Only the best venue will do for Marc Jacobs, Robert Duffy tells Gan Tian, when it comes to selecting a showcase store for his designs.

When Robert Duffy, president of designer fashion brand Marc Jacobs, decided to bring its latest spring / summer collection from New York to China, he was determined to find the best place. The iconic Peace Hotel on the Bund in Shanghai came to mind.

"The Peace Hotel is, to me and a lot of Americans, one of the most famous. I had heard of it since I was very young and I've always wanted a store in the Peace Hotel," Duffy says.

It did not disappoint Duffy. The Marc Jacobs show held there recently was the talk of the town, with its mix-and-match of the label's eye-catching styles shown to the public against the setting of such traditional architecture.

Jacobs used softly textured fabrics, including shiny shimmering satins and silks, which were perfectly in tune with the traditional Chinese venue. The collection was also full of peach tones: saturated coral, gold, yellow, red, purple and pink, contrasting with the hotel's weathered bricks.

High slits and shorts made the collection sexy and the full belted jackets and jumpsuits are the hottest items for the coming summer. With larger details, oversized accessories and lots of sparkle and big hair, the show exhibited a feel of 1970s glamor.

It was another small decision Duffy made for Marc Jacobs.

In the fashion world, there is always a right-hand man behind every famous designer. He makes the decisions that will bring in the money and connect fashion with business. Yves Saint Laurent had Pierre Berge, Valentino Garavani has Giancarlo Giammetti, and Jacobs has Robert Duffy.

After working with the brand for nearly 30 years, he has seen its fashion empire expand in the West. Now, he targets Asia and especially China.

"In Asia, the most established market is Japan, because we started working on Japan very early in 1986. But China is fast becoming more important," says Duffy.

When the company opened the first store in Hong Kong, it was a Marc Jacobs store, so it was easier for Duffy to establish higher-end customers. Once it was done, Duffy decided to bring in the lower-end diffusion line Marc by Marc Jacobs. But it was not the case in Chinese mainland.

Jacobs entered the Chinese mainland in 2004, but for many consumers, Marc by Marc Jacobs was more inviting, being more affordable, and the brand took the line of least resistance.

The price for a Sullivan bag from Marc Jacobs' latest collection is 13,900 yuan ($2,142). A Stam handbag is even more expensive, with a price tag of 26,900 yuan, and a pair of high-heeled shoes is 9,590 yuan. Marc by Marc Jacobs, in Duffy's words, is "more fashion fashion", and targets younger people.

One of his most urgent missions in China is to preach the luxurious style of the premier Marc Jacobs line, and he admits it was a "mistake" to have promoted Marc by Marc Jacobs so heavily.

"We found the customers really wanted higher-end shoes and handbags," Duffy says.

When he went to inspect stores in San Francisco and New York, he found many customers from China buying products from the collection line. He heard people asking: "Where can we get those products in China?" and that inspired him.

"We need to emphasize Marc Jacobs line now. That is one of the reasons I am in China," the 57-year-old says. Now there are 18 diffusion line stores, but only two Marc Jacobs stores in the Chinese mainland. Duffy and his team are re-evaluating locations in Shanghai and Beijing.