London shoe designer says reliability is key to competing in luxury markets from Europe to Asia, Kitty Go reports in Hong Kong.

How does an independent niche brand stand out and not ship out in today's retail environment of mega brands and monolithic flagship stores? London-based shoe designer Rupert Sanderson has managed to keep his 12-year-old eponymous label profitable while maintaining creativity. He describes his business as "a cross between art and commerce".

"I'm a craftsman and artisan but also a businessperson and the face of the brand ... It takes so much of a personality and an individual to drive the business," he says.

Building and distributing a brand globally is easier said (and dreamed of) than done. As Sanderson and Bertrand Mak, owner of Rupert Sanderson Hong Kong and partner of Brand Asia, tell their story several fundamentals arise that may also apply to the success of other niche, luxury brands.

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