💎Brilliant Cut No. 5:
Moncler Bets On Twentsomethings, Luxury Brands Get On TikTok Train, The Netflix of Fashion, Saint Laurent's New Short Film, China's Unstoppable Luxury Market, Snoopy x Bamford, and More
Welcome to this edition of Brilliant Cut, a free monthly newsletter that delivers the most essential stories on luxury marketing strategies right to your inbox.
Issue #5 | January 4, 2021
Post bankruptcy, what’s ahead for the Neiman Marcus Group?
(WWD via Yahoo News) Fresh out of bankruptcy virtually debt-free and with new owners, the Neiman Marcus Group Inc. is “really well positioned for the future,” maintains chief executive officer Geoffroy van Raemdonck. Read more
Moncler bets on twentysomethings, Chinese shoppers for post-virus recovery
(Reuters) Luxury puffer jacket maker Moncler is betting heavily on younger consumers and the Chinese market to help sales bounce back from the coronavirus crisis, its boss told Reuters, seeing scope for a recovery from the second half of 2021. Read more
Q&A with Bvlgari CEO Jean-Cristophe Babin on rising to meet luxury’s challenges
(Content Commerce Insider) Following an impressive run as the chief executive of TAG Heuer, Jean-Christophe Babin took the reins as Bvlgari’s CEO in 2013 and over the past seven years has presided over the brand’s ongoing global expansion, including innovative digital efforts in China. In the interview, Content Commerce Insider discusses Bvlgari’s experience over the course of 2020 and the brand’s expectations for 2021. Read more
LVMH scion sees fewer far-flung fashion shows in luxury’s future
(Business of Fashion) The eldest son of LVMH’s founder looks back to the luxury conglomerate’s fashion show held in Rio de Janeiro four years ago and recognises that those days are probably gone for good. Read more
Less aspirational, less produced: Luxury brands are (finally) making headway on TikTok
(Glossy) TikTok has swiftly become brands’ go-to social channel for connecting with younger consumers — and luxury brands have joined that pool in recent months. Read more
Why luxury brands are putting on a game face
(WWD via Yahoo) This growth in viewership and participation in gaming and esports events is the key driver behind why luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton teaming up with gaming publishers such as Riot Games. Read more
Rapid digital growth and high-end demand fuel a 2021 recovery for luxury spirits brands
(Barron's Penta) In the spirits industry, the “on-premise” business—restaurants, bars, casinos, hotels, or any establishment where liquor can be consumed on-site—can account for more than half of a brand’s overall sales and volume. As Covid-19 safety guidelines began closing these businesses in March, it initially signaled big problems for luxury brands across the industry. Read more
To sell luxury online, deep pockets matter more than ever
(WSJ) Luxury companies are fussy about where their products are sold online and would love to remain that way. But few will have the option after the pandemic. That will boost the status of already-powerful brands, as well as tech giants like Amazon that are eyeing the industry. Read more
Farfetch wants to be the Netflix of fashion
(GQ) A year removed from major stock troubles, the aggregator is making its own clothes, betting big on secondary-market sneakers, and thriving in the midst of a pandemic. Is that enough to shape the future of fashion? Read more
Lexus recruits artists to create community-inspired driveway moments
(Luxury Daily) Toyota Corp.’s Lexus has enlisted emerging artists to brighten up dealerships in a colorful and charitable extension of this year’s “December to Remember” campaign. Read more
Hennessy celebrates the cultural force that is the NBA with dynamic film debut
(PR Newswire) Hennessy, the world's best-selling Cognac and Official Spirit of the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and USA Basketball, commemorates the progressive vision of the sports league and celebrates the tip-off of the 2020- 21 NBA Season with new creative and consumer offerings. Read more
Chanel unveils first campaign starring Charlotte Casiraghi
(WWD via Yahoo) For Charlotte Casiraghi’s first ads as brand ambassador for Chanel, what better backdrop than her native Monaco? The tiny principality is a byword for glamor, and has served as a setting for movies including “To Catch a Thief” and “GoldenEye.” Read more
Saint Laurent film features Charlotte Rampling, Donna Summer and a screaming model
(WWD via Yahoo) If Saint Laurent’s online spring fashion show, set in a spectacular desert landscape, was the stuff of dreams, the short film the house unveiled on Wednesday is steeped in the opposite register: the Seventies Italian thriller genre known as “giallo.” Read more
How to appeal to Gen Z in Asia
(Vogue Business) Global brands are bidding to win over Gen Z customers in China, South Korea and Japan to buoy post-pandemic rebounds in spending, but to reach this demographic, they’ll need to tailor their strategies accordingly. Read more
Why wealthy women of color are more confident investors than their white female peers
(Fortune) The world's wealthiest people are overwhelmingly men. And the world's wealthiest women are overwhelmingly white. But women of color—specifically Black and Latina women—who are among the economically privileged in the U.S. are nevertheless more confident in their abilities as investors than their white female peers. Read more
Global auction sales fell 26% year-over-year in 2020 to US$7.37 Billion
(Barron's Penta) The global coronavirus pandemic has been challenging for the largely event-based art market, leading to a 26% slump in auction sales in 2020 from a year ago, according to a report by London-based ArtTactic. Read more
How China will shape the fashion system
(WWD via Yahoo) While the industry in the West is struggling to tamp down COVID-19, China’s digital-first and fast-paced retail cycle is pulling ahead to better cater to its fashion lovers. Read more
Banned in China but Instagram the key to reaching its luxury shoppers, experts say
(South China Morning Post) You might need a VPN to view Instagram in China but wealthy shoppers, especially those who have studied abroad, are still inspired by the platform. Read more
China luxury goods market to grow 48% this year, says Bain and Tmall
(WWD via Yahoo) The luxury goods market in mainland China will likely achieve 48 percent growth in 2020, reaching nearly 346 billion renminbi, or $52.8 billion, according to a joint report by Bain and Tmall, doubling China’s overall share of the global luxury market this year. Read more
How China’s swift recovery boosted it to fashion capital status
(Glossy) Over the summer, Louis Vuitton was one of the first major luxury brands to return to a physical fashion show for its men’s spring/summer 2021 collection. But instead of streaming the show virtually from Paris, as other brands were doing, it held a dramatic in-person show on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai. Read more
Jing Daily’s weekly roundup of the latest luxury social media campaigns in China
📲 December 10, 2020 // December 18, 2020 // December 25, 2020 // January 1, 2021
Moncler partners with electric off-road racing series Extreme E
(WWD via Yahoo) As part of its commitment to sustainability, Moncler is partnering with Extreme E, the new electric off-road racing series that highlights the climate change challenges faced by different ecosystems. Read more
How outdoor gear became one of the defining fashion trends of 2020
(Input) The 577-square-foot canvas has frequently rotated artwork since its debut in 2018, including Gucci-clad models in idyllic scenery and the phrase “Common sense is not all that common,” courtesy of the artist Coco Capitan. The down-filled bulk of a puffer coat may seem like a diversion from the usual notions of art and luxury, but in 2020, gorp has risen to the forefront of fashion. Read more
Aston Martin’s Bowmore-themed SUV comes with a bottle of 39-year-old whisky
(Robb Report) While alcohol and driving are generally not to be mixed, Aston Martin’s new partnership with Bowmore proves the rare exception. Read more
A Bamford for Colette starring our old pal Snoopy
(Hondinkee) Building on proven demand for Snoopy-themed watches from Timex and Omega, the irrepressible Bamford has created the Peanuts x Bamford London GMT, a collaboration between with Highsnobiety and Colette. Read more
Burberry announces plans to donate leftover fabrics to fashion students
(Hypebeast) Burberry has announced the launch of its new ReBurberry Fabric program in partnership with the British Fashion Council. The new scheme will see leftover Burberry fabrics donated to U.K.-based fashion students most in need. Read more
Watchmakers are increasingly going green
(Barron's Penta) A commitment to ethically sourced materials is just one facet of luxury brands’ eco-friendly ways. Read more
Designers on activism: How they stepped up in 2020
(WWD) It’s been a watershed year for activism in fashion, with consumers pushing brands to embrace causes as varied as fighting climate change, supporting health-care workers, combating racism and embracing LGBTQ rights, among others. WWD asked four designers with a strong social conscience how they dealt with the challenge. Read more
🏨 On the final episode of Season 2 of The Luxury Item podcast, I sit down with Neil Jacobs, CEO of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas about how wellness and sustainability will be even more important to luxury travelers in a post-Covid world Apple / Spotify
🔊 Season 3 of The Luxury Item podcast begins on January 12, 2021. I'll have more conversations with world-class business leaders on topics that matter most for the global luxury industry. The Luxury Item podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe today
Mixed Gems: Featured writers on luxury, fashion, and culture
The Reign of The Great Fashion Amateur 🐵 🐰🐻
Strategy executive Ana Andjelic wrote a piece in Highsnobiety about the importance of the amateur in shaping consumer tastes. “Thanks to their passion bordering on nerdiness, they keep brands alive and move the culture forward.” Read it here
Chef's Choice: Freedom, creation and the case for slowing down 👩🍳👨🍳🔪
In McCann Worldgroup Truth Central executive Nadia Tuma-Weldon’s latest piece for her Elevated LLC newsletter, she discusses how the new icons of cool (chefs) reveal a deeper cultural aspiration. Read it here
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