Cartier’s former chief executive, now chairman of culture and philanthropy, on why the past six years bear no resemblance to the sector’s previous downturns, and why some brands are mistaking a lasting cultural shift for a cycle waiting to turn.
Leaders
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LEADERS6 min read
Luxury’s Old Playbook Is Running Out of Road, Warns IMD’s Stéphane Girod
Three decades of expansion were built on a tripling of the global economy. IMD’s Stéphane Girod argues that engine will not return at the same pace, and that brands mistaking the slowdown for a cycle are misreading their situation
LEADERS6 min read
Davide Cerrato on Bremont’s Turnaround: Fewer Watches, Firmer Prices, a Trip to the Moon
Three years after taking the helm of the British watchmaker, Bremont’s chief executive tells why cutting the collection, holding the price ladder and a lunar rover collaboration are the pillars of its recovery.
LEADERS6 min read
The Architect of Private Luxury: Guido Terreni on Parmigiani’s Relaunch and the Future of Independent Watchmaking
As Swiss watchmaking consolidates around a shrinking group of dominant names, the chief executive of Parmigiani Fleurier makes the case for a different kind of desirability — one built not on visibility, but on discernment.
LEADERS6 min read
How Acqua di Parma Is Navigating a Polarised Fragrance Market Without Losing Its Identity
As prestige fragrance outpaces every other beauty category and niche players multiply, Acqua di Parma CEO Giulio Bergamaschi tells why the brands best placed to endure the moment are those that never chased it.
LEADERS7 min read
Ten Years in the Desert: How Hind Seddiqi Built the Watch World’s Most Coveted Gathering
Ten years ago, Dubai Watch Week was an outlier with ambitions that seemed, at best, optimistic. Today it has a waiting list of brands, a Rolex CEO on its stage, and no intention of becoming anything other than exactly what it always was.
LEADERS7 min read
Rapha’s Fran Millar on Rebuilding a Brand from the Inside Out
Rapha built one of cycling’s most devoted communities, then spent seven years diluting the very identity that made it matter. Fran Millar, appointed chief executive in September 2024, is now tasked with winning it back.
LEADERS7 min read
Swiss Watchmaking’s Most Seasoned Voice on Why the Industry’s High End Has Nothing to Fear
Jean-Claude Biver has spent five decades navigating every crisis the Swiss watch industry has produced and his verdict on the current one is consistent with all of them. The high end does not sell watches. It sells dreams, desire and eternity. That, he argues, is precisely why it has nothing to fear.
