Chadi Nouri is well-known in the watch and jewellery industry, having worked in the milieu for nearly ten years, including eight as product director for Cartier and Audemars Piguet. She has now embraced her entrepreneurial side, by setting up her own company, Chadi Luxury. This Hong Kong-based e-commerce platform specialises in certified second-hand luxury items, including vintage watches, bags and other luxury accessories and rare finds, for men and women. Chadi Nouri’s experience in the luxury industry helps her both in verifying the workmanship of the items on offer, as well as identifying consumer trends. All the items sold are authenticated by a team led by Swiss experts, who grade their condition as good, very good, excellent or perfect. The items are then priced at a level in line with the market. According to the philosophy of Chadi Luxury, design, craftsmanship and materials matter as much as the emotion the piece evokes, and the desirability of the brand.
A meeting of cultures
Chadi Nouri was born in Switzerland, in a rich multi-cultural environment, and has travelled widely, completing some of her studies in North America. Her decision to base the firm in Hong Kong was motivated by the appetite of the local clientèle for luxury products, their online consumption habits, as well as logistical efficiency. Hong Kong allows luxury goods to be imported tax-free, which means that Chadi Luxury can be based there while its buyers and sellers might be anywhere in the world. This international perspective helped to hone her keen aesthetic sensibilities, which she combines with an elegantly assertive feminine style. Her career with some of the biggest jewellery and high jewellery (Avakian, Cartier) and watchmaking brands (Audemars Piguet) heightened her attention to detail and appreciation of careful workmanship. Customer satisfaction is also critical, particularly where female clients are concerned. She realised that many women appreciate being able to buy hardly-used shoes or bags by luxury brands, at more affordable prices, and without having to join a waiting list for rare items. Younger clients are also keen on reliably sourced vintage and second-hand goods.
Through her website, chadiluxury.com, she can share her passion for luxury, her values and her vision with a growing audience that is increasingly receptive to this approach. “You’re joining a luxury ecosystem; you can buy or sell products that are designed to last, with style. By doing this you are leaving behind fast fashion and mass-production, and embracing the exceptional and long-lasting. You get the pleasure of timeless luxury at competitive prices, while becoming a responsible and stylish citizen of the world,” she explains. In a sign that her approach has struck a chord, Asia’s leading luxury magazine, Tatler Hong Kong, devoted an article to her when the website launched in May.
Royal Oak and Rolex Pepsi
Among the second-hand watches on the Chadi Luxury menu when the site launched were reliable favourites such as Rolex GMT Master II watches (the famous Pepsi Rolexes), Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs by Audemars Piguet, and WorldTimers by Girard-Perregaux. Iconic Chanel, Fendi, Gucci, Hermès and Prada bags rubbed shoulders with Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and Valentino shoes. All these luxury items have been assessed by experts, and sent to the Hong Kong showroom by clients hoping to give them a second life, to the delight of their new owners, wherever they might be in the world. If you have good taste and a love of luxury, or you’re ready to say goodbye to an item that doesn’t get enough use, visit chadiluxury.com.
