Conference Insights

In this third episode of Creative Conversations, Suzy is joined by the thoughtful, funny and profound designer Alber Elbaz, as he enters a new fashion phase with the Richemont Group.

For her second episode, Suzy Menkes looks up – at the fantastical hats of milliner Stephen Jones.

For her first podcast episode, Suzy welcomes Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Creative Director Femme of Christian Dior – the first woman to lead the brand, and one who has enriched it with her distinctive feminist and artistic vision.

Suzy Menkes looks at what the luxury and fashion industry is doing at this time in Fashion Reflects, And Activates Its Energy, and explores how the industry is applying couture skills to hospital robes, fragrance into hand sanitiser, and making masks to save lives.

Hear from the Editor in Chief of WIRED on what the luxury industry needs to learn from the current situation, how it needs to adapt, and what he expects for the future.

Find out how suppliers the Ethical Fashion Initiative work with are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, what else fashion and luxury businesses can do at this time and how consumers are becoming more conscious or “responsible”.

Despite the fashion industry taking a noticeable hit, with every store shut here in the UK and a similar story happening in other major cities across the globe, major donors from all over the world are doing their bit to help fund the fight against the virus, including some of the biggest household fashion and grooming brands.

Find out what technologies (beyond Zoom!) the Innovation Editor at Vogue Business thinks will become indispensable to the fashion and luxury industry during this period of isolation and social distancing, what  fashion and luxury CTOs should consider in the current situation and what online trends McDowell thinks will emerge from luxury brands.

Read Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Letter From Rome: “Fashion Has A Small Part, But Together We Can Make A Big Difference” in British Vogue.

Find out how to help those most directly affected by COVID-19 from Vogue US, with everything from local homeless shelters to direct relief.

Body Language: How Marina Rinaldi Makes Clothes That Break The “Big” Taboo. Managing Director Lynne Webber celebrates the vibrant variety of women’s body types.

Back in February, as Milan found itself at the epicentre of the first major western outbreak of Covid-19, the city’s biannual women’s fashion week was coming to a close. While the virus had yet to be named a pandemic, many began recognising the existential threat it posed to Italy’s €65bn-plus fashion industry as buyers and editors, especially from the lucrative east-Asian market, steered clear.

Acquisition opportunities for the better-capitalised groups are expected after the crisis, when the dust settles. Adjacent luxury categories, like experiential luxury, should pick up steam, assuming that people can travel again.