Agenda - Heritage Luxury Londres 9 e 10 de Novembro

Trata-se da 10ª conferência organizada pelo International Herald Tribune dedicada ao Luxo:

This year, the International Herald Tribune's 10th anniversary luxury conference will explore how luxury brands are created, nurtured and maintained. Entitled Heritage Luxury, and hosted by Suzy Menkes, it will address among other things the need for businesses to uphold founding principles of heritage, while adapting to consumers' changing habits and connecting with them through traditional and digital channels.

Speakers include Alber Elbaz, artistic director, Lanvin; Karl Lagerfeld, designer; Angela Ahrendts, CEO, Burberry; Christopher Bailey, chief creative officer, Burberry; Carlos Jereissati, CEO, Iguatemi, Brazil; David Lauren, senior vice president, Polo Ralph Lauren; Tommy Hilfiger, designer; Rosita, Angela and Margherita Missoni; Michele Norsa, CEO and group managing director, Salvatore Ferragamo; Patrizio di Marco, president and CEO, Gucci; Stanislas de Quercize, president & CEO, Van Cleef & Arpels; and Paul Smith, designer.

Entrevista da Luxury Society à britânica Suzy Menkes, organizadora do encontro, editora de Moda do International Herald Tribune, condecorada com a Ordem do Império Britânico por "serviços prestados ao jornalismo de moda", autora de vários livros sobre a família real britânica:

The IHT Luxury conference has traveled all over the world in the past few years. From Delhi to Moscow, Berlin to Istanbul. Why did you choose to host the conference in London this year, celebrating your 10th anniversary as host of the conference?

SM: Having been raised in England, I have to think of London as my home town – sharing my heart with Paris. This is a particularly interesting moment for the city, as its success has been fuelled for the last decade by easy credit card money, the hot energy of the financial world and by non-dom residents. But now comes the reality check. And I believe that London is looking into its soul and its heritage for its authentic values.

The theme you have chosen is Heritage Luxury. What exactly does that mean? Why is Heritage so important to our sector?

SM: Heritage is what movie makers call 'the back story'. It is about where you come from, your roots and the essence of what you stand for. This is so relevant and pertinent to luxury companies. They need to look back in order to spring forward. 'Authenticity' is more than a buzz-word. It represents true values. The word 'luxury' has been banded around so freely that it needs to be re-examined. By looking at the heritage of a company, you are looking not just at core products, but about the emotion that is engendered at the heart of brand.

Does this mean that new luxury brands are at a disadvantage... because they have no heritage to build upon?

SM: If that were the only problem facing start-up luxury brands, how easy life would be for them! In a crowded and competitive world, it is so difficult to underscore a brand's unique qualities. But I think that Apple has shown us that you can build in the modern world a heritage – of trust, of shared attitudes and values.

You have amassed possibly the most impressive list of speakers yet for an IHT luxury conference. Which of these are you most looking forward to hearing from, and why?

SM: Ten years of experience have taught me that there are always surprises: keynote speakers can move me – or disappoint. A panel contributor can make the most heartfelt comment of the entire day. I must say that I am looking forward to having the Missoni family together. I am rather hoping that they will be like a film of an Italian family – all arguing with each other, but embracing at the end!

Last year's conference in Berlin was on Techno Luxury. How can our past heritage and the our technological future co-exist?

SM:Two things underpin all the IHT conferences: technology and ecology. I believe both must and should be part of the luxury universe. I want sustainability to be at the heart of modern luxury – and I am frustrated that it is still on the back burner. But with technology – after a period in which executives embraced bricks-and-mortar stores and treated e-commerce as though it had a bad smell - technology in all its aspects is now integral to all smart luxury companies. Heritage means nothing if the values of the past cannot be transmitted to a future generation. What a fantastic opportunity cyber space offers for brands to reach out to the wide world. But what a head-ache it is giving to brand managers trying to keep control.
It is going to be a battle for hearts and minds and I am convinced that it will be the big story of the next decade of luxury conferences from the International Herald Tribune.