Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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Graff necklace Lifestyles are more casual. Everything is global. RC: People want to make a subtler statement. Society has become a bit over- the-top in terms of celebrity status. I'm just fascinated by this. It's like how much less can you wear to a black-tie affair today? And it's getting crazier and crazier. So it's reaching a tipping point with people starting to think, Wow, where does this all end? I think the real big change with millennials is the concept of less is more. They don't want lots of anything; they just want a few very good things. And, fortunately for us, it plays into who we are. If you're just going to have one, let me have the best one that I can have. MZ: It depends on the audience. Some of the younger consumers are attracted by celebrities, and that's their way into a luxury brand like Graff or Lalique. Our classic luxury consumer varies also. There are those who want the limited, one-of-a-kind product, and there are those who want something not limited but with the same levels of craftsmanship and effort behind the design. HB: Our customers want pieces that are understated but with gems of extreme rarity and quality. Nothing ostentatious—I hate to use the word "bling." What is the consumer buying in the luxury category? What are the hottest items to have this year? BC: We are seeing growth in ready-to-wear and, more specifi cally, in knitwear. Additionally, shoes continue to be an area of growth for the brand, and the newest US Chanel boutiques feature dedicated shoe salons, which showcase the breadth of the shoe collection. RC: Our single-best category this year is the home area. We are fi nding an exorbitant interest and increase in our home business—decorative items, accessories, furniture. It seems that people really want this Hermès lifestyle in their homes. HB: There is such scarce supply to demand, and our customers are looking for pieces with great rarity and value. This year our Butterfl y line [the gems for jewelry and timepieces are crafted with butterfl y shapes] has done extremely well. MZ: We're investing signifi cantly in the Lalique Art Division. Collaborations with the Yves Klein Foundation, Anish Kapoor, Zaha Hadid, Rembrandt Bugatti, Elton John, and Damien Hirst have helped drive interest from a younger customer. What does the luxury customer want today, and how are you addressing these wants? HB: I think that there are two things happening. Number one, new consumers have educated themselves very quickly, and their knowledge of our world and our product is impressive. If anything, the whole new way of communicating with social media makes our lives easier because you get instant reaction as to whether you are doing something right or wrong. Usually you hear much more about the wrong than the right, but it doesn't matter. It's information that is thrown out there by the thousands, which before you had no way of knowing. It becomes an important element of how we react to our clients. BC: When we survey customers after a shopping experience in our own stores, one thing that's always consistent, and I'm always amazed that it doesn't change, is how they are hungry for more of the story. When you ask, "What would have made your experience better?" It's always that they want to know more of the story. The story of the brand, or Coco Chanel, or that handbag... How has corporate sustainability factored into the marketing of your brand? HB: It's part of our DNA and part of what we do. The jewelry industry in particular has been, should we say, targeted more than others. It forced the industry in general, and then the individual companies, to send out the message that this isn't the way we do things. But it's in the Master Class that students, who work on a design and marketing case study prepared by a luxury fi rm, might see their efforts make it to the marketplace. This year, for instance, participants involved in a Lalique case study repurposed the iconic Mossi vase design as a shot glass. Other groups created My Travel Games—a game carrier for Loro Piana's gift collection—or responded to Van Cleef & Arpels's challenge to create jewelry pieces with a spring theme. Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge, president of LEF, says that the Master Class "allows students to experience why a true collaboration between design and business is the basis for success in the luxury industry." Some project results are so spot-on, they are picked up by the fi rms: One LEF team took Hermès's Balcon du Guadalquivir porcelain pattern and transferred it to an enamel bracelet. Today it's an Hermès best seller. —Suzanne Charlé Chanel clutch Ferragamo shoe Hermès Balcon du Guadalquivir Collection PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA DEMIDOVA (HERMÉS) 90 AUSTINWAY.COM