Future Luxe: What's Ahead for the Business of Luxury

by Erwan Rambourg, François-Henri Pinault (Foreword)

In Future What’s Ahead for the Business of Luxury, Erwan Rambourg identifies the major forces and emerging trends that are set to reshape luxury over the next decade. The expansion of Chinese consumption and the boost in women’s spending power around the world will fuel continued growth in the industry―but even more importantly, fundamental changes are on the horizon. The younger generation is entering the luxury market, bringing new values and demands that will redefine the very meaning of luxury. The sector should expand in the realms of travel, health, leisure, even cannabis. For brands to resonate with these younger consumers they will have to develop substance beyond a high-quality product or a desirable logo. Greenwashing won’t cut it―brands will need to take seriously issues like diversity, sustainability, and ethical production. To ensure his portrait of the industry has the depth and nuance of real-world experience, Rambourg interviews several CEOs from the largest groups and brands, including Kering, Cartier, Puma, and Moncler, in addition to drawing on his own observations from over two decades in luxury. Future Luxe is engaging, wise, and deeply informed, a vital read for those new to the industry as well as veterans planning for continued success.

Genres: Fashion

272 pages, Hardcover

Published September 22, 2020

Reviews

[Serge Perrin Merinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting book by HSBC Global Head of Consumer & Retail Research. Not only has been he covering the luxury and sporting goods sectors for the bank for the past 20 years, from HK and now NYC, he also has previous experience as a Marketing Manager in the luxury industry, notably for LVMH. In this book, he forecasts foreseeable changes in this sector for the 2020-2030 decade. While he stresses some challenges, overall, he remains confident about the future of luxury.
The analysis is quite sharp, I have learnt quite a bit on a subject I thought I knew quite well already. I especially appreciated the great interviews with top CEOs in the industry. I also liked the summaries posted at the end of each chapter, as well as the numerous (21) predictions he gave about the industry. I particularly enjoyed the chapters where he stresses the role of women as key decision-makers and their rising spending power, the role of Chinese/Asian shoppers or the impact of younger generations of luxury buyers. The impact of consolidation or the importance of distribution were also very interesting topics, core to the understanding of the sector dynamics. Affordable luxury, the importance of health, the premiumization of everything also interested me a lot, in particular considering the implications for the business project I currently develop. Highly recommended.