FLORENCE, ITALY – Condé Nast International announced the first roster of leading figures from the worlds of fashion and luxury to appear at the debut Condé Nast International Luxury Conference, held in partnership with Swarovski. The inaugural seminar entitled “Hard Luxury” will be held under the patronage of Mayor Dario Nardella on the 22nd and 23rd April in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence.
The Luxury Conference will feature Karl Lagerfeld in conversation with Suzy Menkes. Keynote speakers will be Antoine Arnault, CEO of Berluti, and David Lauren, Executive Vice President of Global Advertising, Marketing and Corporate Communications for the Ralph Lauren Corporation.
Curated and hosted by Suzy Menkes, International Vogue Editor, the Conference will bring together a diverse mix of world-class speakers from both the creative and business sides of the luxury industry.
The conference will be joined by Jonathan Anderson, Founder of J.W.Anderson, Creative Director of Loewe; Nicolas Bos, President and CEO, Van Cleef & Arpels; Roberto Cavalli, Founder of Roberto Cavalli; Frederic Cumenal, President; and CEO designate of Tiffany & Co.; Axel Dumas, CEO of Hermés, Michele Norsa, CEO and Group Managing Director of Salvatore Ferragamo, Laudomia Pucci, CEO of Emilio Pucci and more.
“Home to spectacular Renaissance artworks and a centre of Italian craftsmanship and tailoring, Florence is an ideal meeting location for the luxury and fashion industry,” commented Mayor Dario Nardella. “I am delighted to extend my official patronage of the very first Condé Nast International Luxury Conference. As a recipient of the City’s Fiorino D’Oro Award, Suzy Menkes has a real passion for Italian fashion and craftsmanship. On behalf of the City, I look forward to the enlightening discussions and stimulating debates which will take place in the historic Palazzo Vecchio, which has been opened up especially for this occasion.”
“The Hard Luxury Conference will discuss – Suzy Menkes says – tough times for big brands; high tech in competition with high heels; how handbags are moving from leather to lifestyle; the challenge for watches and high jewellery; technology reshaping sales at wholesale and retail; the shifting position of designers in brand hierarchies.”
Suzy Menkes also remarks: “Karl Lagerfeld is unique among designers for his refusal to look back – even to his own great past. Both at Chanel and at Fendi, where he will mark 50 years at the design helm in 2015, Karl never focuses on the heritage, but looks forward to the future. No one is better placed or is a greater example than Lagerfeld when it comes to representing the changing world of luxury – from creating a supermarket set at a Chanel show to dangling a furry image of his cat Choupette from Fendi purses. The potential of digital technology and social media is also on the Lagerfeld radar, especially at his eponymous KL brand. No-one is smarter or faster in perceiving fashion’s future and we look forward to hearing his insights at the Condé Nast International Luxury Conference in Florence in 2015.”
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