How to make a luxury brand

It’s another sweltering Saturday evening in Singapore, and the air conditioning at the ION Orchard shopping mall is doing its job. Inside, well-heeled tourists and locals line up behind a velvet rope, eagerly awaiting their entry into a room bursting with hues of orange, blue and gold.

But this isn’t a trendy nightclub, or even a chance to check out the newest iPhone. Once admitted, these guests will be drinking — coffee.