German luxury house Montblanc is making moves. Its latest: welcoming the actor Xu Bin and radio DJ Sonia Chew as friends of the brand. "At Montblanc, being a Mark Maker is not just about professional business accomplishment," said Matthieu Dupont, the brand's president of Southeast Asia and Oceania, in the announcement. "It is also about embodying passion and dedication to your respective fields," Dupont further explained.
He's referring, broadly, to a conscious move on the part of the brand to diversify and broaden its horizons both in product and ideological scope. Most recently with the introduction of a new line of luxury leather goods created under the fresh creative direction of Marco Tomasetta.
In a press release, the brand describes Xu Bin as a "quintessential modern man", citing the rise of the actor's career since his debut in 2012. Today, he's one of the more prominent (and popular! The actor bagged his fourth popularity award at the Star Awards this year) names in a crop of young actors taking on the mantles of leading men on local television.
For Xu Bin, the appointment as a friend of the brand is a bit of a full circle moment. "I [recall] purchasing my first-ever Montblanc product with my first pay check I received as a supporting actor," he revealed in a press release. Ten years since, and he's now in a position to describe the brand's values as resonant with his "ambitions to always move forward as an actor and always strive for new roles and challenges."
Radio DJ Sonia Chew also describes the appointment as a pivotal moment in her career, lining up neatly with the brand's dynamic On The Move campaign which espouses a dynamic vision of modern life. "It encapsulates me in every way—dynamic, ambitious, and constantly taking on the next challenge that moves me to be the best version of myself" said Chew, who, in addition to being a mainstay of local airwaves for close to a decade, is said to be exploring opportunities beyond hosting such as producing.
The two will be part of Montblanc's On The Move campaign, modelling and showcasing some of the house's latest timepieces and leather goods. Of the former, Xu Bin wears the 1858 GMT Automatic Date tool watch, unveiled earlier this year at the Watches & Wonders convention; and on Sonia the classically-styled Montblanc Bohème timepiece. Of the latter, both are photographed with Montblanc's mobility-focussed Extreme 3.0 range of leather goods.
