Tiles With Style

For many years, global and local brands, particularly on the luxury end of the spectrum, have been releasing high-end mahjong sets as a means of generating sales and engagement among their customer base in greater China and parts of Southeast Asia. The category has seen its profile grow over the past couple of years, especially as the game has become more popular with young adult luxury shoppers. The sets are often marketed as gifts, especially in conjunction with Lunar New Year.

Many of the key elements of these branded mahjong sets, including the characters and symbols on the tiles, rarely vary much in their basic design, and the construction of the sets typically ensures the expected slapping sound on the table when the tiles are played. In fact, sets lacking these traditional traits have been known to generate consumer backlash.

The materials used to make the sets are where the uniqueness usually comes into play, with the integration of high-end woods, leather, jade, pearls, gold, and so on setting each example apart. The storage cases also tend to differ from one offering to another.

Luxury mahjong sets are typically priced in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. One set from S.T. Dupont, a purveyor of luxury lighters, pens, and other accessories, features ruby- and diamond-encrusted tiles and retails for more than $1 million.

Other high-end, branded mahjong sets that have come out in the past few years have include examples from:

• Aerin, whose set features a simple design in white melamine, with a suede-lined sharkskin box, and retails for $1,500.

• Berluti, which created its set with Chinese designer Benwu Studio. It comes with a clutch for easy transportation and sells for $7,800.

• Louis Vuitton, which released a product stored in a travel trunk, including six stacked drawers to hold the tiles. Its mahjong offering retails for $89,500 and the customer must call to request a set.

• Prada, which offers a set that incorporates Saffiano leather in its case and used acrylic resin for the tiles. Its product is priced at $7,300 and was sold out at last check.

• Tiffany & Co., whose set features a leather case in its signature Tiffany Blue and incorporates materials including walnut and leather. The characters and symbols on the tiles are Tiffany Blue and black. Tiffany’s version sells for $15,000.

British luxury games marketer Geoffrey Parker, which also sells backgammon, chess, Scrabble, dominos, cribbage, and many other table, card, and backyard games, worked with a Chinese artist, Liu Jun, on one of its mahjong offerings. Stored in an attaché case, it features hand-carved oxbone and bamboo tiles and retails for £3,100 ($3,808).

Among the many other luxury labels that have entered this category are Hermès, Piaget, Cartier, Brunello Cucinelli, Harvey Nichols, and Ralph Lauren.

Brands outside the luxury space are also involved in the category from time to time, mostly with promotional offerings. Examples range from condom brand Durex to McDonald’s to Singapore Airlines. But the category has become almost a prerequisite for luxury brands active in Asia, especially in mainland China.