On July 7, Balenciaga presented its first Haute Couture collection for 53 years. Cédric Charbit, the House’s President and Chief Executive Officer, explains the thinking behind this remarkable return and its implications.

Far from the trends and changes in fashion, Haute Couture has a special place in the luxury market. But is this seemingly timeless position still viable in a sector that is constantly evolving? What value can it bring to brands today?

A recognized historian of fashion, the Director of the Alaïa Foundation and the Creative Director of J.M. Weston, Olivier Saillard discusses the place of Balenciaga’s founder in the history of Haute Couture and the special connection with Demna Gvasalia.

In April 2021, Kering has unveiled its new global logistics hub in Trecate, Italy. The location was not chosen by chance. A land of culture, know-how, innovation and the home of several Kering Houses, Italy is central to the Group’s organization and strategy. Jean-François Palus, Deputy CEO of Kering, explains.

In 2019, Kering began the construction of its new logistics hub in Trecate. Centralizing logistics and storage better enables the Houses to meet market demands for increased production as well as the higher expectations of today’s consumer, for whom speed and a seamless experience are essential. Here are five reasons why the new logistics hub in Trecate brings the Group into a new era.

Stefania Lazzaroni is General Manager of the Altagamma Foundation, that represents, protects and promotes over 100 purely “Made in Italy” brands in multiple high-end sectors. Here, she discusses the challenges that Italy must overcome to foster growth and increase competitiveness in its network of cultural and creative companies - and how.

Faced with the growing importance of ESG criteria for investors, Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Jean-Marc Duplaix, Chief Financial Officer, look at the challenges and opportunities created by this trend, along with the work that will be required in the years ahead.

What do a head of investor relations and a sustainability expert have in common? ESG. Growing investor interest in non-financial performances has bridged the gap between two areas that businesses have long dealt with separately or even kept apart. Let’s take a look at the organizational challenges and consequences involved in this shift.

Co-founder of the International Corporate Governance Network, chair of LeaderXXchange, and winner of the 2019 Women in Asset Management – ESG Award in New York, Sophie L’Hélias has spent over twenty years working on corporate governance policies. She is also Kering’s lead independent Director. Here, she shares her insight into ESG’s emerging role in the investment world.

Qeelin is the first Chinese jewelry House to open a boutique on the prestigious Place Vendôme, in Paris. But the store is more than just an opulent venue to sell jewelry. The little Chinese jewelry box has a big job: to spread the word about Qeelin’s unique fusion of Chinese heritage and modernity.

What does China’s huge consumption of luxury goods mean for the high-end jewelry market? McKinsey’s 2019 China Luxury Report suggests Chinese consumers will account for as much as 65% of 2018-25 global growth in luxury goods, while a young wealthy demographic looking for a means of self-expression is fueling growth among jewelry brands. Daniel Zipser, Senior Partner with McKinsey in Shenzhen – a 19-year veteran of the consulting firm, with close to 15 years’ experience in China – shares his insights.

In 1997, designer Dennis Chan discovered the Dunhuang caves along the legendary Silk Road and was so deeply moved by its Chinese treasures he decided to translate them into a creative idea. By 2004, Chan had launched Qeelin, the brand now recognized as a contemporary fusion of Chinese heritage and modernity. Named after the Qilin, an auspicious Chinese mythical animal and Asian symbol of love, the name is neither Chinese nor English, but universal, and thus embodies both Qeelin’s Chinese roots and its mission. In 2013 Qeelin joined Kering. Founder and Creative Director Dennis Chan and CEO Christophe Artaux discuss the House’s strategy and its path forward.

The legendary Italian tailoring company celebrates its 75th anniversary this year by embracing its core values and appointing a new brand ambassador: Brad Pitt.

After nearly a year of renovation, Brioni’s London flagship is welcoming clients into an international world of luxury, comfort and design.

The prestige of Brioni’s customers is testament not only to the expertise of its master tailors, but also of a longstanding local knowledge. For the secrets of ‘Roman Style’ tailoring lie in the wooded hills of Abruzzo – and the sartorial skills passed from one generation to another.

New players, new locations, and new shopping habits have changed the luxury market dramatically in the past five years. But stores remain a “destination” for shoppers and tourists alike. Real estate is alive and well… and adapting. Here’s how, and why. 

An historic multi-city, multi-mall, multi-brand deal between Kering and Hang Lung Properties, one of the biggest real estate developers operating in mainland China, ensures the Group will be well-placed to benefit from a major shift in Chinese shopping habits. Kering’s Real Estate Director, Sergi Villar, explains the strategy behind the Group’s latest expansion in China.

Luxury consumers are changing the way real estate developers look at shopping malls. Today, malls are more than a place to shop: they are destinations for living, working and having fun. David Simon, Chairman, CEO and President of the Simon Property Group, the world’s biggest Real Estate Investment Trust and the largest shopping mall operator in the US, speaks about keeping pace with the changing luxury retail market.

Led by Kering along with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Rio Tinto and with collaboration from Stanford University and NASA, the South Gobi Cashmere Project is redefining high quality cashmere production in the Mongolian steppe. An initiative that pays back today.

Turning the idea of sustainable fashion into reality involves a range of different factors, including the right kind of materials. But where do you find them? Kering created the Material Innovation Lab to answer that very question. MIL’s Director, Cecilia Takayama explains the practicalities of sustainable luxury fashion.

Created to reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry, Clean by Design offers an effective method to reduce energy intensity and water usage on production sites. Thanks to its very rapid return on investment, Kering would like to extend the project to all of its suppliers.

Whether it’s product traceability, sustainable supply chains or next-generation materials, Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of international institutional affairs, explains how Kering goes right to the source to reduce its environmental footprint, starting with how raw materials are produced.

Riccardo Binaghi and his brother Filippo are the fifth generation of their family to work in the textile industry around Lake Como, in North Italy’s Lombardy region. As directors of Lorma, a company founded by their father, they are supplying organic and conventional silk to Kering Houses.

Created in 2015 by Kering, in partnership with the Festival de Cannes, the Women In Motion program shines a light on women’s contribution to cinema. To mark its fifth edition, Pierre Lescure, President of the festival, and Valérie Duport, Chief Communications and Image Officer of Kering, give an assessment of the program so far and take a look at its future.

Women In Motion has organised more than 50 Talks since it was launched in 2015. Discover, or rediscover, five of its highlights as podcasts with Emilia Clarke, Jodie Foster, Salma Hayek, Aïssa Maïga and Agnès Varda.

Stacy L. Smith, Associate Professor at the University of South California (USC), is a specialist in the study of gender in cinema and television.

At 26, place Vendôme, Boucheron’s historic boutique reopened its doors last December after 18 months of renovation work. This major project was also an opportunity to renew the traditional codes of the customer experience in jewelry, as Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, Chief Executive Officer of Boucheron, explains.

For Claire Choisne, Creative director at Boucheron since 2011, the working day is about marrying artistic freedom with constant innovation and respecting a philosophy that was created 160 years ago. It’s a contemporary version of the approach taken by Frédéric Boucheron, and reflects the renewal underway at 26, place Vendôme.

At the helm of consultancy firm MADnetwork, which she co-founded, Delphine Vitry identifies and analyses changes in the luxury industry. For the last decade, she has been using an omnichannel approach to help Houses shape their customer experience. Read on as she unpicks today’s main trends in luxury boutique design for Luxury Highlights.

Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ulysse Nardin in 2017, Patrick Pruniaux took over as the head of Girard-Perregaux, Kering’s other Manufacture, in August 2018. On the occasion of the SIHH exhibition, he talks about his ambition of encouraging the sector to take a more audacious and enthusiastic approach to the market.

At the 2019 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva, Ulysse Nardin is continuing the transformation that it began at the same event last year with a striking new brand identity based on disruption and innovation. The Manufacture is looking to shake up the conventions of Haute Horlogerie. Here’s how.

With the SIHH 2019 just around the corner, Brian Duffy, CEO of Watches of Switzerland, one of the fastest growing and world largest luxury watches retailer (mainly in the UK and in the USA) gives his assessment of a market that is moving with the times.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Kering Foundation, which combats violence against women. As the White Ribbon For Women 2018 campaign gets underway, Executive Director Céline Bonnaire explains this fundamental commitment for the Group.

From 16 to 30 November, the Kering Foundation dedicates its White Ribbon For Women campaign to the topic of cyberbullying. Here’s a four-step plan to change Generation Z mentalities around this complex issue.

According to Gary Barker, co-founder and CEO of Promundo, men and boys need to be engaged in the global combat to violence against women. One year after #Metoo, he gives his insights on the state of gender-based violence prevention.

As part of European Heritage Days, Kering is opening up its headquarters to members of the public for the third year running. Read on for a behind-the-scenes tour of an event that blends history, art and creation.

Four years after completing the renovation of the Laennec Hospital, which is now Kering’s headquarters, Benjamin Mouton, chief architect and general inspector of France’s historical monuments, looks back at the challenges posed by a very unique project.

This September, as part of European Heritage Days, the chapel at 40, rue de Sèvres in Paris is hosting Reliquaries, an exhibition of works from the Pinault Collection. Jean-Jacques Aillagon, former French Culture Minister and Managing Director of the collection, talked to us about the origins of the show.

Bringing Kering’s Maisons eyewear activities under one roof at the end of 2014 has enhanced the Group’s ability to respond to market changes and has increased its levels of innovation and profitability. Roberto Vedovotto, President and CEO of Kering Eyewear, walks us through this strategic change of direction and explains how his teams are preparing for the future in a sector marked by continuous growth and change.

The luxury Eyewear sector is changing as a new, younger customer demographic takes center stage. Claudia d’Arpizio, a partner in the Milan office of Bain & Company, reveals the profile of these consumers and their approach to Luxury.

From May to September, Gucci and Kering Eyewear are implementing an eyewear campaign dedicated solely to travel retail. Here is a six-point plan to create an unprecedented eyewear experience.

Registering global growth of 8% a year, travel retail is taking off. The promising channel encompasses airport stores and downtown galleries that offer tourists duty free shopping. Séverine Lanthier, Travel Retail Director at Kering and Gucci, talks about the Group’s plans to tap the potential of this strategic market.

Boosted by the growth in passenger volumes, improvements in the retail space and an increasing role for digitalization, travel retail offers a wealth of business opportunities – especially if you can attract Chinese and Millennial buyers, says Martin Moodie, founder of The Moodie Davitt Report, travel retail’s leading B2B media.

For Isabelle Fourmentin, CEO of JCDecaux Airport Paris (a joint venture owned by JCDecaux and Paris Aéroport) travel retail is a special opportunity for brands to engage with their audiences. To seize it, brands need to focus their communication on the in-store experience. Here are the major trends at work in a distribution channel that is enjoying very rapid growth.

Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) has developed a new retail strategy for its flagship airport at Fiumicino, providing infrastructure and operational support for its shopping areas. Gianluca Littarru, AdR’s General Manager, explains the changes and the central role being played by Luxury Retail in this new airport environment. The focus is on giving high-spending passengers the time and opportunity to do their shopping in a dedicated Luxury space.

Winner of Women in Motion’s Young Talent Award in 2016, Gaya Jiji is presenting her debut film, My Favorite Fabric in the Un Certain Regard category of the Festival de Cannes’ official selection. This is great visibility for the young Syrian filmmaker, who fled Damascus and the civil war in 2012.

As author of a recent EWA study on gender inequality in the film industry in France, academic Brigitte Rollet has identified many obstacles to the advancement of women in cinema. Yet as awareness grows and people speak out, better days may be ahead.

First introduced in 2015 by Kering in partnership with the Festival de Cannes, Women in Motion is a programme that showcases the contribution of women to the film industry. Valérie Duport, Kering’s Chief Communications & Image Officer, looks at how the programme began, how it has evolved, and where it goes from here.

In September 2017, Kering and LVMH caused a stir by launching Charter on Working Relations with Fashion Models and Their Well-Being. Three Fashion Weeks later, what’s been the initial impact of the Charter? Marie-Claire Daveu, Kering’s Chief sustainability officer and head of international institutional affairs, gives her assessment.

Three Fashion Weeks have been held since the Charter on the Working Relations with Fashion Models and their Well-being was adopted in early September 2017. What has changed for models? We follow Anna, an imaginary model, as she prepares for and takes part in the Paris Fashion Week.

The Charter published by Kering and LVMH last September is designed to improve the working conditions of models throughout the fashion industry. Casting director James Scully, whose desire to raise awareness about the plight of models played a key role in creating the Charter, talks about its impact and its future.

Cyril Brulé, who runs the Viva Model Management agency and also chairs France’s national union of modelling agencies, played an active role in drafting the Models Wellbeing Charter adopted on 6 September 2017. He tells us how initial implementation is going and discusses how the charter could change in the future.

Consuming and creating content on social media is a way of life for the Millennial generation. For Gucci, it is an opportunity to engage with a truly global community. Robert Triefus, Executive Vice President, Brand and Customer Engagement, explains how Gucci builds its following on social media platforms.

As in other countries, social media plays a crucial part in marketing in China. But what sets this country apart in terms of platforms and the Millennials who visit them? Alexis Bonhomme, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of CuriosityChina, a digital services and technology company specializing in social media, tech and CRM in China, provides the answers.

Gucci’s decision to hand over one of its social media accounts to Diet Prada was not taken lightly. But working with the group paid dividends for the Italian fashion house.

Charting a course between preserving tradition and driving technological renewal, innovation in haute horlogerie, or luxury watchmaking, is a precision exercise. Albert Bensoussan, CEO of Kering’s ‘Luxury – Watches & Jewelry’ Division, explains the Group’s strategy to pick up the pace of innovation in a rapidly evolving sector.

Faced with new digital-driven uses and changing consumer expectations, haute horlogerie is reinventing itself. Jules Boudrand, a specialist in this area for Deloitte and co-author of the firm’s annual study of the Swiss watch industry, elucidates the broad trends in a fast-changing sector.

How do you turn innovation into a driver of differentiation and success? We put the question to Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin, a luxury watch Manufacture that joined Kering in 2014.