TAG Heuer

Sponsoring the top-class Formula 1 motor racing competition will help the group’s Louis Vuitton and TAG Heuer brands withstand the luxury downturn, writes Bloomberg’s Andrea Felsted.

Brands including LVMH’s Fred, TAG Heuer and Prada, whose lab-grown diamond supplier Snow speaks for the first time, have all unveiled products with man-made stones as they look to technology for new creative possibilities.

Higher-than-expected export figures fuelled hopes that the industry can avoid a downturn. At LVMH’s Watch Week gathering Miami, the chief executives of Bulgari, TAG Heuer, and Hublot and Zenith spoke to The Business of Fashion about adapting their strategies for an uncertain market.

Capitalising on sport’s soaring commercial and cultural relevance is becoming a primary focus for fashion brands. Winning sports-marketing strategies today hinge on building long-term, collaborative partnerships with athletes and organisations that resonate with a brand’s target consumers, as experts in BoF’s latest case study explain.

The LVMH watchmaker has ‘reached milestones in brand transformation,’ said chief executive Frédéric Arnault in an exclusive interview with BoF.

Synthetic stones now make up 10 percent of the diamond market, highlighting the ways in which new materials are rewriting the rules of what is considered luxury.

From working on the shop floor at Louis Vuitton to holding executive roles at Tag Heuer, Cartier, Tesla and Farfetch, Jeffery Fowler shares his career advice on advancing through the ranks in luxury retail.

Some see the crypto downturn as a way to weed out weak projects, chase away the speculators and clear the way for builders who see web3’s long-term value.

For years, luxury’s biggest jewellers have dismissed synthetic diamonds as inauthentic. But an investment by LVMH’s venture fund in lab-grown diamond company Lusix suggests this calculus may be changing alongside consumer interest in ethical and sustainable products.

Investors are pinning their hopes on a 2021 recovery, but a worsening Covid-19 situation in the US and glum forecasts from the Federal Reserve indicate it won't be an easy path.