Ichendorf Milano Desert Plants collection Turquoise Cactus candleholder. Photo: Handout

Stella glass from Saint-Louis’ Les Endiablés collection, at Lane Crawford. Photo: Handout

Lobmeyr Tumbler Concave Painted Butterflies, at Lane Crawford. Photo: Handout

Mori Glass Hand-Blown Glass Plates at Abask. Photo: Handout

Cabana Balloton Murano glassware. Photography: Guido Taroni 

Magazines

Style

Beauty

Beauty News

The proudly Asian brand’s Causeway Bay store is a 1960s-inspired tribute to the women of Hong Kong, filled with nostalgia-infused scents


The proudly Asian brand’s Causeway Bay store is a 1960s-inspired tribute to the women of Hong Kong, filled with nostalgia-infused scents.


To Summer co-founder Shen Li on the Chinese fragrance brand’s Hong Kong expansion

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The proudly Asian brand’s Causeway Bay store is a 1960s-inspired tribute to the women of Hong Kong, filled with nostalgia-infused scents

The proudly Asian brand’s Causeway Bay store is a 1960s-inspired tribute to the women of Hong Kong, filled with nostalgia-infused scents