Mon Guerlain, the new fragrance with Angelina Jolie

José Amorim
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1
Reading Time: 6 minutes

The Luxury Fragrance industry has more than 3’000 different brands around the world, but only a few companies are more than brands, they are legends. Guerlain is for sure a true legendary icon of the Fragrance world. The Perfumery house has been shaping the history of fragrances since 1828. Almost 200 years later, the French luxury house is launching a new feminine fragrance, Mon Guerlain, and to celebrate this launch Guerlain has chosen one of the most amazing and beautiful faces of modern cinema: Angelina Jolie.

Angelina-Jolie-Mon-Guerlain-perfume

Mon-Guerlain-print-ad

Guerlain and Angelina Jolie, a personal story.

Despite the fact a new face for a fragrance is always big news, the surprising point into this new Guerlain’s story is that Angelina jolie accepted to play this role. She is known to not accept brand sponsorships as she dedicates her “free” time to philanthropy and to her family. Several brands from L’Oreal, Clarins and many others tried to conquer her heart and generally she politely refused or asked for such a high pay that made each project impossible to become a reality. So why Guerlain? Was it a big pay check? Not at all. Angelina Jolie and Guerlain is a relationship that takes foundation in her childhood.

“The Truth is I love being alive, and I love feeling free. So if I can’t have those things then I feel like a caged animal. And I’d rather not be in a cage. I’d rather be dead” – Angelina Jolie

Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, used a Guerlain’s powder from which the iconic scented notes of violet and Rose stayed in Angelina Jolie’s memory across the years. Also the profound attachment to France, made possible this new relationship. Angelina Jolie is very attached to what makes sense, and she would never accept the Guerlain’s deal if this would not be meaningful to her. So from a beautiful story only a beautiful fragrance could be launched. Another point to be highlighted, all earnings from this contract will be given to charity by the American actress.

Angelina-Jolie-Guerlain-story

Angelina Jolie has definitely the kind of beauty that Guerlain will be inspired about. She is sexy, yet represents a full-blown woman. She is definitely very recognizable and became year after year an iconic worldwide beauty.

Mon Guerlain, the proud symbol of 188 years history of Guerlain’s love for women

When you ask Thierry Wasseur, Guerlain’s in-house Perfumer, about his inspiration to create Mon Guerlain, he declares: “notes of a woman, the choices, emotions and dreams that embody modern femininity“. Guerlain story is actually a love story with women. While Guerlain’s perfumery was always a “man’s world”, the French luxury house created some of the most magical fragrances for women ever.

Pierre François Pascal Guerlain founded Guerlain in  1828. He travels to England in order to study chemistry, medecine and perfumery. He obtains the title of Doctor chemist. After a first experience in a soap factory, he came back to France and opens a first shop at 42, Rue Rivoli, at the ground floor of the Meurice Hotel. During the 19th Century, England is trendy and Guerlain’s products of powders and soaps became must-haves for that time. Being at the ground-floor of the Meurice in Paris, placed the brand in the hottest spots of the French capital. in 1883, l’Eau Imperiale is launched honoring Empress Eugenie de Montijo, spouse of Napoleon. In 1889, Aimé Guerlain launches Jicky, considered as the first modern fragrance. He created this special fragrance because of a broken heart. He was in love with a young british girl while living in England. Unfortunately we needed to come back to France and he never got the change to enter in a relationship with the young lady. So he decided to create a fragrance in honor of this impossible love. Here is a non-extensive list of Guerlain’s fragrances dedicated to the love for women.

“You always create perfumes for the women you love, whom you admire, and with whom you live” – Jacques Guerlain.

  • L’Eau Impériale, 1883 by Pierre Pascal François Guerlain: Dedicated and inspired by Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon.
  • Jicky, 1889 by Aimé Guerlain: dedicated to this young English woman he loved.
  • Voilà Pourquoi J’aimais Rosine, 1900 by Jacques Guerlain: inspired and dedicated to French actress Sarah Bernhardt whose birth name was Rosine.
  • Mitsouko, 1919 by Jacques Guerlain: inspired by a brave beautiful Japanese woman.
  • Shalimar, 1925 by Jacques Guerlain: dedicated and inspired by one of the most beautiful love stories in history, the Mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal.
  • Liu, 1929 by Jacques Guerlain: inspired by a heroique Chinese slave girl.
  • Sous le Vent, 1933 by Jacques Guerlain: inspired by Cabaret artist and singer Josephine Baker.
  • Chant d’Arômes, 1962 by Jean-Paul Guerlain: Inspired by the mother of his son.
  • Nahema, 1979 by Jean-Paul Guerlain: inspired by Catherine Deneuve.
  • Samsara, 1989 by Jean-Paul Guerlain: inspired by his first wife Decia.

So we can see that Guerlain is probably the most “Perfumer in love” in the history of fragrances. Each creation is crafted to inspire women and please their companions. With Mon Guerlain, the French luxury house paints a personal story of a modern woman and only Angelina Jolie could be the best face to embrace this new creation.

Mon Guerlain, the Flacon

As for every Guerlain fragrance, its flacon is a very important piece. Mon Guerlain’s flacon is Inspired by the historical Guerlain’s flacons. Mon Guerlain takes its shape with the straight angled flacon, in which the iconic design gets its inspiration in the pharmaceutical bottles, so typical from the industrial era at the beginning of the 19th century. The new flacon, rounds up the angles in order to bring a certain modernity. The fragrance has a light pink color that also generates a certain idea of femininity and youth,

Flacon-Mon-Guerlain

Mon-Guerlain-flacon-perfume

Mon-Guerlain-Flacon

Mon-Guerlain-Flacon-packaging

The Campaign will be signed of by Terrence Malick, worldwide known movie director. He is best known for his ambitious artistic projects and standard disregard for outwardly obvious commercial constraints. He is the author of Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life and To The Wonder. What the brand reports is the fact that Terrence Malick will feature Angelina Jolie in different facets of her personality as a woman and a mother.

Mon-Guerlain-Angelina-Jolie

The new fragrance will be launched in march 2017 and we will update this article as soon as more information will be revealed, especially around the scent. In the meantime you can connect to the brand official website to discover more about this amazing Fragrance house: http://www.guerlain.com

José Amorim

Info sourced in the official communication release by the brand, Vogue Brazil, Fragrantica, Wikipedia, Scented Salon, Luxury Beauty Brunch, Susi Schapelle and Fashion People Russia. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. 

Make a Statement, One Accessory at a Time

LuxuryActivist
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0
Reading Time: 3 minutes

elegant-man

Moving up the ladder isn’t based solely on your work ethic and attendance record. To get ahead, you must exude confidence as a go-getter and be a game changer. Often how we show confidence is through our fashion choices. While keeping things business oriented is a good way to do that, throwing in some custom accessories that are daring can help you stand out from the crowd as one who is willing to be a risk-taker. Here are a few tips on just how to accomplish that.

Invest in Yourself and Your Future

It sounds cliché but it’s true, investing in yourself is the best investment you could possibly make. When selecting, a unique and daring accessory, you are going to shell out some serious cash. This is you and you deserve the best. Additionally, the piece should reflect who you are. That fantastic quirky bit of you that others may not see. It allows you to say “take notice, because I am here to stay and get things done!”. When you invest in yourself, you set precedent for how others should treat you. Do not hold back and really reflect your worth!

One Accessory at a Time

Focus on that one type of accessory you love to wear and wear often. That is where you will add in your unique piece! So, let’s say you wish to upgrade the tie you wear with your suit? You will want to consider a Hex Tie. They are fun, unique, and will stand out at the office. Additionally, it’s a perfect addition to your wardrobe as you can easily take in cocktail hour with the boss, then jet off to a club with friends without feeling the need to change your outfit. Dare to be different!

hex-tie

If you would prefer, look to upgrade your watch. There is a reason why luxury watches are all analog. They tell another that the wearer oversees their life.  Are you in charge of your life? Of course, you are! So, find yourself a unique watch, one that reflects you, and invest in it. It’s really that simple. Find that thing that no one else is wearing. Be the trendsetter!

It’s All About Confidence

Look, you already know that you should dress for success. What we are talking about here is being and looking confident through luxury accessories. It takes confidence to wear unique items, and it will come through in your power pieces. Someone else could wear your same item, with less confidence, and it won’t look nearly as good. Flaunt who you are unashamedly!

You work hard and you play hard. Your accessories should reflect your personality, your wealth, and your successes. You don’t want to sit on the sidelines, you want to be in the game. Get noticed and be the celebrity. Not only will you attract more success and wealth, you will gain new connections and cement yourself in this life as a force to be reckoned with.

Liz Becker

Info sourced by the author for LuxuryActivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

5 Staple Fashion Items Everyone Should Own

LuxuryActivist
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0
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Fashion-guide-top-items

While fashion changes all the time, there are some staple items everyone should own, which can transform your look. Whatever your style, we have chosen to look at the five essential fashion products you should have in your closet or jewellery box.

1- A Luxury Watch

Nothing quite screams style and sophistication quite like a luxury watch, which can add extravagance and elegance to any outfit. So, whether you are on a date, attending a formal event or on a night out with friends, you will stand out in the crowd for all the right reasons. In fact, for a timepiece with dual purposes, you should consider one of the many luxury smartwatches on the market right now, which offer fitness tracking and notification alerts. For example, you can track your health and fitness with a watch from Diesel, Armani or Kate Spade. So, not only will you look good, but you can use the watch as your motivation to feel good, too.

2- A Fashionable Jacket

Everyone must have a fashionable jacket in their closet, selecting a colour and style that can complement almost any outfit. A jacket not only keeps the cold at bay, but it can adapt to your different clothing needs to create a brand new look in an instant. Trust us, this is one fashion item you could never regret buying.

3- The Right Pair of Shoes

Most of us are a little bit in love with footwear. In fact, it is probably one of the most sought after clothing items when you go shopping. However, many people often buy the items they don’t really need. So, when the time comes to find the right pair of shoes, we’re faced with a variety of styles that do not match our desired look. That’s why it’s essential you have staple footwear in your closet to match different occasions. Ensure you pick a neutral colour to match a variety of items, as well as a style you feel proud to wear, with a pair for a formal event, casual occasion and for everyday wear.

4- The Classic T-Shirt

The classic t-shirt is an essential in any male or female wardrobe, as it offers great flexibility and style. White and black t-shirts can adapt to any outfit, so you can mix and match your styles. Whether you want to quickly throw on a top that looks and feels great, want to head off on a run or add an additional layer to your outfit, the classic tee will not let you down.

5- Jeans

Nothing is more adaptable than a good pair of jeans, which go with practically every clothing style. You can wear it with boots and sneakers, t shirt or shirts, or with jacket or no jacket. It’s adaptable, functional and, most of all, comfortable. So, you must have a great pair you can slide on into when you want to look and feel comfortable and stylish.

So, if you are wanting to create a stylish wardrobe that can adapt to seasons and styles, you should invest in a luxury smartwatch, classic t shirt, a great pair of jeans, a beautiful jacket and the right pair of shoes for every occasion.

Carol

Info sourced by the author for Luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

Havaianas celebrates its 55th anniversary. Parabéns!

José Amorim
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0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

This year we are celebrating the 55th anniversary of the most world famous flip-flops brand: Havaianas. It all started in 1962 back in  Brazil. Every year, the company produces 200 million Havainanas and since the foundation of the company it is more than 1.2 billion Havaianas that were sold around the world. Happy birthday Havaianas!

havaianas-anniversary

The name Havaianas is Portuguese for Hawaiians. The first pair of Havaianas was born in 1962, based on the traditional Japanese sandal known as the Zori, whose soles are made of rice straw. The texture of Havaianas’ rubber soles are like rice grains, one of the many details that make Havaianas unmistakable.

tong-havaianas-blanche

By 1964, almost every Brazilian worker had a pair of Havaianas. Salesmen from the company would drive around the country in small trucks in order to sell the flip-flops in simple plastic bags. It was the beginning of a true revolution.

1962-havaianas

1964-havaianas

The brand became a strong player in the current shoes market and today it owns 80% of market share. From the 200 million pairs sold every year, only 10% is sent outside the country. Due to the quick and strong start, Alpargatas, the company owner of Havaianas decide to patent the design in 1966 in order to protect this amazing richness and incredible invention. The shoes were light, strong, resistant, no smells and very comfortable to wear on a daily base. With the strong success across the years, it would have been a big mistake to not patent the design and technology.

Patente-Havaianas

havaianas-patent

All the Havaianas were traditionally only available in blue and white. Colors were not an option. One day there was a mistake in the production and all the Havaianas that day came up green. The company did not want to through them away and decided to sell them anyway. It was a huge success. All sold out in a week. The reaction was so positive that Havaianas seized the opportunity and started producing brown, yellow and black pairs. From this moment, it was a true color explosion and thousands of possible combinations and designs. Havaianas also differentiate themselves thanks to daring and clever ads that would modernize the advertising landscape for shoes.

Havaianas-ads-history

Decades later, Havaianas continue their path of innovation in design and launch an amazing collection of new designs and patterns in the 90’s as well as the kids collections. It is a perpetual innovation process and the brand become a true ambassador of Brazil and Brazilian people all around the world. The 90’s were a turning point for the brand. The trend of turning the Havaianas white side downwards, leaving the colored part up, created sandals that seemed to have just one color. This was the inspiration for the launch of the Havaianas “Top” style. Initially there were only 8 different shades, now the Havaianas “Top” style is available in over 15 different colors. The Brazilian flip-flops became a fashion icon since the 70’s and later in the years 2000, several collaborations took place with well know fashion brands like Missoni.

Hsvailanas-fashion-series

This shows how Havaianas became an universal cultural reference like the Coca-Cola red can or the Swiss Army pocket knife. We understand that the creative universe is endless and we will have still centuries of more Havaianas. This anniversary give the opportunity to celebrate in a particular way; a special collection composed with flip flops and espadrilles that will be honored insisting on the famous motto “back to basics” ! The special collection called Tribute are simple yet quite versatile with the thin slim styled strap which provides a lot of elegance for the women’s model. The color is totally based in the original color launched with the first Havaianas back in 1962. Men and Women will be able to choose between two colors: Black and Turquoise.

Havaianas-tribute-edition

 

Havaianas-Tribute-1962-black

Havaianas-Tribute-1962-blue

Havaianas-Tribute-1962-espadrilles-blue

To discover more about this incredible creative universe, please connect to the brand official website.
http://www.havaianas.com

You will be able to discover the incoming 2017 collections and also to browse the very complete online catalog. There is a Havaianas for every single one of you! Feliz Aniversario e muitos anos de vida.

José Amorim

Info sourced at the Havaianas official website, communication release and wikipedia. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

Inside Chanel Chapter N.18 – Gabrielle, a rebel at heart [Breaking News]

José Amorim
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0
Inside Chanel Chapter N.18 – Gabrielle, a rebel at heart [Breaking News]
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Inside-Chanel-Chapt-18-Gabrielle-a-rebel-at-heart

In 2017, CHANEL will celebrate Gabrielle. 2017 will be a year of celebration of Gabrielle Chanel. Five years after its first launch, Chanel pursues its story-telling of the Inside Chanel series. Launched in 2012, each chapter tells a piece of history of Chanel, its founder and its iconic products. The French luxury house has chosen LuxuryActivist.com to reveal the 18th chapter of this amazing online novel. So this is breaking news. The chapter is called Gabrielle, a rebel at heart – in french: Gabrielle ou l’insoumission. Here is the video:

Inside Chanel, a great window into the Brand’s history book

In order to understand the future, you need to know your heritage. Chanel launched during Fall 2012 one of the most ambitious online series called “Inside Chanel”. It tells the story of Mademoiselle Chanel, Coco, and the heritage of the French luxury house. With several videos per year, you can get inside Chanel philosophy and culture. Here is the 18th chapter of this saga. For the past 5 years, Chanel has already delivered 17 videos, all related to a strong topic related to Chanel, either about its founder and iconic character and/or about an iconic object, dress or product. Here is the list of the 17 previous chapters .

  1. N.5
  2. Marilyn and N.5
  3. The Diamond
  4. The Jacket
  5. Coco
  6. Mademoiselle
  7. Gabrielle Chanel
  8. Coco by Karl
  9. Chanel by Karl
  10. The Lion
  11. The Colors of Chanel
  12. Paris by Chanel
  13. Haute Couture
  14. The Vocabulary of Fashion
  15. The Self Portrait of a Perfume
  16. The Camellia
  17. The Paradoxes of Chanel
  18. Gabrielle, a rebel at heart (new)

Never before a luxury house opened such a window to its story and heritage. Each piece of film was carefully crafted in order to provide all the elegance and the prestige for each topic.

2017, the year of Gabrielle Chanel

Inside-Chanel-Chapt-18-Gabrielle-video

Gabrielle-Chanel-inside-chanel

In 2017 CHANEL celebrates Gabrielle, the first name of its founder, better known as Coco Chanel. Karl Lagerfeld has dedicated a bag to her, CHANEL’s GABRIELLE that he created last October for the Spring/Summer 2017 collection. The House will also be launching a fragrance called GABRIELLE CHANEL in the autumn of 2017. Throughout 2017 it will provide the inspiration for four films to be discovered and watched on the Inside CHANEL website, around the themes of rebellion, freedom, passion and allure, values that governed the life of Gabrielle Chanel, and that remain today an inspiration for all women.

Chapter 18: Gabrielle, rebel at heart


This is what Chanel says about Gabrielle: “To choose, to desire, to be. These three verbs characterize Gabrielle, the rebel at heart, who set her course for a destiny she instinctively knew was hers. Her audacity, her thirst for freedom, her irreverence, Gabrielle made these the source of inspiration and the birthplace of her creativity.”

I decided who I wanted to be, and that is who I am” – Gabrielle Chanel

You can discover more about this amazing year of Chanel by visiting the dedicated official website:
http://www.insidechanel.com

2017 will be a great year for Chanel. Celebrating Gabrielle Chanel is somehow celebrating all women around the world who dare to be simply who they are. Gabrielle Chanel was a designer and a woman. One would never go without the other and this is what makes the interest of such a fascinating character.
#GabrielleChanel #InsideChanel

José Amorim

Inside-Chanel-Chapt-18-Gabrielle-a-rebel-at-heart

Info sourced exclusively for LuxuryActivist.com in Chanel official communication release. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images and videos are for illustration purposes only.

Bride-to-be’s Guide: The Most Exotic Ideas To Choose Wedding Flowers

LuxuryActivist
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0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

On a day like your wedding, with the glamorous bride, stunning venue decoration is essential. What do you think? Obviously, everyone wants to see a bride, how is she looking?, which gown she’s wearing?, and the main part: which flowers are there in her wedding bouquet? Undoubtedly, brides are in the limelight because it’s all their day.

Best-Flowers-for-Brides

Most of the brides & grooms start wedding decoration planning before a year or just after their wedding date is fixed. Anyway, there is a good news for all the new-couples out there or the couples-to-be that you can also send flowers online by moyses flowers, even on the same day. Are you a new bride? Do you seek for some creative ideas? Well, it’s the best page you would love to recommend further. Check it out…

 Wedding trends

Traditional flowers can never be outdated, and when it comes to decorating your wedding venue, flowers are a perfect choice of all the wedding planners. Let me guide you with the current hot trend which is, decorating a cupcake tower just like a wedding cake with flowers. It may be possible that as an experienced florist, he/she has a few more options for personalising your wedding. While following the traditional ways, it is also crucial to look out a few important factors like colour, shape, and size of your wedding flowers.

Seasonal wedding flowers

Why should I choose seasonal flowers only? – So many brides have asked the same question to me. And as a florist, I replied: “seasonal wedding flowers can give your wedding a natural look and the quality of flowers add up more essence to the day of royalty”. I don’t think, there remains any more description! Also, the best part of all the flower-buyers, flowers that you purchased in-season, are less expensive than the off-season flowers. So, in-season flower selection may positively impact on your wedding decoration budget. Isn’t it important?

Bridal bouquet

As a bride, your wedding bouquet is the statement of your personality. When you walk down the aisle, it will give a powerful statement about what kind of individual you are. It is undoubtedly the most prominent accessory you’ll have on your wedding day, and it will live on in your wedding pictures. The primary goal of the bride’s bouquet is to emphasize the natural beauty starting from romantic, cascading bouquets to simple hand-tied arrangements. Same as trying on wedding dresses, meeting a florist is a time for you to be creative, have fun and have a perfect look.

Bridesmaid and Wedding party flowers

Bridesmaids are there on your big day for making your day more joyous and unique to you. No matter, whether she is your college room-mate, your sister or your project partner, she always brings her own personality to your wedding. The ceremony would not be completed without each one. Hence, celebrate your wedding party with a great bridesmaid bouquet they will be able to take treasure and home. Whatever you choose, wedding party bouquets and boutonnières can complete your wedding look.

Reception centrepieces and décor

Also, you can ask for services like reception centrepieces, cake flowers, and décor to your florist. An experienced florist can help you with various creative ideas so, select an experienced florist so that you will have the best wedding decoration.

Last session…

After all, wedding is a big day for any bride & groom’s life, and flowers are the best weapon to fill up the day with more charm. Florist is a person who can use flowers in the most creative ways. Thus, hire the best florist and enjoy a fragrant wedding day!…

Daniel Clark

Info sourced by the author for LuxuryActivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

Chanel is officially launching a new bag, and it is big news.

José Amorim
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2
Chanel is officially launching a new bag, and it is big news.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

When a magnificent luxury house decides to launch a new bag, it is more than big news, it is probably the birth of a new icon. Chanel is launching a new bag called Gabrielle de Chanel. How much more iconic that could be? The new bag will be launched in April and will be supported by an advertising campaign shot by Karl Lagerfeld in person. CHANEL-GABRIELLE-bag

Chanel-brand-ambassadors
What do we know so far? Karl Lagerfeld has chosen Kristen Stewart, Caroline de Maigret and Pharrell Williams, all Chanel’s ambassadors, along with Cara Delevingne, a friend of the luxury House, to embody Chanel’s GABRIELLE bag. These 4 amazing people have all strong connections to Chanel and to Karl Lagerfeld. Mr Lagerfeld wanted to have a personal approach for this project and everything needed to make sense. The Fashion Maestro put all his talent to make this launch a success. This bag was firstly presented at the Spring-Summer 2017 ready-to-wear show. The idea of this bag is to capitalize on the unique spirit of all Chanel’s bags. It is a story of aesthetic and practical spirit in the blend of strength and elegance.
Chanel-SS17-gabrielle-bag
Chanel-Gabrielle-bag-2017
As Chanel explains, this bag is like a mischievous wink to Gabrielle Chanel. Here is how the bag is described: Fitted on a rigid thermoformed base, the main body of the bag is extremely light and ultra-supple: this contrasting structure gives it perfect stability and makes finding belongings effortless. In tune with a continuing search for comfort advocated by the founder of the House, it hugs the silhouette, moving with the gait and never hindering it. Its adjustable strap comes with a double chain woven from leather and golden and silver metal. As we can read, Karl Lagerfeld brings a clear distinction to this bag in order to make it iconic from day one. We can find all different elements that we appreciate in Chanel’s aesthetics. Karl Lagerfeld made it also comfortable and practical in respect to the philosophy of Gabrielle Chanel. More to come on #TheCHANELGABRIELLEbag .

José Amorim

Info sourced at Chanel official communications, Elle UK, Vogue and Wikipedia. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

Luxury news, information for hyper-luxury customers

José Amorim
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0
Reading Time: 5 minutes

Luxury-News-Luxury-Blog

News are news, no matter if they are old or fresh. One of the biggest increase in the news business is the one for Luxury news. While the 2008 crisis is still hitting the board, the luxury industry has year after year a solid positive growth, between 4 to 6%. In 2016 the growth was 4% and it was leaded by Luxury cars, luxury hospitality and luxury personal goods. These 2 segments represented 80% of total luxury activity in 2016. The total luxury market represented sales for USD 1.20Trillion. The luxury car segment had the strongest growth with +8%. The very top level in this segments had a very solid growth thanks to new markets like Asia and South America. The personal luxury goods segments was mainly flat reaching a USD 2.75 billion.

In order to maintain this level of business, we need customers aware and educated in luxury. Nowadays the best way to get information about your preferred brands is the internet. Being one of the most fast growing segments of news, most of the established media has now a “luxury section” or a high-end lifestyle rubrique. Here is our top 3 best sources for luxury news:

1- CNN MONEY LUXURY
CNN is the world heavy weight champion on news. They are truly a global brand and a very important media for key influent people. With CNN money they started a full activity in more “lifestyle type of news” and the luxury section just grew a lot. The website was originally formed as a joint venture between CNN and Time Warner’s Fortune and Money magazines, launched in 2001. Since the spin-off of Time Warner’s publishing assets, CNNMoney now operates as a subsidiary of CNN.com and is no longer tied to these magazines.
http://money.cnn.com/luxury 

cnn-money-luxury

2- THE TELEGRAPH LUXURY
The UK has very high qualitative media and one of them is The Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph, commonly referred to simply as The Telegraph, is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was founded by Arthur B. Sleigh in 1855 as The Daily Telegraph and Courier. The luxury section of the newspaper is very popular and provide great insights about all topics related to luxury.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury

3- CNBC WEALTH & LUXURY
CNBC is a very well know American media that over time has grown an intense and strong reputation around the world for business. They have a very interesting luxury section, especially about billionaires and millionaires. They cleverly blend investments tips, philanthropy, high-tech and luxury latest news. They are also known for their interview series of major CEOs.
http://www.cnbc.com/luxury

Luxury interests are everywhere and hyper-luxury customers are more demanding on the quality and exclusivity of what they buy. Hyper luxury consumers are no longer happy being targeted as common luxury consumers, they want products expensive enough to match their status. However, conversely, the common luxury consumer is finding it harder to keep up their prestigious lifestyle. Millionaires and billionaires are leading the way.
How do we define this new luxury segment? Hyper luxury represents products that are rare, exclusive, extremely high quality, often handmade and unapologetically expensive. The very (very,very) rich luxury consumer has a deep desire for very expensive goods and destination shopping which only they can afford. One of the side effects of this phenomenon is the fact that designers and retailers are obliged to increase their prices in order to meet the needs of this new market. It became one of the most international industries where millionaires and influencers live in many different countries.

Luxury-in-china

The luxury business in China is suppose to cross the level of $ 20billion before 2018, knowing that 30% of total luxury buys by Chinese are done in Hong Kong, we let you imagine the potential in that area. Another region of interest in Luxury is Latin-America. Brazil and Mexico are definitely leading the way. Mexico has overcome Brazil with a total GDP of $ 1.2 Trillion (source: Forbes) Amazing businesses have opened in Mexico and abroad bringing a high level of wealth to the country. Brazil is a giant with its 200 million inhabitants. According to Forbes magazine study about Brazil and Luxury, Brazil has 36 billionaires and 136’000 millionaires. These people represent a strong purchase power and is lifting up the market, including the interior market.

Luxury goods consumers tend to look for special, unique and excellent quality pieces that will last for years. For this, they will be willing to pay more. Social trends show that people are moving away from consumerism, from buying things that don’t last. There will always be people who seek out exceptional luxury products. Maybe the next stage will be an even greater demand for artisanal craftsmanship, to balance our increasingly digital daily life.

In this new economy, ‘normal luxury consumers’, are finding it hard to stay up to speed with the increasingly inflated prices of luxury goods. Professional and successful women have been declared to be bankrupt in record numbers, spending all their money on designer clothes and extravagant social lives, reaching debts up to £100,000. Analyst, have commented that personal bankruptcies, especially for women, has been growing 25% per year, mainly because they have higher expectations of their standards of living, not realizing that they are spending beyond their means.

José Amorim

Info sourced at Euromonitor, Forbes, CNN Money, Telegraph Luxury, CNBC Luxury, BBC and Wikipedia. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. Featured image from http://www.yolancris.com

Exclusive interview with Ricardo Guadalupe – CEO of Hublot

Arsene Wargas
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Reading Time: 7 minutes

Pour la version française, cliquez ici.

Behind great brands are great men. Hublot  is not an exception. This week, the LuxuryActivist team had the privilege to obtain an exclusive private interview with Mr Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot’s CEO. We met a determined man, very passionate for what he does and definitely the engine of Hublot’s current success. His strong experience within the Swiss watchmaking industry gives him a clear vision on where he should lead Hublot and he has the entire trust and support of his team. His speech is very inspiring and should be a lesson to many people. Swiss watchmaking is a leading force and the men working very hard behind the scenes are the number one inspiration of this success. Mr Guadalupe is an important person worth listening.

LuxuryActivist (LA): You started in 2012 as Hublot’s CEO, what is your recipe that guided you all the way to accomplish what you did so far?

Ricardo Guadalupe (RG): It is difficult to talk about recipes but probably I could talk about my passion for what I do. I am attached to everything related to creation. As far as I am concerned, I am a man whose interest for new product creation is my true passion. We can do the best marketing in the world, have the best distribution but if the watches that we wear on our wrists do not transmit emotions, the purchase will not take place. I try to share with the Hublot teams the philosophy of creativity and innovation. These teams can be from R&D, Marketing or even logistics. We have the innovative spirit at all levels.

Every time we start a new project, we always ask ourselves the same question: what can we do better and different?”

It sounds easy to say but the most important thing is the creativity we place in the watch, the materials used or the movement. All this happens in a very intuitive way, buy talking to the teams and engineers. I am personally very connected to all these people.

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LA: You declared several times that your preferred Hublot watch was the All Black 2006. Is it still the case? and why?

RG: Here is an example about listening. The original idea of the Hublot All Black came from a retailer. One day, just by talking to one of our commercial partners, he said: “why not doing a full black watch! This could really work!” It was the start of an amazing project. With the Hublot All Black we made time disappear. At the same time, we created a concept with a huge visibility. When you have a completely black watch on your wrist, there is a great aesthetic force. At Hublot we manufacture watches that makes something more than just tell time. We sell an object of art, we sell eternity or simply what our customers want to see in a Hublot watch.

LA: How would you describe the Hublot customer?

RG: They are young people from 25 to 45 years old. They are self-achievers, they succeed their lives only by the force of their own determination. Young generation of entrepreneurs who have built their own companies and being successful with it. They wish to express their success and the watch is a strong symbol. Men are concerned but also women. Hublot has around 30% of female customers. Our customers wish that people recognize their Hublot watches and to use it to express their state of mind.

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LA: With the inauguration of Hublot 2, you have double the production facilities. What have you earned and what do you expect to accomplish in the future?

RG: We have in deed doubled our production area but the main objective is not to double production but to accomplish a further verticalization. We wish to master almost all strategic steps in-house. By leveling up Hublot in the Swiss watch-industry we need now to express our “esprit Manufacture”. This also allows to cumulate Hublot’s added value into our products.

LA: What did you think about 2015 where we had a strong Swiss Franc and a weak China? 

RG: Hublot is not very strong in China, so the difficult economic situation of this country did not really affect us. It is true that 1/3 of total Swiss watches exportation go to China. If you consider the fact that Chinese buy a lot of watches abroad, we can estimate that 50% of Swiss watches are purchased by Chinese. Hublot is not concerned by this, which is in a way a great thing as China has slowed down. Nevertheless, if we would look for future growth worldwide, it is definitely in China where we would find it. It is a tremendous development opportunity for Hublot. China has for sure slowed down but Chinese people love to go shopping while abroad. They love to buy luxury goods and especially watches. I saw 25 years ago the Swiss export sales at CHF 5Million. Today we are at CHF 21Million so at one point we needed to have a consolidation. For the strong Swiss Franc, our typology of customers is not price sensitive, so 20% more in a Hublot watch is not really a problem. We could then focus our sales in Europe as our prices became more affordable. In Switzerland the situation was more challenging but since then the Euro got back to the race and things seem more normal.

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LA: How would you see the Swiss watch industry to evolve in the incoming years?

RG: There are different levels of analysis. In the below CHF 1’000 watch segment, the arrival of connected watches is a true challenge. Any customer can buy a CHF 400 or CHF 500 Apple watch as well as a Swiss or Japanese traditional watch. The Connected watches bring the creation of new jobs that are not traditionally watchmaking. They are jobs about technology and electronics. We definitely need to pay attention to this phenomenon. For the high-end luxury watches, things will remain the same. Nobody will wear a smartwatch on one wrist and a high-luxury watch in the other. Luxury watches still are jewelry for several men and women, so it will always have a stronger perceived value than a smartwatch. At Hublot we have a strong believe on the “visible mechanics”. Not like a skeletonize of the watch but rather giving visibility of the watch movement that often is hidden behind the dial. It provides the watch added-value and richness. Watch dials hide the movement and we believe there is currently a strong trend to stop using dials in watches  in order to reveal the mouvement. It is the mouvement that generates the perceived added-value.

LA: What should we wish you for this new edition of Baselworld? 

RG: The watchmaking mood is currently quite difficult, we try to remain optimistic. We basically try to be better than anyone else. For that we are quite well equipped at Hublot to face this challenge.

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You can listen to an audio extract from the interview here:

Mr Ricardo Guadalupe has a precise and passionate vision of watchmaking. He has the charisma and the energy to lead the Hublot team even higher than we think. Step by step, year after year, Hublot is ascending the Swiss watch-making mountain and there is only one target: the mountain top. You can read more about the new models launched this year during Baselworld by reading our previous review here:

Luxury Activist

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The LuxuryActivist team thanks Mr Ricardo Guadalupe for his time and interest. We also thanks Ms Annabelle Galley for the amazing opportunity. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available without permission requested. Images are copyrighted and for illustration purposes only. Official photography of Mr Ricardo Guadalupe: Fred Merz. 

Patricia Kaas, enchantress with a new album.

José Amorim
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Reading Time: 4 minutes

It was in Geneva, that we discovered the new tour of French singer Patricia Kaas. It was the first date in Switzerland. She will cross Germany, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and of course France. We saw a charismatic, inspired and enchantress Patricia Kaas. After singing other artist’s songs like Edith Piaf, it was time for Patricia Kaas to come back with her own songs. The tour gathers a collection of her greatest hits as well as songs from the new album.

Patricia-Kaas-album-2016

It has been several years that we did not see Patricia Kaas in concert. Patricia Kaas sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. All fans waited for more than 13 years to see a new original album. We have the very best Patricia Kaas possible. Her live voice is perfect, like in the CDs. The mise en scene is minimalistic, elegant and essential. This album would reflect the woman she is today. Patricia Kaas has evolved, she evokes painful themes such as the Paris attacks, disappearances, battered women or even incest.

“These songs are gifts from the authors who proposed to me deep and heavy texts. But when I listen to a song like these, I do not say to myself that it is brave to sing them. I want to sing them because they move me.” – Patricia Kaas

The new album is called Patricia Kaas. Simple as that. 13 songs that translates the woman she became. She is 50 years old and life taught her great things, hard things, basically she lives the experience of a woman. Here is the list of songs:

  1. Adèle
  2. Cogne
  3. Madame Tout Le Monde
  4. Sans Tes Mains
  5. La Maison En Bords De Mer
  6. Embrasse
  7. Marre De Mon Amant
  8. Sans Nous
  9. Ne L’Oublie Jamais
  10. Le Jour Et L’Heure
  11. La Langue Que Je Parle
  12. Ma Météo Personnelle
  13. Ma Tristesse Est N’Importe Où

Patricia Kaas on stage is a magician sourcing the energy in the 5 elements. From land forces to the air energy, Patricia Kaas will evoke a strong energy flow. Her voice did not change in all these years and all the fans will find her beautiful voice and strong powerful energy. When she sings there is a powerful emotion emanating from her. She takes her inspiration very deep and generously shares it with the audience. Her voice goes low and at certzin times she opens up and let the full power of her voice to shine. Patricia Kaas musicality has deep roots in blues but actually she is definitely rock! The concert was captivating. She will jump, dance, sit in the ground and will smile as she is happy to find back her public. The show started with everybody sitting and it ends up with everybody standing up and singing with her.

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Patricia-Kaas-arena-geneve

When you try to understand each new song we can see that each song has a strong signification. Adèle speaks about somebody loading to be comforted by somebody else. “Le Jour et l’Heure” refers to the recent Paris attacks and the idea of “loss” in general. “Cogne is clearly talking about domestic violence. “Embrasse” describes how to embrace life. One of the songs are super hard, La Maison en Bord de Mer. It talks about incest. “Ma Tristesse” translates into music Patrica Kaas own melancholy. Or for example, “Sans Nous” talks about the eternal theme of “love break up”.

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You can visit the artist official office here to get more information: http://www.patriciakaas.net 

The enchantress is back and we are happy for her (for our pleasure!).

José Amorim

Info sourced at the Geneva Concert, the artist website, wikipedia, Le Parisien and radiozene. All content is copyrighted with  no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

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