Early on the morning of April 2, WWD, a major fashion media outlet, published a video on Instagram titled “Inside the Factory That Makes $10,000 Chanel Handbags.” Filmed following an interview with Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion at Chanel, the video was intended to present a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Classic 11.12 Handbag in an obviously complimentary light. Its price has nearly doubled over the past six years and has now crossed the psychological threshold of €10,000–costing €10,300 in France and $10,800 in the U.S. But instead of the expected heart-eyes emojis, however, within an hour of posting, the comments section was filled with dozens of remarks questioning the unjustified cost and exposing the “true face” of luxury.

I saved the video almost immediately—right from the first second, it was clear this was a major misstep by the team. However, the video itself only amplified the impact of…

As I caught Charvet famous slippers landed in the latest Net-a-porter EIP preview it reminded me of an interesting fact.

In The Row NY boutique Apart from selling its own brand, also has some other brands approved by Olsen sisters, which include Charvet socks.

Also, before launching its own shoe line in 2016, models on the Fall 2015 runway walked in Charvet slippers.

I have no idea how this video made it to public, but it broke the whole Chanel image in under 2 minutes.

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…

Psychologically, when a person tries to take up more space, it’s often an attempt to assume a position of power and assert dominance. There’s even a term for it — manspreading: when a man (as it’s usually a man) sits with legs wide apart and takes up too much space on public transport.

The current Saint Laurent collection, according to SL creative director Anthony Vaccarello in Vogue Runway, “is about control, and power, in a way.” He deliberately stepped away from the overused “a tuxedo for a woman which was worn naked underneath” (overused, but still no-lose combination I must say). Instead, he offered his vision of something “more strict” — oversized tailoring styles with shirts and ties, very reminiscent of 1980s men’s fashion.

I often browse the brand’s official website — Saint Laurent remains one of my personal favorites in RTW. In the lookbook available there, the backstage photos…

I have always loved beautiful things. When I was just starting my career, I could only afford mass-market brands. My purchases were selective and carefully considered, and ultimately, they looked quite… expensive? As my professional career progressed, luxury items began to appear in my wardrobe.

In addition, I began ordering custom clothing from a professional tailor who adjusted everything to my measurements, paying attention to details that mattered to me. I chose everything myself, from fabrics to zippers. Eventually, this interest led me to buy a sewing machine and an overlocker—but that’s another story.

Having walked this—let’s call it—a mindful journey, I know for sure that the idea "you can buy items in the mass market that are no worse than luxury" is an illusion. Occasionally, you can find items that objectively look good. But upon closer inspection, there are nuances that always reveal the difference between lower-priced and higher-priced…

Part of effective PR communication is taking responsibility. Responsibility, in turn, implies a full (better transparent) investigation that leads to a conclusion: “guilty or not guilty.”

If found guilty, then a crucial part of the communication process is also having the strength to admit it, apologize, and outline a plan for change.

After writing about some of the most high-profile scandals in the world of luxury fashion over the past year (most of which were connected to LVMH) I realized I hadn’t heard a single apology.

For some reason, an apology is seen as a weakness. I see it as a sign of strength, maturity, and a bonus to public perception and reputation.

All the articles on PR & communications are here.

The text I read a few days ago and shared here about Phoebe Philo and The Row led me to the Phoebe Philo corner.

The butter-yellow trench coat I tried on was probably the best piece I’ve seen / touched lately. A longread about how this brand could grow (better) is coming soon.

If you look closely, you’ll notice how one tiny practical detail could make this soft perfection — which I didn’t want to take off — work better.

Hint: I wrote about design suggestions with examples from Maison Alaïa here.