inspiring social & environmental excellence in high-end brands

What would you tell the industry big wigs?

Hi Everyone.

Im in Goa, and loving it. My attention is now turning to the International Herald Tribune conference in Delhi next week, on sustainable luxury. This week Ill be working out what to include in my 20 min slot. Id welcome your input.

What would you tell the industry big wigs at this time of economic fear?

Share your ideas here ASAP!

Thx, Jem

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by sergio boero on March 17, 2009 at 10:01am

Well I have red all in this blog! Good job guys.
So basically we need to be green, organic, respectfull, friendly, honest.
10 years ago, when I started my new job as Director of Fashion School in IED ModaLab in Milan, everybody were laughing about it and someone suggested to me to think about the MARGIN.
Well now I can say erase the word MARGIN and think about working following the list!

All my best
Sergio Boero, Manila, The Philippines

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Permalink Reply by Yvan C. Goudard on March 17, 2009 at 9:33pm

You know what? This big crisis has a good side: It is good for the planet. Less consumption, less exchanges, less pollution. I think it will have a positive impact on the carbon footprint.

Go back to the good old brand, the ones with a real know-how and not just a tailored marketing plan "a la Hugo Boss".

Sustainability is not just about buying pure cotton from a tribe in Africa and them importing it to China by boat and re-exporting shirt to Europe by plane. And then print 100,000 leaflets (on recycled paper!) to tell the world you did a good thing. I used to buy chicken in the local market that were grown in the nearby fields. Now this has been replaced by frozen chicken imported from the US and stored in a freezer, in a heated supermarket, and i need to take my car to go and buy it.

Luxury is not in the price you pay or in the brand carried by the item you buy. Luxury is to breathe fresh air, and drink spring water directly from the source. Once you bottle it up and send it to the other side of the world, it is not luxury anymore, it becomes consumption.

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Permalink Reply by Scott on March 17, 2009 at 10:13pm

luxury is a matter of perspective isn't it?

I think it's amazing the topic is even being discussed...imagine bringing the concept of sustainability into any marketing discussion 10 or 15 years ago... wow! Now we have VP's of CSR and it's real, not all CYA (love all the acronyms).

Luxury marketers should consider how much it will cost to gain back the customers lost to a company aggressively pursuing sustainability initiatives. In many cases consumers are simply waiting for companies to catch up to them... I know...consumers are stupid... Its our job to tell them what they want and need isn't it? Low and behold... they DO THINK... particularly consumers willing to pay for 'luxury goods'.

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Permalink Reply by Leslie Hartford on March 17, 2009 at 10:25pm

I entirely agree with you. This economic crisis is a reality check that our entire economic model/value reference system needs to be reassessed. Since the start of the crisis, all construction has ceased in Beijing... and we can finally enjoy dust-free beautiful sky!

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Permalink Reply by Peter Emrys-Roberts on March 22, 2009 at 3:09pm

Hi Jem,
Luxury products are as green as they come - they endure, which is why they are special. 95% of all Porsches ever made are still on the road...Recycle? Why?!
Peter Emrys-Roberts
London

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Permalink Reply by Jem Bendell on March 31, 2009 at 8:47am

The transcript of my speech is on my blog at:
http://authenticluxury.ning.com/profiles/blogs/transcript-of-bendel...

Thank you for helping me trial some ideas and nuance not only the concepts but the style in which to share them.