Why we must resurrect the tie from this boorish open-collar culture July 23, 2021 Since the general demise of hats, the most vulnerable, because the most superficially dispensable, piece of a gentleman’s wardrobe is the tie. In politics, we have perhaps David Cameron to blame for pioneering the look of dark suit and open-necked white shirt which may have been a carry-over from his days in public relations. For [...]
Global luxury market on track to beat pre-Covid sales this year – but Europe lags behind November 11, 2021 The global luxury goods sector is set for a powerful rebound and will outperform pre-pandemic levels this year, but Europe lags behind in the absence of tourists’ purses, consultancy Bain has said. Global sales of personal luxury goods – which include fashion, cosmetics, perfumes, watches, handbags and jewellery – are set to reach €283bn (£242bn) this [...]
Keep the dream alive, and support a female-led business during lockdown October 29, 2020 When Kiera-Lorelle opened the doors to her new family business — Cinnamon Leaf foodhall in Tottenham, North London — she was full of hope: “It’s been a life-long dream of my mum’s to open a store.” That was back in January. Needless to say, the months since haven’t been easy. But Cinnamon Leaf has carried [...]
First look: The super-luxe apartments within a former army barracks in Chelsea September 6, 2019 If ever there was a long-awaited London development, then Chelsea Barracks is it. Empty for a decade, and five years under construction, residents will finally start to move in this month. This week, the first show apartment was revealed – and even if we don’t have the £24m required to snap up this four-bedroom 4,000 [...]
Gucci shrugs off China troubles after trumping sales estimates February 12, 2019 Kering’s flagship Gucci brand became the latest in a swathe of luxury retail names to buck fears of a slowdown in demand from Chinese shoppers today, after the Italian label trumped sales expectations for the final quarter of 2018. Outperforming many of its peers in the fourth quarter of last year, Kering posted a 23.3 per [...]
Hermes posts huge profit spike as China demand pushes it to new heights September 12, 2018 Hermes delivered a record operating margin for the first half of 2018 today, as well as posting a 17 per cent jump in profit to reach €708m (£631m). The French luxury handbag maker saw group revenue rise by five per cent year on year to €2.9bn for the six months ending 30 June, with its [...]
Why ‘customer-centric’ is the latest designer label we all need October 8, 2018 I'M NOT NORMALLY a fan of surveys, but the Interbrand Best Global Brands Report is, for me, an interesting read. This year’s report has made the headlines because the top-performing sector is the luxury fashion and accessories sector, which has grown by 42 percent since 2017. Why are designers doing well, and what can my clients [...]
Don’t cut corners: Now is the time to be loud and proud about being a square, with a new wave of boxy, gender-fluid watches May 3, 2018 Given its position as one of the grande dames (or hommes depending on how you gender your brands) of the luxury watch world, you don’t necessarily equate Cartier with being on trend. Desirable, yes. Classic, of course. But a trend leader, not so much. However, its revamp of its Santos collection unveiled at SIHH was [...]
These are the world’s 50 most valuable brands of 2017 September 25, 2017 Apple and Google have once again take the two top spots in a list of the world’s 100 most valuable brands, according to rankings by consultancy group Interbrand. Five UK firms made into into the 2017 best global brands list. These were Burberry, HSBC, Land Rover, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker. This is the fifth consecutive [...]
Apple, Google and Microsoft top list of the 100 most valuable brands September 25, 2017 Apple and Google have once again take the two top spots in a list of the world’s 100 most valuable brands, according to rankings by consultancy group Interbrand. Five UK firms made into into the 2017 best global brands list. These were Burberry, HSBC, Land Rover, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker. This is the fifth consecutive [...]