“How Luxury Conquered the World” is a book that reveals the behind-the-scenes of an industry as magical as it is cruel through powerful testimonies and portraits.
By Luxus Plus
In her book, journalist Astrid Wendlandt asks herself the following question: “How did the luxury and fashion industry, which was almost non-existent forty years ago, become a world power?”. Indeed, the author wonders about the story behind a sector associating creation, money, power and secrecy. “How Luxury Conquered the World” is the result of four years of research and hundreds of interviews, allowing the author to understand what is going on behind the scenes.
The preface to the book is written by the writer Sylvain Tesson, who questions “this strange propensity of man to devote considerable energy to the possession of an object that will be of no use to him“.
Through this book, great fashion figures share their impressions and reveal their secrets. Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s icon, shares his thoughts, memories and career in a unique interview. Alain-Dominique Perrin, Jean-Louis Dumas and Yves Carcelle bring to life the history of the domination of the luxury world by Cartier, Hermès and Louis Vuitton.
Three contemporary luxury players also unveil their aspirations and share their concerns: José Neves, founder and CEO of Farfetch; Ralph Toledano, President of the Federation of Fashion and Haute Couture and the British firm Victoria Beckham; and Jacques von Polier, Renaissance architect of Raketa, the oldest Russian watchmaker.
The book adds to the poignant interviews, questions about the quality of a leader today, the moral dimensions of the luxury sector as well as its forecasts and future.
After working for the Financial Times as a correspondent in London and Moscow and then managing the luxury section of the Reuters agency in Paris for more than ten years, Astrid Wendlandt created her media and publishing house Miss Tweed Editions, dedicated to the luxury and fashion sector.
