SIHH 2015, what should you know for the incoming year?

Sebastien Eich
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1
SIHH 2015, what should you know for the incoming year?
Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Geneva International Watchmaking show is already finished. One full week of amazing watches from some of the most luxury Swiss Made brands. Every year, the Watch press and the watch aficionados hold their breathes until the new watches are revealed during the SIHH. Thanks to an extraordinary organization, precise as a Swiss watch, the 25th edition of SIHH was a great success. The event is strictly reserved for the Watchmaking professionals, best customers and friends of the brands.  During a full week, most of the brands will make their annual sales for most of them. Others still have a second opportunity by participating to Baselworld in March.

We need to congratulate the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie for this impeccable organization. It is a true pleasure to attend to the fair as everything is made to put you at ease. It was an amazing edition. There were no crazy blockbusters but just little wonders of technicality and poetry. Basically all that we love.

SIHH 2015, poetry on your wrist

If you think that watchmaking is just a matter of mechanical components doing tik tak, you are missing an incredible part of the game. And on this field, two brand shine more than others at the SIHH: Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier.

VanCleef-Arpels-carpe VanCleef-Arpels-floral-poetry VanCleef-Arpels

SIHH 2015, elegance is a matter of good taste

When it comes to Swiss watchmaking, there is one thing that Swiss horlogers know how to do: timeless elegance and perfect allure. Here we could quote all the brands present in the fair, but we appreciated 2 brands specifically for the harmony understated-luxury and stylish watches: Parmigiani Fleurier and IWC

Parmigiani_Fleurier_mother-of-pearl Parmigiani_Fleurier

SIHH 2015, Modernity is not only a word

While certain brands would completely capitalize on a pure tradition of watchmaking, others want to revamp history and bring a different and contemporary facet of things. This is the case of Roger Dubuis, Montblanc and Panerai. To note the connected watch by Montblanc and its bluetooth e-strap. It is the first connected luxury watch.

Roger-Dubuis

Panerai-ceramica

Montblanc-estrap-connected-watch Montblanc-estrap

SIHH 2015, heritage is a strong creative star

Among all brands at the SIHH there are clearly legendary names. Watches which marked history. There are brands that have a tremendous precious heritage and their style only becomes better every year. At the SIHH this year we had some amazing watches in our hands. Heritage is the foundation of any piece of future a brand can dream of. Some of the brands use their legacy to explore unique universes and propose speechless watches. This is the case of Jaeger LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne and Baume & Mercier.

Jaeger-Lecoultre-classic Jaeger-Lecoultre

SIHH 2015, Designing a watch is a challenge for the mind

The great thing with Swiss Watchmaking is that each brand has its own universe. Every year we discover breath-taking new watches and each one of them has that special detail that will make your watch-aficionado heart race. This year we would highlight Richard Mille, Piaget and Ralph Lauren.

Richard-Mille

In conclusion, we keep in our minds amazing watches, but above all amazing and passionate people who all welcomed us with great generosity. LuxuryActivist SIHH team would like to warmly thanks Mr. Stephane Malfroy, Ms. Simeonides, Ms Divine Bonga, Mr Donatus Grütter and Ms Stephanie Soda for the warm welcome and the presentations. Final but not least, congratulations to the Fondation De la Haute Horlogerie for another great edition.

LuxuryActivist-SIHH

LA

SIHH-Reviews-articles-news

Info sourced at the SIHH 2015 by the LuxuryActivist team. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

SIHH 2015, the first impressions!

Sebastien Eich
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0
Reading Time: 5 minutes

The International Watch show in Geneva has just started and from what we heard it is going to be a good year for Swiss Watchmaking. There are definitely challenges, like the Swiss Franc exchange rate that is skyrocketing the costs. But Brands have been doing an amazing job by focusing on their strength and new emerging markets will contribute to the industry growth.

SIHH, a place for the best and the unique

SIHH-2015-Highlights
The first impressions we get in the corridors is that 2015 will be a challenging year but a good year for Swiss Watch-making. Naturally we will need to wait Baselworld in March to get a full scope but the 16 brands presented this week in Geneva are already making their annual business. By the end of the week we will have a more solid prediction but we can say that our Swiss Brands are stars in the sky of watchmaking.
SIHH-2015-key-figures
Cartier, Montblanc and Audemars Piguet started this year’s SIHH in a very good rythmn following by the other Richemont brands and guest brands. There are amazing projects that only Swiss audacity could make them real. Cartier Astrotourbillon skeleton or the Audemars Piguet Royal-Oak Acoustic concept are UFOs in watchmaking. Will we see the first true mechanical smart watch by Montblanc? Some brands like Piaget and A. Lange & Söhne become the masters of ultra-thin technology. Ralph Lauren and Van Cleef & Arpels will make you dream as never before. Richard Mille, Baume & Mercier and Vacheron Constantin will bring the best of their know-how. Panerai and Parmigiani will show you how beautiful their heritage is. Final but not least, IWC and Jaeger-Lecoultre will invite you to a journey of wonders. If you wish to see more about the new models presented this year, please check our full review here:
2015 SIHH Watch highlights
So yes, the 2015 SIHH is going to be a nice edition for a great 25th anniversary. And when you see the strong health of the Swiss watchmaking industry, these confirm the fact that only differentiation and true innovation can protect you from economic crisis. Here below some key figures.
SIHH-Geneve-2015

Swiss Watch Industry, the key figures

Every year, Switzerland exports around 30 million watches in the world. It sounds huge as a result but if we consider the entire Finished-watch production, it is just 2.5% of the 1.2 Billion watches produced every year (all price ranges together). China and Hong Kong lead the market from a volume point of view. These two countries alone produce every year 1 Billion watches. When you have a look in the up market, Switzerland has the number one place. 95% of all watches sold above the mark of US$1’000 were produced in Switzerland.
In value, Switzerland sells for more than US$ 20 billion every year. The Swiss industry recorded a double digit growth every year on the past 3 years. While Europe is historically a strong commercial partner for Switzerland with more or less 30% of total sales, Asia Pacific represents 54% of all sales. Hong Kong is the showcase for Swiss Watch making and serves all Asia.
In terms of Metal, Gold and Stainless steel are equals in terms of sales in value. Out of the US$ 20 billion , US$ 7.3 billion related to Gold watches and US$ 7.6 billion was the total amount of sales for Stainless steel watches. Of course in volume, it is a different story as Steel represent 53% of total sales whereas Gold watches will only represent 2.5% in volume.
Thanks to this good health, the Swiss Industry has being employing more and more people. Today there are 56’000 people working in watchmaking in Switzerland. Of course it is not comparable to the historical 90’000 individuals by the end of the 70’s but todays figure is the highest in the past 30 years.
In terms of big players, Richemont and the Swatch group represent more than 45% of the business. Follows Fossil group USA and LVMH. The Asian brands – Citizen, Seiko and Casio – only represent 9.4% of the market.

As you can see it is an exciting moment to be in Geneva right now. 2015 will have its amount of challenges but the Swiss watchmaking has been growing an amazing relationship with selected partners all around the world that will support them no matter what. With last year China’s low results and now the Swiss franc exchange rate, watchmakers had big doubts about this new year’s growth. Nevertheless, everything is taken in consideration, so that everybody will do his part. During this week, amazing Watchmakers will literally blow our minds by presenting the best they can offer. From technical outstanding breakthroughs to poetry in a watch, the 2015 SIHH will definitely be an edition to remember.

LA

Info sourced at Federation de l’industrie Horlogere Suisse, La tribune de Geneve, interbrand 2013-2014, wikipedia, LeTemps, Watchonista and SIHH official communication. Impressions gathered as declarations in the SIHH. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Ricola Glacier Mint, what Swiss nature has to offer at its best.

LuxuryActivist
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0
Reading Time: 6 minutes

Ricola is a Swiss company that became a true ambassador for the country. With more than 5 billion drops produced every year, Ricola sells its iconic bonbons all over the world. 85 years after the foundation of the Swiss company, they still keep going with innovation. This month, they are launching a new variety of drops, Menthe des Glaciers – Glacier’s Mint – Gletscherminze. LuxuryActivist was chosen to test the new drops and it gave us the opportunity to review this amazing success Swiss story.

Ricola, naturally good.

Ricola was founded in 1930 by Emil Wilhelm Richterich. At that time he built up his own business called Confiseriefabrik Richterich & Co. Laufen.

Confiseriefabrik-Richterich-Co.-Laufen

It was in 1967 that the company was named RICOLA, which is the abbreviation of the initial name RIchterich & CO. LAufen. Since then, the small Swiss company became big and now it has 400 people for a total revenue of CHF 300 million (in 2012). The company is now managed by Felix Richterich, son of Hans Peter and grandson of the founder. Today, Ricola exports to over 50 countries in Asia, North America and Europe. The company became a true ambassador for Switzerland all over the world and represents the beauty and the amazing richness of Swiss nature. You can imagine that to produce so many drops every year, Ricola needs the help of many people here in Switzerland. Over 200 independent companies located around Ricola serve the Swiss company at many different levels. In order to being able to get enough plants, all growing in Switzerland, Ricola works with 100 self-managed farms in the following Swiss areas:

  • Valais
  • Emmental
  • Puschlav
  • South Jura mountains
  • Central Switzerland
  • Ticino

 

Ricola-Swiss-tradition

Ricola-plants

In times where we never know exactly what we eat and drink, and after so many food scandals, a company like Ricola can only get your trust as everything is transparent, from the way they work with partners down to the packaging of their products.

Ricola-Gletscherminze-menthe-des-glaciers

Ricola-Gletscherminze-menthe-des-glaciers-detail

All over the world people from different cultures and horizons enjoy the excellent quality and taste of Ricola drops. Celebrities, mainly singers, from all over the world, enjoy Ricola drops and use it as a secret weapon to keep their voice loud and clear. Here are just a few of the well-known stars who suck Ricola drops regularly:

  • Bruno Mars
  • Placido Domingo
  • Cecilia Bartoli
  • Christina Aguilera
  • Robbie Williams
  • Madonna
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Mariah Carrey

These singers use Ricola as a way to keep their throats in good shape

 Chrüterchraft, the spirit of Ricola

In the last campaign by Ricola, they introduced the idea of Chrüterchraft. It is a brilliant concept. The word means several things. It is a Swiss word that stands for herbs. It reflects the efficiency and the enjoyment of plants by Ricola.

Chruterchraft-ricola

In all Ricola drops, there is a secret blend of 13 plants. Nobody knows exactly which plants and the quantity of each one. The recipe is preciously kept at Ricola and allow to each drops to fulfill the Brand promise. This is what we can fin in Wikipedia about the list of plants.

  • Elder (Sambucus nigra)
  • Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)
  • Mallow (Malva silvestris)
  • Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)
  • Sage (Salvia officinalis)
  • Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
  • Cowslip (Primula veris)
  • Burnet (Pimpinella saxifraga)
  • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
  • Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis)
  • Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris)
  • Speedwell, aka Veronica (Veronica officinalis)
  • Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)

In the United States, ten herbs make up the herbal mixture, three of which are not in the above list. These are Linden Flowers (Tilia platyphyllos), Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) and Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis).

Keep-Calm-and-get-a-ricola

In any case, Ricola masters the beautiful art of plants and they produce everything or almost in Switzerland as the Swiss Alps landscapes are rich in plants that grow naturally in the valleys and some of them in altitude. Here is a very nice corporate video that shows how they work.

As we can see, you can only achieve this quality for so long if you have passion for what you do. Nicola has also a lot of humour, which makes it even more exciting. Smile is probably the most important ingredient they use in every day work to make the best drops possible. Here is one of the latest campaign that shows how cool this brand is. Creativity, innovation, strong on its roots and the passion of doing something good for people.

 Ricola Glaciers Mint – Menthe des Glaciers – Gletscherminze, new launch

This new year brings a new variety to Ricola collection. It is called Glaciers Mint and as any previous Ricola, it is a hit already.

Ricola-Gletscherminze-menthe-des-glaciers-featured

Ricola-Gletscherminze-menthe-des-glaciers-full-pack

Ricola-Gletscherminze-menthe-des-glaciers-drops

The New recipe requires the best quality of Mint growing in the green meadows of Switzerland landscape. Ricola brought all its know-how in order to create the best Mint drops ever.

Ricola-Gletscherminze-menthe-des-glaciers-packs Ricola-Gletscherminze-menthe-des-glaciers-packshot

What to say about this new flavor? At LuxuryActivist we were lucky to get a few packs to test, which we did. The first effect we feel in mouth is a refreshing effect of Menthol and Peppermint aroma. It tastes very natural and it immediately fills your throat and your retro-olfactory system. The nose is purified and your breath refreshed. A second effect you fill is the blend of the 13 plants. I can distinctively pick up Sage for example, which is an amazing plant for several purposes. In this new variety, the researchers at Ricola created a beautiful Mint recipe. Mint is such a strong ingredient, that you need to use it wisely otherwise it will not be pleasant. In the Ricola Menthe des Glaciers – Gletscherminze, Ricola selected the best plants growing in the pure Glacial Moraines in Switzerland.

Ricola-Gletscherminze-menthe-des-glaciers-pack

We shared the new Ricola with some people around us (basically friends and people at the office) and asked them to give us their impressions. We also have the opinion of LuxuryActivist Chief editor. They were all positively impressed by the quality of the recipe and they really appreciated it was Sugar-free. While the Sugar-free trend has only started in the last 10 years driving sales, Ricola has been investing their research time into Sugar-free products since the 70’s.  Here are some comments we could gather about the new Ricola Gletscherminze.

Ricola-new-launch-product-test

If you wish to learn more about the amazing world of Ricola, do not hesitate to connect to the brand official website here: http://www.ricola.com

No matter if you are a super star Opera singer, or just someone trying to keep your throat away from the traps of winter, Ricola is the perfect brand for you. Every Ricola drops is made with all the ingenuity of Swiss know-how. The quality and the excellence at work that Ricola has, is completely reflected into their products and each one of the 5 billion drops produced every year brings you the same promise: the best of Swiss nature in a single bonbon. Well done Ricola.

LA

Ricola-Gletscherminze-Menthe-des-Glaciers-mood

Info sourced at Ricola website and official communication releases, wikipedia, wordreference, Coolbrandz and youtube. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. 

SIHH, la crème de la crème in watchmaking meet in Geneva

Sebastien Eich
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0
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Next week, Geneva will beat at the rythmn of beautiful timepieces. The 25th Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH)will open its doors and some of the most amazing Watch manufacturers. 16 brands will exhibit their new creations in a very luxury environment, that only happy fews will discover as it is on invitation only.

A House full of (beautiful) cards

The SIHH is Christmas after Christmas for the Watchmaking professionals. every year it is the first big appointment in all diaries. From the 16 brands presented in the Salon, 12 belong to the Richemont Group:

  • A. Lange & Sohne
  • Baume & Mercier
  • IWC
  • Jaeger-LeCoultre
  • Montblanc
  • Panerai
  • Piaget
  • Ralph Lauren
  • Roger Dubuis
  • Vacheron Constantin
  • Van Cleef & Arpels

Outside the Richemont Group, there are guest brands that are also incredible legendary watchmakers:

  • Audemars Piguet
  • Greubel Forsey
  • Parmigiani
  • Richard Mille

    • SIHH-exhibitors
    Last year, the 2014 SIHH was an amazing edition. With 14’000 visitors, last year edition increased by 9%. There were 1’300 journalists which is an increase of 12%. More and more Asian journalists travel to Geneva beginning of January to cover the Salon. On a huge 35’000m2 exhibition area, it is probably one of the biggest private trade show in the world. According to Ms. Fabienne Lupo, the fair represents a 8 digit investment, so it is a considerable effort to promote what Switzerland has at its best. For Brands it is a considerable effort as well. Currently there are 3 major salons for watchmaking in the world:

    • SIHH in Geneva – every January
    • Baselworld in Basel – end of March
    • Watches and Wonders in Hong Kong – end of September

    SIHH watch showSIHH watchmaking show

    SIHH watch makers
    By far, the SIHH is the most exclusive and the most luxury one. It is not only the ambiance and the decor but also the conditions. There is a high-standard restaurant, the press area is purely amazing. As a journalist, everything is offered at your disposal to do your job. The evening gala usually on Thursday, is an amazing moment to celebrate watchmaking, meet good friends and network. All wrapped in amazing risottos, Grisons meat, Swiss cheese and loads of champaign.

    2014 SIHH was a good year for watchmakers

    Last year’s edition was an amazing year for business. A few weeks after the salon, all exhibit brands announced a great incoming year. Parmigiani crossed the line of 6’000 watches allowing a sales progression of 17% which is an amazing achievement for its category. Audemars Piguet increased sales and reached CHF 700 million (vs CHF 600 million the previous year). It allow the brand to sell 35’000 watches. Jaeger-LeCoultre created 100 new jobs in Switzerland last year and Richard Mille reached between CHF 135 to 150 million for 3’500 watches sold. According to the WorldWatchReport, 2014 represented for the entire industry a growth of 12% and everything indicates that 2015 will follow the same path.
    2015 edition expects around 12’500 visitors and each brand will present mind-blowing projects from watchmaking complications to extraordinary poetry.
    See here our full review of new launches per brand: Pre-SIHH, what to expect.

    When passion meets luxury, only one word can describe the result: outstanding. That is SIHH.

    LA

    SIHH-2015-Geneva-Richemont
    Info sourced at SIHH website, brands press releases, Richemont communication, LeTemps.ch, Bilan, 24h and the WorldWatchReport. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

    Cup of Luxury by Bryan-David Scott. Pure.

    LuxuryActivist
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    Reading Time: 9 minutes

    Luxury is not only about buying a very expensive item, it is above all enjoying an amazing experience. Cup of Luxury is completely aligned with this idea. Bryan-David Scott, Celebrity Coffee Chef is a Luxury Coffee Specialist and founded Cup of Luxury based on the best of the best. It is definitely a Brand for those seeking the ultimate coffee experience.

    Cup of Luxury is rated the most exclusive international luxury lifestyle brand of coffee with coffees having been enjoyed by royals in Monaco, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophie of Spain, world-class chefs, connoisseurs, and coffee aficionados. Each coffee is handcrafted, five-star rated, roasted on order; and it is the only coffee company in the world to offer coffees graded from 96 points to 100 points. Unlike other brands that purport to be luxury lifestyle, Cup of Luxury is evidenced by the appearance (flawless coffee beans free of defects due to their QA standards to ensure each coffee is hand-picked, hand-washed, sun dried, inspected prior to exportation), aroma, appearance in the cup and ultimately by the taste. Cup of Luxury proposes one of the most exclusive clubs in the world, Bryan-David Scott, the founder, explains more about it below.

    Cup-of-coffee-logo

    Bryan-David Scott, passion is his secret

    Here is an exclusive interview from Bryan-David Scott, explaining what is behind Cup of Luxury: A lot of talent, passion and excellence at work. It is really impressive.

    LuxuryActivist (LA): What is your Background?
    Bryan-David Scott (BDS): My passion for cooking began when I was five. I wanted to eat some corn so … I took the corn, poured it into a plastic bowl then placed it on the glowing red stove. Seconds later amidst the fire alarm screaming for my mother’s attention, an obvious toxic fire and a well melted bowl covering the burner, my mom rushed in and carefully took over. She wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t angry. Instead, she showed me how to pour corn into a pot, what size pot was best then off to buy a new burner she went. Her love for cooking great food passed down to me. Fast forward a few years. Single dad raising three young boys (two in diapers), I needed a business where I could control my schedule. I became a U.S. furniture broker. Things were great until one day I began forecasting for 3Q 2006. Dismal. Bleak. Sinking ship. On point, the furniture industry collapsed by September. I had begun looking for opportunities. Coffee is what I believed would be the best industry to launch a new venture. So after a career in luxury design and furniture, I founded a specialty coffee brokerage service in Seattle—the coffee capital of the country—and eventually became an official coffee partner of the Seattle Seahawks / Seattle Sounders FC. My reputation among professional athletes and management extended to renowned chefs, celebrities, UHNWI’s and other VIP types–they came clamoring for my knowledge of luxury coffee, roasting and brewing–all of this inspired me to create Cup of Luxury, an exclusive luxury lifestyle brand of coffee that is direct-to-consumer and private membership focused.

    Cup-of-luxury-cup-of-coffee

    LA: When did your passion for coffee start? 
    BDS: As a boy, I spent about one-third of my time with my Grandma and Grandpa. One commonality my Grandma had with my mom was a love for coffee. I watched them place their cups on the table and pour the steaming coffee in. Grandma liked hers black, Mama liked hers with a splash of cream and the occasional spoonful of sugar. In both households I did my best to win approval for just a sip of their cherished morning brew. I began making an effort to taste coffee at the age of five. At this age my request was met with a firm, “No. You are too young.” I never gave up. Years later at the age of eight, I began sipping coffee. I fell in love with everything about it. Coffee was a part of my life from then on, however it was when I became a coffee broker when I discovered the vast differences in grades of quality. My passion for the perfect cup, demand for excellence, and my genuine love of people led me on a journey to find what could be deemed, “perfect coffee beans.” I discovered perfect coffees and have never looked back.

    LA: Why did you create Cup of Luxury?
    BDS: My reputation skyrocketed when we became an official coffee partner with the Seattle Seahawks / Seattle Sounders FC. NFL players, Major League Soccer players, management, broadcasters, journalists all stated that our coffees were the best they had ever tasted, that no brand of coffee before us had amazed them. I offered private tasting events and catering. Major League Soccer offered us the designation to be the official coffee of all Major League Soccer (in the end we declined because we realized that was not our market). Soon I began serving coffees to the rich and famous, celebrities, UHNWI’s and others that learned of our coffees. Oftentimes I was invited to provide private coffee service within rooms and suites of some of Seattle’s luxury hotels. I have had the honor of serving coffee to members in private meetings at prestigious clubs such as the Columbia Tower Club and Harbor Club. Though I was considered successful by others, I was not satisfied. I closed the doors on that first endeavor in 2010, and set my sights on creating an exclusive luxury coffee company. In 2012, I created Cup of Luxury because of the demand for luxury class coffees and my personal passion, knowledge and experience. While there are brands of coffee purporting to be luxury, when considering what defines luxury these brands fail to meet even one criterion. At Cup of Luxury, our coffees are rare and limited, handcrafted, five-star rated, roasted on order and carry a grade no less than 95 points with majority of them being 100 point coffees. Also, I wanted to create an exclusive members only club. With our Luxury Coffee Club members have a consistent selection of superb seasonal luxury coffees, members only opportunities and benefits. In short, I created Cup of Luxury because I knew with supreme confidence that what we have to offer cannot be paralleled.

    LA: What are your criteria to choose an exceptional coffee? 
    BDS: Luxury coffee, like excellent wine, has a crop cycle. At or around the seventh or eighth harvest is when coffees are at their peak. At Cup of Luxury, we pay a substantially higher price for green coffee to our partner-growers to ensure that we receive the top .1% of their crop. These are the coffees we offer. The consequence of this direct trade relationship with our grower-partners is that we preserve our quality standards and we are able to provide our clients with near perfect coffee beans (No defects. No broken pieces related to quality (in nine-years I have seen three broken beans and all were caused by me trying to overfill a bag for a client and the beans were broken from the pressure of my fingers sealing the bag).

    Cup-of-coffee-beans

    LA: Are you Fair Trade / Organic labeled or do you have organic coffee in your catalog? 
    BDS: I am pleased to state that because of our dedication to ensuring maximum profitability for our grower-partners, we exceed Fair Trade standards by significant margin. By virtue of the definition of organic coffees, every coffee we offer is organic (Our coffees are shade grown without pesticides). We know and understand that shade grown coffee production benefits biodiversity and conservation efforts. This is a vital aspect of our social responsibility.

    LA: Where is your coffee roasted, grounded and packaged?
    BDS: We are a small, family owned and operated, Seattle-based coffee company with a presence in Napa-Sonoma, San Francisco, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas. Orders are fulfilled in Seattle and Sonoma. Rarely do we receive requests for ground coffees, but when we custom grind for a client (French press, drip, single cup serving, espresso) we grind in Seattle.

    LA: What is the membership you propose?
    BDS: Our Luxury Coffee Club is an exclusive, members only private coffee club, In fact, it is the most exclusive coffee club in the world. Member benefits include official membership registry (Only 1,800 are available in the world); travel opportunities; private tasting events with me and other celebrity chefs; a shipment of at least three bags of exceptional and rare coffee each month; first rights to access exceptionally rare coffees (100 lbs. or less offered); access to the famed Cup of Excellence coffees; exclusive member only discounts on all club coffees and reorders; invitations to private regional tasting/cupping events including VIP access and personal introductions to celebrities/friends/clients of mine (details to be announced throughout the year); opportunities for clients to host their own private tasting event with me. At this time we are considering providing additional member benefits, DTBA.

    Cup-of-coffee-lifestyle

    LA: What is your preferred method to make the perfect cup of coffee?
    BDS: I advocate strongly for a French press. This method allows for maximum extraction of all that a beautiful coffee has to offer. Contrary to what many believe, a French press is easy to prepare, takes less time to brew than other methods (four minutes) and delivers an immensely pleasurable cup. Having said this, I also appreciate a single cup pour over method as long as the extraction is slow; and I enjoy espresso and espresso-based beverages.

    Cup of Luxury has a beautiful product portfolio. Each coffee is treated as a precious jewel and you can trust Bryan-David Scott to blow your mind and your senses. Visit the company website here and discover this exceptional world of coffee.
    http://cupofluxury.com

    LA

    Bryan-David-Scott-Cup-of-coffee

    Info sourced at Cup of Luxury exclusively for LuxuryActivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. 

    KeySmart, ingenuity made in USA

    LuxuryActivist
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    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    There are people that rather than seeking the cheapest costs ever to build their businesses, they feel responsible for their actions and try hard to create jobs and added-value in their countries. When was the last time you bought a Made in USA product? Exactly, it’s been a while. This can change with KeySmart. Discover this amazing company which product will change your life, or at least the way you keep your keys. Above all: it is all hand made in Chicago – USA. Well done.

    Key-Smart-made-in-usa

    Michael Tunney, founder, explain in the following video how smart the idea about the KeySmart is and how this clever object can be integrated in your lifestyle.

    This amazing clever little object has a huge idea behind. The principle is to organize all your keys in a compact, useful and stylish way. All your keys can finally be organized in a very compact way, perfect for your purse, trouser’s front pocket or simply in your hand.
    As explained above, KeySmart is very proud to say that their product is Made in USA. Here is also a video about how they product the Key Smart product.

    There is a lot of similitudes with the famous Swiss Army Knife, produced by Victorinox. The idea of aligning different tools, here of course we are talking about keys, it is a very clever way to facilitate your life in a daily base. Here is another video showing how to build your KeySmart. Easy, ingenious and simple to use on a daily base.

    LuxuryActivist got one KeySmart and here is the review of the product with our photos.

    Key-Smart-packshot

    The first striking aspect of the KeySmart is the simplicity of the system. Only a couple of pieces, very well manufactured and the system is pretty intuitive.

    Key-Smart-with-keys

    Key-Smart-build-up

    So used my Swiss Army Knife to open the 2 screws and insert the keys. Once the pieces apart, we can appreciate the quality of a simple well done qualitative work. Everything was smooth and gentle. Different pieces allow to organize the different keys and to make sure everything will work without any efforts. In case you have several keys, you can add an extra kit with extension pieces. The nice thing of this system is that you can adapt your Key Smart the way you want. Thanks to this flexibility, your KeySmart can evolve in time.

    Key-Smart-keys-details

    Key-Smart-keys-holder

    At the end you get a great clever tool to organize your keys with a minimum space volume. It took only 5 minutes to build quite easy a personalized key holder. You will need to do it once and then you can improve it by playing with the different pieces, so you can align each key and have everything tight.

    Key-Smart-key-holder

    Here are other pictures from KeySmart that will give you an idea of the usage of this product. You will also see there are different colors and you can see some different displays.

    Key-Smart-colors

    Key-Smart-configuration

    Key-Smart-display

    Key-Smart-in-the-car Key-Smart-keys-open Key-Smart-usb

    At the end, it is by far the clevest idea I saw in the past 5 years. Simple, practical, useful and clever. With Key Smart you will never loose a key and everything will be well kept. Please connect to the official website and discover more about the extraordinary universe of KeySmart:
    https://www.getkeysmart.com

    Cleverness made in USA.

    LA

    Key-Smart-display

    Info sourced at Key Smart official communication release and website. Product was a courtesy of Key Smart. Product review  was done independently from the company by LuxuryActivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. 

    Pinterest Promoted Pins, at last!

    LuxuryActivist
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    Reading Time: 7 minutes

    Last year Pinterest released a Beta testing for selected advertisers to try paid marketing on the Pinterest platform. According to Pinterest Business teams, the test was so successful that since Christmas it is available to everyone.

    Pinterest, the clever Facebook?

    The birth of a new social network is always an event. When a new sparkle shines in the skyline of Social Media, we are full of hope that we are going to see the next big thing. Unfortunately it is not always the case as we feel that Facebook is overwhelming everything. Since the launch of Facebook in 2004, social media was a true revolution in how people would connect, communicate, share, play and engage with brands and individuals. Since then, hundreds of new social networks were born and almost died as fast as they were created. In the past 10 years, there are social networks which made a solid place in the social landscape:

    • LinkedIn since 2002
    • Twitter since 2006
    • Tumblr since 2007
    • Instagram since 2010
    • Pinterest since 2010

    Forget Myspace and other Flickr. Right now ELLO, Snapchat, Whisper or Thumb are trying to survive. It is very hard to move away from the Facebook era. Nevertheless we can see that Pinterest did bring something new in terms of audience, structure and purpose.
    Pinterest has a very specific usage. While you are checking on your friends on Facebook or getting news updates on Twitter, Pinterest help you find products you want to have or to buy. When images are pined properly, it is a direct link from the website original location. You can imagine the interest of e-Business actors that will provide a straight gateway to online purchase. Nevertheless, Pinterest brought 2 main challenges to online marketers. The first one is about the quality of the content. Pinterest users have a very high expectancy in terms of image quality. They wish literally to be blowed away by each image they see in the platform. This reflects today’s importance of content. Content is key. You can imagine that if an user has a HD screen on his smartphone, he wishes to see mind-blowing images and videos.
    The second challenge is the fact brands could not promote their content via paid marketing. So in order to increase your visibility and the number of followers you should either be quite well known or to work with a network of influent “pinners” that would bring visibility to your content. While big brands would have millions of fans on Facebook they would end up with a couple of thousands followers on Pinterest. Fortunately now the lonely days are over. Pinterest have implemented the most-expected Promoted pins!

    The Pinterest user, so different and so similar at the same time

    Pinterest is today almost 90 million users, mostly women 25 to 54 years old. 60% of users are based in the USA and the trend is to reach 50%. In terms of devices, 75% of all activity from users happen on mobile (smartphones and tablets) which is the same level as for Twitter, Tumblr and Flipboard. Each user would spend 98 minutes per month in average on the platform which is twice more than Twitter.
    There are more than 30 billion pins on Pinterest and today (end of 2014) Pinterest drives more traffic to brand websites than Twitter and Reddit together.
    Pinterest pins categories by users
    According to Pinterest, the users, called Pinners, would more buy online than the average internet user by +20%. Pinterest knows the power of its users. The Pinterest community seems quite Premium in comparison to others. They spend in average 14.2 minutes per visit. 20% of Pinterest users have an income equal or superior to $75’000. 27% of them are under 35 years old! So the Pinterest audience is perfectly in the bull’s eye of luxury marketer target: young, wealthy and connected. It is party time!

    Pinterest Promoted Pins, how does it work?

    From a brand point of view, online marketers will be able to finally do their jobs on Pinterest. Best practices do not change, you still need to keep the high quality content pinning. The main difference is that now you can push the pins towards a much broader audience. The system is pretty simple if you know Facebook marketplace. The Promoted pins interface is pretty simple and might get richer with options in the future. You can target people by Location, Gender, Language and Device.
    How to promote a pin on Pinterest
    Pinterest algorithm is not able to target people per interest or at least per kind of boards they have or tags they use. So if you are a quite specific brand, you might end up targeting all women in the USA using iPhones and speaking english. Welcome to Mass-Media!
    Pinterest know how premium its audience is, so they are happy to have companies to pay a premium price for advertising. In average the Pinterest CPM will be around $30-$40 while Facebook will be more around $6-$7 Another limitation is that Pinterest promotions operate with a second-price auction. That means you’ll be charged what you would have needed to pay to beat the next bidder in the auction. So if your competitor bids $1.50 on a specific keyword and you want to beat him, you will probably pay $1.55 if you wish to appear.
    This means somehow that the more money you spend the best the results. Good for Pinterest, not so much for brands, specially the small ones. Google adwords has a more fair system in which a quality score is given to each campaign and used keyword. This means that the brand doing the “best” job will get the best results. If it is only a matter of money, spammers can easily use the system to massively push their content.
    According to Pinterest, most of companies which have been using promoted pins in the beta testing period have improved the reach by 30% and more. The “organic” repins also improved as the visibility grows. So we suppose that so far companies are happy with it. I think so far the frustration of not being able to promote any content was higher than any ROI consideration.
    One hot question I have is how Pinterest is going to manage a user “timeline”. In deed, you can imagine that Amazon.com with 9’900 followers only will not hesitate a second to push all their content. By representing 20% of worldwide e-Commerce, the American company will definitely use “some” promotion. Ads or Promoted Pins will appear on the user’s timeline as a normal pin. It is the same strategy as Twitter or Instagram. Only a little mention in the bottom of the pin saying “Promoted Pin” will differentiate them from others. This is suppose to not disrupt the user experience in the platform. Pinterest got positive results from the Beta testing period on this as Twitter and Instagram did.

    In conclusion, Pinterest is finally releasing the power of its platform. The company, only 4 years old is evaluated at $ 5 Billion. Experts like Mashable or TechCrunch believe Pinterest might generate $500 million in advertising income by the end of 2016. It can be probably much more. Last Christmas brought a nice present to online marketers and serial pinners.

    LA

    Pinterest promoted pins
    Info sourced at Pinterest official communication, Mashable, Techcrunch, NYmag.com and wikipedia. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

    4 trends for 2015 in which Millennials are already on

    José Amorim
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    Reading Time: 6 minutes

    The 14 to 34 years old have developed a great capability of self-expression. While marketers tend to place them under the same umbrella, Generation Y is probably the one since the last 3 generations with a strong will of differentiation. They also tend to believe that one should accept how and who you are rather than following any kind of reference. At the same time, we understand that the 4 big institutions of modern society have simply lost its identity builder factor: Family, State, Military and Religion. Without references given by society, the young generations need to create their own and choose to build their identities by themselves. Here are 5 main trends for 2015 that will blow your mind, unless you are under 35 years old.

    Zombie Walks and how to get a bite

    With the huge success of the TV series “The Walking Dead”, being a Zombie is probably the coolest thing that could happen to you! Really. This trend had pushed The Resident Evil saga to become one of the most successful blockbusters in theaters and the Walking Dead just nailed it. While some people truly believe we might get attacked by Zombies one day, others rather prefer to join the “dark side” and become a Zombie. If you cannot beat them, join them. So far away from Halloween hand-made costumes, the Zombie Walks became a true annual appointment for fans to express themselves. Literally, people will dress like Zombies and walk in the city streets. It happens in several capital cities around the world. We already talked about it previously. You can see our dedicated article here.
    In 2014, Rio de Janeiro was one of the high-lights for Zombie Walks. Here are some chosen pictures from this year. It features Nathalia Antunes as model and self-make-up artist and photos by BurunoValiente.
    Zombie Walk RioZombie Walk Rio 2014
    As we can see very talented young people express the best make-up ever seen in the street. Some of them are as good as the ones you can see in a Hollywood movie.
    In 2014, Rio de Janeiro was one of the high-lights for Zombie Walks. Here are some chosen pictures from this year. They even have a dedicated group on Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/zombiewalkrj
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/zombiewalkrj

    Zombies definitely represent a certain freedom of self-expression. They are free to behave as they want and because you are not “yourself” anymore you can free your mind from your daily problems, limits or even physical allure. It is also something you do together as Zombies always go in groups. It is not like the lonely Vampire or Werewolf. Doing something in group, especially if you can express your own individuality, it is something great to do. You have the comfort of being in a group and still affirming your own personality. The movie and video game industry are completely recycling this trend and exploring opportunities with a great success. Films like:

    • I am Legend by Francis Lawrence with Will Smith
    • World War Z by Marc Forster with Brad Pitt

    Cosplay, superheros are alive

    We might think Cosplay was born in Japan but actually it was the USA who invented this trend. The idea is to dress like a super hero or like a character from a cartoon, video game or other manga. The first person to wear a cosplay in public is Forrester J Ackerman in 1939. Here is a picture of him back then:
    Forrester J Ackerman cosplay
    During the first Science-Fiction convention, WorldCon, he presented himself in a costume of “Man from the Future”. The movement started being organized with fans from StarTrek and StarWars that would dress up with their favorite character costume during all new film release. At the end of the 80’s, this trend was exported to Japan that took the movement to a much superior level. Their Manga and Anime backgroup mixed with the video game world generated a whole new range of possibilities. Today Japan rules in terms of creativity and cosplay originality.
    Cosplay mania

    Cosplay show

    Cosplay world

    Cosplay trends

    Bronies, back to childhood? Really?

    Remember the magical little Ponies? Well, some people not only remember it but would like to become one! They are called Bronies, a contraction between Brothers and Ponies. They represent generally young males with an adoration for Little Ponies. They dress like them, collect everything they can about them and secretly dream to become one. Probably a nostalgic trend from childhood, like a sweet memory from a carefree age.
    Bronies pictures

    Bronies mania

    Sexting and snapchat, be careful with that sexy smartphone

    Since the first smartphone came to the market, we are blowed away with the endless possibilities of mobile web. Every year mobile phones are smarter and smarter to a point that now we wonder how did we use to live without it. Socializing is definitely something people are happy to use their smartphones for. Mobile subscriptions have adapted to allow you endless data access and unlimited SMS. Thanks to these new features in our lives, 2 main trends have appeared: Sexting and Snapchat. Hot!
    The first one is called Sexting. It consists in sexually teasing someone by send him (or her) explicit messages and images that generally you would not show to your parents. It is something more and more common, and it is getting more and more hotter.
    Sexting Sextos

    Sexting trends

    Sexting pictures

    Sexting and sextos mania
    The second one is what Snapchat accomplished. Being the first social networks with ephemeral messages, the sender can control how long his message can be seen. From a few seconds to a much longer period. So people got naughty by sending openly naked photos from themselves to friends and lovers, thinking they would only see them a few seconds. Snapchat does dot keep any content in their servers, so no risk to see this spreading… Unless you know how to do a quick screenshot. And this was the main leak on snapchat. People would do screengrabs of the ephemeral sexy pictures so they would be able to see them again and again, and eventually to share them on instagram, Twitter or even by SMS. At the end of the day, it has actually became a game.
    Sexy snapchat

    Snapchat pictures

    Self-expression is definitely something important to Millennials. The GenerationY has tremendous opportunities to share content they create (or find). The worldwide web and the development of technology allows everyone to become a broadcaster and a content producer. Welcome to the era of hyper-communication.

    LA

    Millennials trends 2015
    Info sourced at wikipedia, cosplayphotographers.com, ink361.com, The international New York times. Featured image from http://img0.gtsstatic.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

    2015 incoming Fragrance launches

    LuxuryActivist
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    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    The Fragrance industry is ending up another year and before the new year starts, let’s have a focus on the ongoing business of fragrances and specially the new incoming launches for next year.

    The fragrance industry is looking for a new development model, 2013 – 2020

    Since 2000, the fragrance industry has overall a 3% growth year by year. While in 2013 the sales reached $45 billion globally (source: euromonitor) 2014 was a year in which several trends revealed the need for a new business model.
    Facing a tremendous number of launches, fragrance customers saw a certain lack of creativity that made a lot of fragrances look like “me-toos” rather of being original creations. Several brands are extending existing franchises rather than creating new ones and some of these brands, lucky enough to have iconic and classic fragrances in their portfolios, decided to capitalize on it. This situation is not new. The good thing about it? It opened a new field of possibilities for niche fragrances. New brands got a piece of the cake and major visibility in traditional communication channels. Of course the down-size of it is that they are not really niche anymore. Remember the time movie stars and celebrities used to wear completely unknown mind-blowing fragrances? Well, hard to find one now. Most of these brands are now visible in Vogue, Marie-Claire or Elle magazine. So hard to find a confidential hidden treasure.
    Fashion brands understand that fragrances are an entry point to their universes, so they use the fashion image with a more affordable luxury. Eau de toilette have replaced Eau de Parfum a very longtime a go as the industry cash-cow. Other industries like jewelers, luxury car brands, make-up artists, cosmetic brands and even celebrities have found their (financial) interest in the fragrance industry.
    New regions are driving growth, which require new distribution deals and also new customers needs. Countries like Brazil, India, Indonesia or even Malaysia, represent growth hubs that today’s luxury fragrance brands cannot avoid anymore. In 2014, Middle-East and Africa (South Africa) will account for 40% of the total premium fragrance segment growth. If your Brand is still fighting with sharks in Europe or in the US, you might invest a lot for low earnings.
    Last but not least, 2014 was the solid settled-down of new distribution channels like internet. Established fragrance brands are now selling online for a couple of years now and have developed a solid online business. While best-selling fragrances are easy to sell online, new fragrances still represent a challenge as you cannot immediately smell them (not yet at least). In average, online sales represent between 1 to 10% of total sales for several brands. Experts believe the beauty industry will get 30% of its total revenue from ebusiness by 2020. It is a great growth opportunity but let’s not forget that 70% of total revenue will still be done in traditional distribution.
    The last 10 years were very interesting in terms of new brands, new launches and new distribution models. The fragrance industry is exploring new ways while classic fragrances are performing not so bad thanks to new markets. The incoming years will be very interesting as brands need to evolve and to find a new way to build the future.

    Most important incoming launches in 2015

    While we are still enjoying the end of 2014, it is already time to look ahead and find out what the fragrance industry is preparing for 2015. Here is a list of the most expected premium fragrances.

    2015 Q1 launches

    • Anna Sui – Sui Dreams in Green
    • Bvlgari Aqva for Women
    • Dunhill Icon
    • Elie Saab Le Parfum Resort
    • Givenchy Very Irresistible Mes Envies
    • Issey Miyake – Eau d’Issey City Blossom
    • Jimmy Choo Blossom
    • Kate Spade Walk on Air

    2015 Later in the year launches

    • Azzedine Alaïa fragrance
    • Balmain for Men
    • Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra-Male
    • Kanye West fragrance
    • Miu Miu fragrance
    • Oscar de la Renta for women

    2016 and beyond new launches

    • Louis Vuitton fragrance

    In conclusion, the fragrance industry continues its evolution. New businesses are created while others sleep. New markets mean new opportunities for those who are ready to embrace them.

    LA

    2015 new fragrances
    Info sourced at Euromonitor ntsperfume.com, wikipedia, WWD, Vogue and Perfume&Flavours. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

    Girard Perregaux The Blue Hour. Understated and refined style.

    Sebastien Eich
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    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Girard Perregaux has a very distinctive style. The Swiss Brand has an amazing balance between watchmaking know-how and contemporary design. This equation made possible one of the most iconic collections of the brand, called 1966. And today, Girard Perregaux is revealing a new model called the Blue Hour. This new timepiece reminds us the beauty of the 1966 collection and the art of Swiss watchmaking.

    Girard Perregaux 1966 collection, simply iconic

    Here is a little bit of history. Back in 1960’s, Girard Perregaux was one of the single brands to invest a lot in research and development. In 1966 the Swiss watchmaker launched a collection called “1966” and featured the first high-frequency movement. With this technological breakthrough, Girard Perregaux considerably improved precision in watch-making. In the following year, 1967, 73% of all chronometer certificates awarded by the Neuchatel observatoire were given to Girard Perregaux. The 1966 collection pays a beautiful tribute to this era and the brand commitment to innovation.

    Girard Perregaux, the Blue hour

    Girard Perregaux blue hour watch
    The new addition to the 1966 collection is called the Blue hour. It is a beautiful minimalistic timepiece. The 41mm watch will strike you from the very first seconds thanks to its deep blue sunburst finished dial. The pure baton hour-markers are the perfect elements that will mark your time with slightly elegant differences at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock.
    Inside the watch case you will find the GP01800-0004 in-house movement. It is a self-winding mechanical movement with a power reserve of 54 hours. Its 190 components are a tribute to beautiful watchmaking.
    GP01800-0004
    The back-case in sapphire glass reveals the beauty of the movement with Côtes de Genève and the brand name. The Côtes de Genève or in English Geneva stripes are patterns obtained by abrasion. There are today several variations but typically they are ornamental stripes patterns produced by using rotary motions within the stripes. It is a strong sign of superior Swiss watchmaking.

    The Blue hour, a very poetic reference

    On a personal note, and not sure the brand did it in purpose, I really liked the “Blue hour” reference. The Blue hour is a very special moment in time, or more precisely during the day. It is the rare moment between day and night in which the sky get filled with a deep blue color. It happens in the morning with the first rays of light and also at the end of the day when evening comes. Poets and artists like these two moments of the day as everything seems calm and the entire world stops to give room to the beauty of nature.
    The blue hour
    I do not know if Girard Perregaux’s creative teams got inspired by it but I thought it was a perfect complement to the richness of this blue color.

    Do not hesitate to visit Girard Perregaux’s website for more information about the new watch and the incredible universe of the Swiss watchmaker:
    http://www.girard-perregaux.com

    Girard Perregaux is a virtuoso in watchmaking and every single detail of its art inspires generations of watch aficionados. Well done! (As always).

    LA

    IMG_8536.PNG

    Info sourced at Girard Perregaux official communication release. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

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