Luxury brands in a more challenging economic environment

Hosted by Baker & McKenzie

Keeping up with rapidly changing consumer demands and responding to current economic challenges may mean that companies need to rethink how they organize themselves to be future-ready. This session will look at micro and macroeconomic trends and changing consumer habits impacting luxury businesses today. We will also discuss how brands operate and adapt in the current landscape as well as corporate strategies to facilitate continued growth.

Tom Edwards, Partner, Baker McKenzie

Carol Ghannam, Associate Director, Consumer M&A Transactions, Deloitte

Julia Dickenson, Of Counsel, Baker McKenzie

Marianne Helps, Senior Legal Counsel, Burberry 

Going green? How to build a successful green advertising campaign

Hosted by Bird & Bird

Luxury brands continue to adapt and evolve in an eco-conscious market, incorporating more sustainable practices with green advertising campaigns to match. However, green claims are under legal scrutiny. If the factual foundation of a claim is lacking, cease and desist letters and PR risks often follow. We will explore the do’s and don’ts of creating a successful and compliant green advertising campaign, drawing on some recent examples that luxury brands can learn from.

Rita Tardiolo, Partner, Bird & Bird

Zornitza Kratchmarova, ESG Lead, Retex

Marie Cudennec Carlisle, CEO & Co-Founder, Goldfinger

Trademark victory after a 22-year battle: An insight into a landmark case in China

Hosted by DLA Piper 

DLA Piper advised Manolo Blahnik, the world-famous shoe designer and founder of the eponymous luxury brand, on his successful re-trial application before China’s Supreme People’s Court, following a long-running trademark dispute in China which lasted over 20 years.

Edward Chatterton, Partner at DLA Piper who led the case, will be joined by Georgina McManus, CLO & Company Secretary of Manolo Blahnik, for a fireside chat to discuss this case in more detail. During the discussion, they will share their experience and learnings from this case.  Edward will also provide a more general update on the current state of intellectual property protection in China, including the proposed changes to the China Trademark Law which are currently in the pipeline.

Edward Chatterton, Partner and Co-Head of IPT Asia, DLA Piper

Georgina McManus, CLO & Company Secretary, Manolo Blahnik

Fashion M&A in the US: Updates on Key Regulatory Trends

Hosted by Linklaters

2021 saw the appointment of new US antitrust enforcers, which has resulted in increased scrutiny for dealmakers engaged in M&A in the US. We’ll discuss what this means for prospective acquirors or sellers of companies participating in the fashion and luxury goods sectors, including more frequent challenges to transactions on regulatory grounds, the potential ban on most non competes as well as other issues that are top of mind for the U.S. antitrust authorities. We’ll also cover how to assess regulatory risks and how to structure and paper the allocation of such risks between the parties in M&A transactions.

Antonia Sherman, Head of US Antitrust & Foreign Investment Group, Linklaters

Pierre-Emmanuel Perais, Partner, Linklaters