2Jour Notes

At some point, the relationship with luxury started to resemble a toxic one—where “love must be earned.” It seems today’s customer has been through therapy and is no longer interested in proving anything to anyone.

Eyewear remains one of the few categories that manages to stay afloat in uncertain times. This is primarily due to its accessible price point for a broad audience.

Currently, there are three major players dominating the luxury eyewear market:

1) EssilorLuxottica

The company offers a comprehensive range of products: prescription glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, and ophthalmic lenses. It represents both proprietary and licensed brands (including Prada, Miu Miu, Brunello Cucinelli, Chanel, Moncler, Ralph Lauren.

2) Kering Eyewear

Kering Eyewear, founded in 2014, was one of only two segments to show positive growth within the troubled Kering Group in 2024, recording +8% comparable change YoY (the other one is Bottega Veneta with +6%).

Upd: I had this post in my drafts for quite some time. Today, I received an email that 24S, which I mentioned in the context of personal shopping, is closing its concierge service. Following LVMH e-commerce journey, it’s clear to me that the group is struggling to master its online presence. Partially may be explained by scale, apart from that using obvious and general methods doesn’t work in luxury.

This applies not only to 24S, which I’m sure is dragging down the group’s performance, but also to the online presence of its most prominent brands — about some of the gaps I wrote before (here I’m referring to Fashion & Leather Goods, Perfumes & Beauty, and Selective Retailing, as I’m not entirely familiar with the other divisions).

Personal shopping: A luxury gap

In the latest edition of 2Jour Gazette, I wrote an extensive article on luxury sanctions in Russia. I…

For the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about a woman who’s largely ignored by the luxury fashion — yet this woman is one of the most attractive clients in terms of sustainability and loyalty. I even have a title for these thoughts, which may potentially turn into an article.

Simone Cotellessa (IG: ecce____homo) brilliantly wrote about two brands, The Row and Phoebe Philo, that, in many ways, embody the client base I’ve been thinking about. The text — which I find myself both agreeing and disagreeing with — offers real food for thought.

The final phrase is especially powerful:

It’s exactly how I’d describe the client I’m trying to write about. For such woman I created the project with digital lookbooks that’s so close to my heart — 2Jour-Stylist.com.

Enjoy the text as much as I did x

Almost three weeks ago, news broke about Louis Vuitton’s upcoming beauty line. The launch is scheduled for September, with Pat McGrath appointed as Cosmetics Creative Director. The announcement was picked up by all major fashion business media outlets. As I was reading through the coverage, I thought — this is a great example of how a brand can take control of the narrative (something LVMH struggles with, as mentioned in the section on communication strategies in the 2Jour Gazette special edition on LVMH). Although, to be fair, Louis Vuitton quite often uses this trick of engaging the audience before the official release of anything.

The cherry on top was a Financial Times Weekend article, which quoted Louis Vuitton CEO Pietro Beccari from a video call in Paris. When I read that piece, I was left with mixed feelings. So I set those thoughts aside for a while — to let them settle.

I like self-citation in fashion—whether it’s an author reinterpreting their previous works or a brand exploring its archives. There’s a certain timelessness to it that emphasizes: this piece isn’t just for one season.

CELINE SS 2016 by Phoebe Philo vs. Phoebe Philo current collection (getting lost with their drops concept)

Slip dresses are nothing new, but subtle details affect perception. The fabric treatment, which helps it hold its form, along with the deliberate creases, adds character rather than superficial flirtiness.

*Self-citation though shouldn’t be overwhelming, rather targeted.

**The brand may be expanding offline, but its current primary point of sale—the official website—is still a no-go. My Phoebe Philo problem analysis with solutions is here: https://lnkd.in/dbGD6c8d

Loewe has issued a monograph reflecting Jonathan Anderson’s decade at the Spanish fashion house.

As a subscription email says:

Heritage is part of luxury positioning — it means you’re not just buying, say, a dress, but also gaining an emotional connection to the brand and its story. Beyond the commercial aspect, I like this news as a sign that they parted ways on a warm note. In the cold, commercial world, that’s more a rarity than the norm.