A delayed postcard from my winter holidays back home, where I have taken a good break from the daily grind – but not from reflecting about luxury. As a matter of fact, debates on luxury have been all around me: 1- during the numerous Christmas gatherings, I have been...

I was recently asked to comment for Sotheby’s Institute of Art the recent Sotheby’s Michael Jordan sneaker auction, and how items such as sports-memorabilia attain value: The extreme price these items command is a reflection not only of their status as rarities, but also of the extreme cultural value...

Today I got the chance to visit Rye Castle (Ypres Tower), built in the 13th century in Rye Essex. Among the historical objects documenting the life of the sailors, smugglers and soldiers, these love token rolling pins: sailors would bring them full of salt to their families. Yet another...

For Louis Vuitton founder’s 200th anniversary, let me share my (nerdy) favourite trivia fact. The first known Japanese customer of Louis Vuitton is Itagaki Taisuke, one of the founding fathers of the Japanese Modern Government in the mid-19th century. Leader of the Jiyu Minken Undo (Freedom and People’s Right...

I have spent an enriching 3 days at the “Luxury in the Age of Technology” IPOL conference. Hosted virtually by Politecnico di Milano, the conference featured a great lineup of speakers from the industry and the academia. The event inspired many thought-provoking debates, to which I was very glad to...

The role of luxury brands is enlarging and is questioned, per se. They were relevant as a product, then as a producer of content, but now more and more as broadcasters and amplifiers of content and interactions that are relevant for the consumers. By 2030, this industry will be...

A very interesting article by Stephen Pulvirent from Hodinkee about the “Generations” campaign of Patek Philippe  [link here] Advertising agency Leagas Delany launched the “Generations” campaign in 1996, turning Patek Philippe into the brand of the watches “you look after for the next generation.” The behind-the-scenes described in the...

“Cultural Strategy” by Holt & Cameron [link here] has been around for more than 10 years. And it is still one of the best works proving how a cultural approach to brand strategy leads to blue-ocean innovations. Some businesses strive to close the loop between culture and branding. Managers...

Culture is often overlooked, but is a critical foundation in a distinctively customer-centric organization: an organization where all employees collectively and individually prioritize customer needs in everything that they do every day. (Mc Kinsey’ Service Operations Practice) A great read from McKinsey [link here], finally clarifying that excellent customer...

Math is not meaning. And human beings are complex. A great piece by Rishad Tobaccowala [link here] about Big Data and interpretation.