
Luxury editor Robert Williams joins The Debrief to discuss the latest developments in luxury, from Prada’s acquisition of Versace to fashion’s favourite restaurants.
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Hello and welcome to the Debrief from the Business of Fashion, where each week we delve into Our most popular BoF professional stories with the correspondents who created them. I'm senior correspondent Sheena Butler Young.
C
And I'm executive editor Brian Baskin. Today, we're going to try something a little different. There is a lot going on in the world of luxury, and instead of covering one big, vague piece of news, we've invited on our luxury correspondent at large, Robert Williams, who has promised to answer all of our questions about the global luxury industry.
B
Today, we're going to cover a lot of ground, from the mindset of the Chinese consumer to who makes the best papa al Pomodoro in Milan.
C
And for the record, that's a kind of tomato soup if your Italian is a bit rusty. Robert, welcome to the debrief.
D
Thank you guys so much for having me back.
C
Once again, we're happy to have you here. We want to grill you. Let's get started with one of this week's big events, which is Chanel's metier d', art, which it feels like we're paying more attention than usual to this. They do this every year, right? But it seems like this year people care a little more. Robert, why?
D
Well, Chanel is Chanel. So, you know, Chanel being Chanel, it is a brand that people just really tend to care about and get excited about. But it's true that since they have so many shows in a year, you know, sometimes certain ones can slip between the cracks and people maybe get less excited about them. In this case, now, it's only the second show since Mathieu Blasi took the reins and did his debut show in September. He actually arrived at the brand several months before and Chanel had to do a couple summer shows over the spring and summer where Mature was actually working there but was still not signing the collections because basically he has so many collections he has to do every year there that they really have to work quite far in advance. He couldn't arrive and start trying to tweak and work on and fix or put his spin on the collections that were already underway. He just had to kind of slot into the pipeline looking forward. So you know, the shows are by Mature since September, actually since the beginning of October was when his first show was. And now this is only his second show for the brand. It's on the road, it's a travel show. Chanel kind of was one of the ones that spearheaded these programs of travel shows with this metier d' art collection under Karl Lagerfeld. He had the idea that there should be a special collection that would kind of fall in the time of year when most brands would be maybe releasing their pre fall as a lookbook. He said, no, we're going to do a show and it's going to be a show dedicated to showcasing the work of all of the maisons that are these suppliers that Chanel has bought over the years. So they've bought this like brass casting and sculpted jewelry house called Goussance that makes like design objects, jewelry and all kinds of things. And out of cast bronze there's like this embroidery house called Le Sage. There's another one called Le Malier which is like the specialist in embroidered like decorative fake flowers which can be made out of feathers or little pieces of silk. They've got, you know, all these different companies that they've bought up over the years that are their most noble and special suppliers. And this collection is supposed to really show that off. So with Mathieu, who really showed during his time at Bottega Veneta how much he really cared about like the materiality of things and how to, you know, express the brand through craft, that he's getting to come out with his second show and it's the metier d'. Art. It's a really big moment because he's going to get to advance that story about what Chanel is really capable of. And with this new young spin on it through his design process.
B
There's another reason that we're interested in this show right now. A headline making campaign also debuted in the last couple of days with A$AP Rocky. Robert, how does that play into the equation.
D
I think it's a great teaser for them. I think it's a really big PR coup for them to have signed a $AP as an ambassador. We actually saw that this teaser was going to happen a few months ago because they shot it in the streets of New York. So there were these great paparazzi images of Margaret Qualley and A dollar AP on the street in New York in this film being directed by Michel Gondry. And so these paparazzi p leaked that, like, you know, they made it seem pretty cool, and everyone's pretty excited about it. So now that they've released that over this past weekend, along with an announcement simultaneously that they've signed ASAP as an ambassador. So this is pretty cool for Chanel. I mean, because ASAP is just seen as so stylish. He's so handsome. He looks great and everything. He has a great stylist he works with, as well as really having a point of view on fashion himself. And he really helped drive the narrative at Bottega Veneta in showing how this brand that used to be so conservative, especially with what they were doing with men, how it could really be interpreted for a much younger customer, a more diverse customer, and like a person who's much more interested in fashion than the old Bottega menswear client, which had been really, really quite staid and conservative. They really sold a lot of card holders and briefcases and very, very simple things before recent years. And, you know, ASAP just really helped to take forward that narrative, working together with mature Blasi. So I think it was really strategic to bring him over to Chanel also. Just, it's exciting for them. It's a. You know, they're building this narrative around mature kind of brick by brick, bringing over one or two celebrities every couple months. You find about someone new that they've involved in the project, and then they're doing it in this really thoughtful way where it's not just an announcement. Like, A dollar AP is a face of the brand now with a random picture. It's him in this short film that they've done with Margaret Qualley, which is a really smart way now to get the content that a brand needs. It's kind of paradoxically, people thought that TikTok was going to be this race to the bottom for brands in terms of marketing, but now actually to get the stills, to get the visual campaign and the snackable video bites and all the little elements you need often. Now, what brands that have a big budget will do is they'll direct a full on short film or a really awesome brand video because then you can, through editing, snip out all the things you need from that. And so I think, like, they're gonna be able to roll this out in such a cool way alongside all the content from this fashion show.
C
I thought that film was really fun, but I was distracted that when he climbs out the fire escape at the beginning, he left the window open. I mean, they're gonna return to a freezing apartment full of pigeons. I just. I don't wanna see the aftermath of that film.
B
All right.
D
Isn't that a fun reference, though, to like, all those great pandemic era paparazzi shots of him and Rihanna when they had first gotten together and were like, kind of like cooped up in New York and, you know, getting ready to have their first kid. And like, they were always like, kind of hanging out at the window on the fire escape. And probably they. Let's hope that the paparazzi had their consent. Otherwise I will not be looking at those images anymore as references.
C
Paparazzi are definitely known for their consent. Let's move on to the next topic. This week's other big development is that Prada is expected to finalize its acquisition of Versace. What is the first thing they need to do to fix that brand?
D
Robert, the brand has taken on a new sort of materiality and a new sort of, I would say, like gravitas over the past couple months with this first show by Dariel Vitale, which I thought was much more incarnated, much more varied, much more grounded in products and the real world and references, versus just being like a really glossy, glossy image, which is what Versace had stood for. So it's gone through a pretty radical shift over the past couple months. And whether or not they're going to want to continue with that is I think the biggest, most urgent decision. And for them to clarify that for the market, the brand has at least not to date, the group at Prada has not said anything implying that, you know, that the changes they had been making already under Michael Kors ownership, you know, over the past year, that those were of interest for them to continue. They have not given any strong signals that this is their vision for the brand. But, you know, as they get in there and they see how it's working, they're going to have to decide. I think the fashion people perspective on this show has landed on the debut and the relaunch under Dario Vitale has, you know, drifted favorable after a Pretty divisive. First reception, I think it's kind of drifted in a pretty positive direction, but then, you know, you see some challenges with how they're going to roll this out. The prices are really, really high. Making this kind of ready to wear, which seemed like it was aimed at a much younger and more fashion forward client in terms of the styling, but then in terms of the actual object, it was much more luxurious and the fabrication was going to be, you know, quite expensive to produce. So kind of clarifying the position is probably what they have to do first, the most important thing. And yeah, I mean, they could take this a couple different ways. I think they could say this is going to be their brand that helps them to keep kind of re energizing the more accessible end of the market and kind of lean into its credibility in these more entry price categories while just trying to make the image feel a bit more contemporary. Or they could kind of go in this more fashion, more ready to wear luxury, ready to wear direction that they've. They've started. I think also aesthetically they could kind of continue with this wonky fashion twist on Versace that Dario has started. Or maybe they're going to want to go with something a bit more of like classic glamour to offset all of that more fashion forward quality of their portfolio more broadly, because they have Prada, they have Miu Miu. And if you're going to have a third big brand, you know, for it to be something a bit less edgy could be a good idea as well.
C
Although it's Versace the vehicle for something less edgy and for something ultra expensive. I mean, they kind of had the opposite thing going until not all that long ago. Right?
D
Yeah. Less edgy. When you think about Versace's history. And it was definitely a very transgressive brand, a very sexy brand. What I mean by less edgy is maybe less niche. You know, it could maybe be a very sexy brand, but in a way that's quite broadly digestible and broadly understood. Or it could be a brand that challenges notions of what is sexy. I think that, you know, these are different routes they can take and there's, you know, big pluses and minuses to both. Right now there's a talent in place who I think seems well positioned to say something really interesting about what does it mean to be sexy and cool to a younger audience for this brand. At the same time, you know, there's some names that have floated around, other people that they've been rumored to be interested in hiring that are really credible, serious designers, but with something that's much more glamorous in a straightforward way.
B
So your personal opinion? We're doing rapid fire here. So what does good look like in the next six months? What would make Robert say Versace's on the right path? What would you need to see?
D
I would like them to continue on the route they're doing because I really like what Daario's bringing to the table. So I would like them to continue that, but then show that they can build momentum around it by both, you know, continuing to take it forward in terms of the fashion narrative, but also how are they going to translate that to the mass market? I think it's a mistake to say that at your pinnacle expression, which is the Runway, that the brand needs to be so simple and mass and have a really mass expression in that forum. I think you could maybe let that space continue to be a bit more wonky and experimental and let him, you know, let him cook over there and then just see how can you trickle this into the wider business in a savvy way? Over the past few weeks, they've shown a lot of like the first commercial products coming out. So after that very expensive, first ready to wear drop, you know, we've seen some more simple bags and shoes where you could see, you know, this actually could have a much wider audience than what you would have imagined when you saw it all styled together in this really baroque way. I think there's just, how can they kind of juggle that and have the right balance?
B
We'll be back with more of the debrief right after this.
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B
So there's a reason I was pronouncing an Italian soup earlier in this episode and it has a lot to do with luxury. Robert, talk to me about Langosteria and all these other high end restaurants that are popping up within in luxury spaces. Can they be cool?
D
So these high end restaurants that, you know, I think have been on a big growth cycle the past few years, I think we've had these sort of luxury chains happening in a way that feels kind of paradoxical because you have like quite a few new locations for Lagosteria, which just opened its latest location in Milan in the Palazzo Fendi. So now I think they have five of them in Milan. Four or five. And then they also have locations in lots of other cities. I think they're opening London next year. They have one in Paris. And you know, this is a place that is kind of always really buzzy and booked up. And even though they've opened all these additional locations, it seems like it's still really got a lot of momentum. The family behind Montclair invested in it. The Ruffinis, I think they did one in St. Moritz, which is the favorite ski destination of Montclair. And the and the Ruffini family, they have one in Portofino. So basically it's this, you know, it's this quite a big phenomenon that this very cool or seen as cool at one time and now very buzzy still restaurant destination that a lot of people want to eat at. And you know, it has a vibe there and it's, you know, it's attracting a certain clientele that is able to now try to replicate that in all these different markets. It's like I guess kind of following the same track that Cipriani has done in Some places. There's also Carbone now has a lot of different locations. San Embras has quite a few. And so this is kind of a lot going on in this space because the Fendi one opened just like two weeks ago for Langosteria. And now in Paris, we have a new San Andreas. The first time San Andreas has tried to crack the French market, which I think is pretty cool as, like, a test case, a pretty interesting test case because I think, think the, like, French diners are quite conservative about how much they're willing to spend, how much they're willing to go to a branded location. And so while there's a lot of tourists coming in out of this, in and out of the city, you know, San Embras, it has this vibe, this positioning where it tries to stay pretty clubby, tries to kind of root itself in the neighborhood as well as being, you know, an international brand. And so I think if they can manage to kind of get a, like, a core cohort of locals that come and some regulars versus it just being a tourist restaurant, I think it'll be a really big test case for whether or not you can make this kind of thing cool.
C
What do you think? I mean, are they going to succeed in this, or do they become the Hard Rock Cafe for fashion?
D
Yeah, I think I was pitching a story about this, and Brian said, like, so you mean like Shake Shack or McDonald's?
B
It's true. And then he goes, shake Shack is cool.
C
Shake Shack had lines around the block. I mean, it was back in the day. I mean, people forget. But that's the whole point. People forget.
B
You know, Brian, in defense of Shake.
D
Shack, again, you forget that something was cool once it's a chain. I see that. That's a thing. I mean, I think it's just like some. For some reason, fashion, once upon a time was all made by your local tailor, your local couturier. And once it became, you know, they decided they could scale, taste and say, and become these global brands. And that was more desirable than just having something that was like, more small scale. You know, for decades, that's been the perception, you know, a luxury fashion brand is more global usually than like a mass market fashion brand, which those often are like, you know, local chains, like high street chains, with the exception of, like, the big fast fashion giants or the sportswear brands. And then in food, it seems like it's kind of the opposite. Aren't like, chains, like, has this perception that, like, if it's a chain, it means it's fast food. Really cheap. So I don't know if that's just a historical fluke or if it's for a reason.
C
Well, I mean, the point of change is that you know what you're getting wherever you are and the food's safe and delicious. And to me, a high end restaurant is an experience. It's something unique to the place that you're visiting. And the idea of just visiting the same restaurant in different cities feels a little odd to me. But, you know, all these locations so far are doing very well, so I seem to be in the minority.
D
No, I don't. I mean, I don't think you're in the minority instinctively. Clearly the restaurant business is dominated by hyper local restaurants. Most nice restaurants are local institutions. But then maybe there, there just is a bigger slice of the market than one would have thought of. People that are moving around the world a lot, having events or hosting events in all kinds of places and to be able to like bring together people around a trusted brand is maybe like, it's more appealing than you would think. You know, it's certainly worked for a long time in places that depend on tourism a lot and places that maybe don't have the same kind of like local community identity or historical roots. And you always have big like luxury restaurants that will have a outpost in Las Vegas or in Dubai. But Paris is, yeah, it's different. I'm really interested to see if they can take on Paris. So I met up with the creative director of the restaurant a couple weeks ago and he was showing me like, you know, the space is in a really cool location in the sense that like, it's very touristed, it's very trafficky in some ways. But it also is a very like, desirable part of Saint Germain where locals want to go to. It's the space that used to be the Silencio de Pre. So the nightclub that was created, directed by David lynch then had like a second location that was focused on like a members club dining concept on one side and then also like a small cinema where they would host like movie premieres and screenings and cool cinema events. And the cinema part really worked and drew a lot of locals for a long time. It was very cool to have like, you know, to go to like little screenings and events. There was, it was certainly something that, that did quite well, even though I don't think it brought in a ton of cash. And then the restaurant was more complicated. But it's a great, it's a great location that they've moved into. I think, you know, if they can manage to integrate in the neighborhood the right way and kind of cultivate the right vibe around it, you know, it could maybe do better than people would think. Langosteria's expansion in Paris has, I don't think, managed to like draw as much of the local community. It's really good. They like, they got a French pastry chef to like redo their dessert menu so that it's all like Italian desserts but with this French twist on them. A really good French pastry chef like redid the whole menu for Paris. They're delicious. But it's on the roof of the Cheval Blanc hotel. So it just really does not feel like it's for locals.
B
So I want to talk about beat up handbags a little bit. So there is a trend, I think this is probably most pronounced among aspirational shoppers of being excited about handbags and jewelry and watches that are scratched up and worn to death. Robert, what's your take on that? What's driving it? Is it that luxury prices have gotten so high that this, this cohort that can't afford it is actually putting some hype and excitement around what they can afford, which is to wear something over and over again?
D
I mean, I think key to your question is the part, the word cohort. You know, I think it's a certain part of the luxury market thinks that's cool and probably has for quite a long time. Obviously the biggest example is with Birkins and with Hermes bags. These are bags that do take a nice patina. Usually they can patina quite well, but then some of them, you know, they do look trashed when they're trashed. And there's just, there's something about the fact that like, no matter how much you wear out that bag and trash it, that it's still like not going to break and fall apart. I think it just makes it a really cool style gesture. It shows you're not someone who just bought into it yesterday who didn't like, you know, go pre spend you know, tens of thousands of in blankets and pillows and all this stuff to impress the sales associate to get offered a bag which then you're going to keep it like it's in a museum. So it just shows like, you know, I wear luxury stuff, but I'm still cool. I think it's kind of the expression they're trying to have. I wonder if there's if it can really spread to other brands and styles that much. I think, you know, there's an or other segments of the population too I would say like there's a certain kind of young person or edgy city person who is going to be able to look really cool rocking up also with like a really beat up old Fendi bag or like a really old Louis Vuitton monogrammed like keep all. But you know, it depends on the situation, how old you are, how you know how mature your style is overall. Not of course about, you know, your actual age, but kind of the how polished you like to present yourself. It's interesting to see the brands now trying to get in on this though because there was this pre distressed Jackie bag that was one of the main bags in Demna's first collection this fall and I think it sold quite well and it was like a bit softer and more supple and it had these scratches on it already. It was kind of cool. And then there was the like destroyed Chanel bag in mature Blasi's show as well, which was. I don't know, I thought it was. Yeah, I thought it was kind of cool.
B
I don't know. I feel like that people have a love hate relationship with when a designer presents them the, the distressed item for purchase versus when I get to distress it myself. I prefer the latter. I don't want to, I don't want to buy it already that way. But to your point, Robert, I think you have to look like I'm intentionally wearing this with the thread hanging from the side. It can't look like you, you unintentionally are wearing a beat up bag. It's a whole look, it's a vibe.
D
It has to go with your vibe. So I don't know if it's going to be, you know, a trend that's going to drive the industry in one direction or other. But I think it's a. It was. I really liked Joan's story about this that she wrote for BoF because it was, you know, just showing how this trend has like what started with this very specific case. I would say like a lot of people being either inspired by Mary Kate and Ashley with their old Birkins or like buying up really cheap trashed old monogram bags on Vestier collective or the RealReal. I think that that kind of has trickled out into the wider market a bit more and she found some cool ways that it's popping up.
C
Let's close things out by tackling the big question, which is the future of luxury itself. So this week we have seen a series of investment banks, I believe it was UBS and Deutsche bank put up very optimistic forecasts for luxury sales next year, somewhere in the mid single digit growth range. And Bain came out with their very widely tracked luxury report last week and it was a little more reserved but it still basically said luxuries hit bottom. We're going to start to see them climb out of this hole they dug themselves in. Robert, what's your take?
D
I read these, I was a little bit skeptical. I was like it seemed like there were a lot of ifs in there. It was like we are basing this on a scenario of improving trends in China was a big one and that was a big factor that they think is going to relaunch growth. And I mean I can't really speak to whether that is or is not going to happen. I just know that it's something that people love to say and then have not happen in this industry over the past 10 years. You know, like the Chinese client was really what was powering the industry for you know, almost 20 years in the from the mid-2000s into the pandemic. But now it's seems pretty stagnant that client has unless there's big moves of migration to help like a big, big comeback for like long haul tourism that's putting products in front of people at a much lower price in like duty free and outlet settings. There's you know, just big chunks of what the market was for reaching Chinese consumers that it are not really there, not really relevant anymore. But I guess what people can also would say to that point is that that's already been annualized. That kind of traveling aspirational luxury shopper has already been very depressed for several years running. So now any improvement among that segment of the market is just going to show up as quite as growth in the numbers. And then you also have like a very high end Chinese clientele that is traveling more, that is shopping more. And I think there's some momentum to build on in the US It's I think less about anyone having really bullish forecasts for growth so much as just thinking that there's no reason that the current trend won't continue, which is that luxury brands got very big in the United States during the pandemic. In particular they pushed really hard with lots of new stores in 2022 and this surge in relevance and all these new customers that came into the industry, you know, that's created now kind of generational impact in terms of the brand awareness and how many French or Italian luxury brands a person knows about. You know, I think compared to 10 years ago, it's certainly much higher now. You know that people know about brands like Loewe and you know, Bottega brands that I think were very big in Europe had gotten quite big in Asia as well. But in the US probably only people who are quite into fashion or who are really quite into luxury fashion in like big cities would have known about them. And now more throughout the country there's this big awareness that's been built up through social media and just through how big these brands got in the culture and financially during, during the pandemic. So there's just, they have a really big solid base to build on.
C
And the other big if here is how the luxury industry addresses its pricing or I guess addresses what we would call its value problem and whether that means offering lower priced items or just finding a way to telegraph that the higher prices they're charging are worth it to people, it doesn't seem like we've seen a ton of evidence that they've cracked that code yet. And I'm curious if you think, do they need to figure that out to hit these growth targets that some of the banks are setting for them?
D
Yeah, that would be one reason that I'm still quite skeptical. You know, I think a lot of people have said, you know, there's going to be some improvement in China and the other big thing powering growth would be the creative revival through all of these designer led revamps. I think that a lot of brands now are settling into a good track with a message that feels much more fresh and interesting than what they were proposing a year or two ago. You know, I think it is overall paying off for a lot of brands, but there's also a lot of confusion as well. There's a sense that I think quite a few brands of like, wait, what does this brand stand for now? You know, maybe just too many brands changed in the same space of time for the market to easily digest. In some cases it's creating winners and losers. Where some people were the big standouts of this past fashion season and the brand has a lot of fresh momentum, I think others where it's a bit murkier and then definitely the price part of that. So that's, you know, people are seeing more value in the products through the creativity is kind of the big argument people are making. But then the price itself is a big challenge. I think brands don't want to bring down prices or even bring down average prices by introducing a lot more affordable products. They're thinking more in terms of stabilizing the pricing and letting people grow into it with the exception of a few brands like maybe Burberry, which has done quite a good job of rapidly putting back a lot of the more premium price points versus the top luxury ones that they had gravitated to over the past few years. But overall, yeah, I would say in terms of really injecting a lot more affordability and exciting entry level products, I don't think that that's happened yet. People are waiting and I haven't really seen it. I think maybe there's some, some slight, slighter recalibrations and you know, de escalations quite slightly. You know, I thought Chloe was quite an interesting example. They had a couple big handbags that they were pushing in their campaigns, like the relaunch Paddington I thought was at a more accessible price than a brand would have tried with that a year or two ago. But no, in the big picture, pricing is certainly going to be an issue and it's going to be a big issue in the US which is a really key market for maintaining the brand's top line. It's like, you know, 25% of sales is probably what's around. That is what US consumers are accounting for both in the US or US shoppers abroad. And now the dollar is very weak compared to the euro. So either brands have to keep not changing their prices in the US and eating the hit to their bottom line when they convert that back to euro and it's significantly less or they're going to have to raise prices on a lot of things in the US to absorb that currency shift. As long as the current situation continues.
B
Well, it looks like I'll be buying some beat up handbags in 2026. We wait with bated breath for the affordability aspect. Inspirational shoppers return Robert I think that's a good place to end it on today. Thank you so much for joining us.
D
I hope this was remotely enlightening.
B
Please be sure to check out Robert alongside BoF's luxury team's coverage of all things high end at businessoffashion.com these and other stories are available to BOF Professional subscribers only and you can find the links in the episode notes. You've been listening to the debrief, produced and edited by Olivia Davies and Eric Brea. I'm Sheena Butler Young.
C
And I'm Brian Baskin. We'll be back next week with a new episode. Thanks so much for joining us and be sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts.
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Date: December 3, 2025
Hosts: Sheena Butler-Young (Senior Correspondent), Brian Baskin (Executive Editor)
Guest: Robert Williams (Luxury Correspondent at Large)
This episode presents a fast-paced and insightful discussion on the state of the global luxury industry, responding to five of the most pressing questions facing the sector today. The team analyzes Chanel’s latest Metiers d’Art show, Prada’s acquisition of Versace, the proliferation of luxury-branded restaurants, the newfound cachet of worn-out luxury handbags, and future growth projections for the luxury sector. Throughout, the conversation blends business analysis with insider fashion commentary and a touch of humor.
[02:07 – 04:43]
Robert Williams [03:39]:
“With Mathieu, who really showed during his time at Bottega Veneta how much he cared about materiality ... he’s getting to come out with his second show and it’s the Metiers d’Art. It’s a really big moment because he’s going to get to advance that story about what Chanel is really capable of.”
Robert Williams [04:53]:
“It’s a really big PR coup for them to have signed A$AP as an ambassador ... he really helped drive the narrative at Bottega Veneta ... and it was really strategic to bring him over to Chanel also.”
[08:05 – 13:30]
Robert Williams [08:18]:
“The brand has taken on a new sort of materiality and gravitas ... a pretty radical shift over the past couple months.”
Key Challenges:
Personal Opinion:
Robert Williams [12:18]:
“I would like them to continue on the route they’re doing because I really like what Daario’s bringing ... let him cook over there and then just see how can you trickle this into the wider business in a savvy way.”
[15:51 – 22:47]
Brian Baskin [18:39]:
“Do they become the Hard Rock Cafe for fashion?”
Robert Williams [20:14]:
“Clearly the restaurant business is dominated by hyper-local restaurants. Most nice restaurants are local institutions. But ... there's a bigger slice of the market than one would have thought of people that are moving around the world a lot, having events ... to bring together people around a trusted brand is maybe ... more appealing than you would think.”
[22:47 – 26:22]
Robert Williams [23:14]:
“No matter how much you wear out that bag ... it’s still not going to break and fall apart. I think it just makes it a really cool style gesture. It shows you’re not someone who just bought into it yesterday ... it just shows, 'I wear luxury stuff, but I'm still cool.'”
Brian Baskin [25:18]:
“People have a love-hate relationship with when a designer presents them the distressed item for purchase versus when I get to distress it myself ... It’s a whole look, it’s a vibe.”
[26:22 – 33:08]
Robert Williams [30:15]:
“People are seeing more value in the products through the creativity is kind of the big argument people are making. But then the price itself is a big challenge. I think brands don’t want to bring down prices ... they’re thinking more in terms of stabilizing the pricing and letting people grow into it.”
On Chanel’s Metiers d’Art:
“Chanel is Chanel. So, you know, Chanel being Chanel, it is a brand that people just really tend to care about and get excited about.”
— Robert Williams [02:07]
On A$AP Rocky’s New Role:
“ASAP is just seen as so stylish... And he really helped drive the narrative at Bottega Veneta... I think it was really strategic to bring him over to Chanel also.”
— Robert Williams [04:53]
On Restaurant Chains Losing Their Cool:
“I think it’s just like some. For some reason, fashion, once upon a time was all made by your local tailor ... and once it became global, that was more desirable. But in food, it seems like it’s kind of the opposite.”
— Robert Williams [18:56]
On Distressed Luxury Items:
“It has to go with your vibe. So I don’t know if it’s going to be, you know, a trend that's going to drive the industry in one direction or other. But I think it's a...I really liked Joan's story about this...”
— Robert Williams [25:43]
On Future Growth Projections:
“There’s a sense that ... maybe just too many brands changed in the same space of time for the market to easily digest. In some cases it’s creating winners and losers.”
— Robert Williams [30:15]
The discussion is lively, candid, and occasionally irreverent. The hosts and guest balance critical business insight with genuine curiosity about trends, poking fun at industry foibles as they go. The episode offers vital context for those interested in fashion business trends, creative direction, and the ever-shifting tastes of global luxury consumers.
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