Nina Müller

What Kering’s New CEO Reveals About the Future of Luxury — and Art In The Business of Fashion, Luca Solca offers a sharp, unsentimental letter to Luca De Meo, the newly appointed CEO of Kering, who arrives from the automotive industry into the turbulent waters of luxury fashion. Having steered Renault’s strategic turnaround through his now-celebrated “Renaulution” plan, De Meo is expected to apply a similar mix of industrial discipline and visionary risk to Kering — a group currently burdened by high debt, lagging brand performance (especially Gucci’s 25% sales drop), and investor skepticism. Solca outlines a clear roadmap: fix the balance sheet and fix the governance. Luxury, he argues, is no longer just about aesthetics or legacy; it is about strategic clarity, investor trust, and operational resilience. De Meo’s outsider status may well be his strength — but only if he can translate systemic thinking into cultural intuition. This shift — from cars to couture, from torque to texture — resonates far beyond luxury conglomerates. It reveals a deeper, quieter movement already reshaping the art world: the end of disciplinary comfort zones. When a fashion empire taps an industrialist to reimagine its soul, we are reminded that leadership today is no longer about specialization, but about sensibility — the capacity to navigate complexity, to listen across silos, and to reframe decline as potential. In the art ecosystem, too, we see institutions fatigued by old models: biennials recycling the same curators, galleries struggling to justify their overheads, museums trapped between blockbusters and bankruptcy. What if, like Kering, they looked beyond their own industry for answers? What if curators were selected not only for taste, but for systemic intelligence? What if the next museum director came not from academia, but from gaming, climate strategy, or logistics? De Meo’s appointment invites us to imagine a new kind of cultural stewardship — one that does not fear friction between worlds, but draws strength from it. After all, the great works of art, like the great turnarounds in business, often begin with a single bold reframe. A Letter to Kering’s New CEO- Luca Solca https://lnkd.in/eM4fzRiw

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Guard Image First With 34 years of business experience in luxury fashion. I have seen crises flip a Maisons true currency: from objects to image. When reputational shocks hit, CHANEL and Hermès demonstrate that perception emotional trust, curated exclusivity and enacted values becomes the asset that underwrites recovery and future desirability. Why image matters: clienteles buy belonging and story as much as craft. In a crisis, maintaining emotional connection and visible stewardship prevents defections and preserves willingness to pay. CHANEL leverages iconic symbolism and narrative control to reassure audiences; Hermès doubles down on immersive craftsmanship and scarcity to keep bonds intact. Both treat image as a governance tool that guides every recovery decision. Practical implications: protect exclusivity by enforcing limited availability and invitation only experiences; communicate craft and provenance visibly; and activate curated clientele journeys that repair trust. A strong image provides the decision framework prioritise strong actions that reinforce long term identity rather than short term commercial fixes. Two scholarly points sharpen the strategy: Denis Morisset argues that operationalising heritage into lived experience converts narrative capital into durable market advantage.¹ Jean-Noël Kapferer emphasises that luxury’s currency is symbolic differentiation and custodial rarity image must be managed, not market tested.² For CEOs and reputation brand managers: prepare crisis playbooks that put image first actions at the top transparent remediation, artisan led storytelling, and concierge re-engagement. New York & Co 1888 Paris designs and executes these white glove recovery programmes confidential, boutique mandates that restore trust and unlock measurable premium returns for select Maisons. Our fees reflect elite bespoke delivery and proven outcomes. Conclusion: In crisis, image is the currency you spend to buy time and loyalty. Protect it first products follow. Which image first action would you fund immediately artisan storytelling, invitation only recovery, or transparent remediation? #BrandRecovery #LuxuryLeadership #NewYorkCo1888Paris ¹ Denis Morisset, ‘Operationalising Heritage in Luxury’ (Lecture, ESSEC Business School, 12 March 2020). ² Jean-Noël Kapferer and Vincent Bastien, The Luxury Strategy: Break the Rules of Marketing to Build Luxury Brands (2nd ed, Kogan Page, 2012).

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Digital Aftercare: Supporting Emotional Health After Intimate Experiences View My Portfolio. Sexual wellness is not just about the experience itself — it’s also about how people feel afterwards. This is where the concept of digital aftercare is becoming a new standard. Why aftercare matters: • Emotional regulation: Research in psychology highlights that post-intimacy emotional support can reduce anxiety, strengthen connection, and improve overall wellbeing. • Guided recovery tools: Digital platforms are beginning to offer meditation, breathwork, journaling prompts, and therapist-led modules to help users process their experiences. • Inclusivity: For individuals navigating trauma, chronic illness, or long-distance intimacy, digital aftercare offers reassurance and support that would otherwise be unavailable. • Market innovation: As digital health expands beyond treatment to holistic wellness, aftercare solutions are emerging as a key differentiator for forward-thinking brands. At V For Vibes, we believe that sexual wellness doesn’t end when the experience does. By integrating digital aftercare, we can help people build emotional confidence, deepen trust, and approach intimacy as part of a broader cycle of health. True innovation in sexual wellness isn’t just about enhancing pleasure — it’s about supporting the whole person, before, during, and after. #SexualWellness #DigitalHealth #Aftercare #Innovation #SexTech #VForVibes

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Luxury’s summer pop-up playbook Gelatomania. Branded carts. Resort takeovers. Summer 2025 is all about quick, high-impact moves. Luxurynsight’s latest insights show how top brands use pop-ups to grab attention and build deeper ties with customers. From Prada in Capri to DOLCE&GABBANA’s beach clubs and Missoni in Ibiza, luxury is making the season its stage: ↳ JACQUEMUS, Burberry and Longchamp with bold hotel and club takeovers ↳ Miu Miu, Maison Margiela, CELINE and Loewe testing carts and gelato pop-ups ↳ each activation mixing local flavor, storytelling and real-time data Pop-ups are no longer just for fun. They are test grounds for future retail, helping brands stay close to culture while measuring what works. This is a sneak peek of our Summer Pop-Up Report (coming Q4 2025). Stay tuned.

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Valentino appoints Riccardo Bellini as new CEO Effective September 1st, 2025, Riccardo Bellini will take over as CEO of Valentino, following Jacopo Venturini’s departure. Bellini’s appointment signals a decisive strategic move for the maison: after leading Maison Margiela and Chloé as CEO, and serving as Managing Director at Mayhoola, he brings both operational expertise and a deep understanding of brand positioning in the luxury market. Under the guidance of Chairman Rachid Mohamed Rachid, Bellini is expected to accelerate Valentino’s growth, working in synergy with Creative Director Alessandro Michele to balance heritage, creativity, and global expansion. His career path, spanning from Procter & Gamble to Diesel, illustrates a rare blend of corporate rigor and creative sensitivity qualities that may prove crucial as Valentino navigates a highly competitive luxury landscape. #Valentino #LuxuryFashion #Leadership #FashionBusiness #Strategy

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Global luxury is slowing. The GCC isn’t. 🔹 The market: While global luxury is facing a downturn, the GCC continues to grow strongly, powered by landmark retail developments and a wave of investment optimism. Abu Dhabi in particular is emerging as the next epicenter, with The Grove and cultural districts reshaping the luxury, lifestyle, and tourism landscape. 🔹 The customer: GCC clients are hyper-connected, global travelers, and increasingly influential. They move seamlessly from scroll to store, blending luxury with mass brands — and expect cultural relevance, exclusivity, and trust in every interaction. Here, loyalty belongs to brands that balance global desirability with true local relevance. 🔹 Gen Z effect: This generation isn’t just buying luxury, they are shaping it. From setting trends on social to demanding authenticity and cultural fluency, Gen Z is forcing brands to rethink communication, collections, and experiences. 🔹 The brand challenge: The era of effortless growth is over. Awareness is not enough. True brand health drives long terms growth and loyalty and will depend on desirability, distinct image strength, and above all - cultural fluency. Because in the GCC, long-term loyalty is earned locally, even for global brands. 👉 As global growth cools and GCC accelerates, are luxury brands ready to adapt fast enough - not just by opening stores, but by building cultural resonance where it matters most? Thank you Mo Shadman & Chalhoub Group Intelligence Team for this very insightful conference.

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