Photo courtesy of Raf Simons

Exploring the notion of ‘luxury’ – a concept so malleable and evolving in nature- is a most challenging yet rewarding pursuit. Of all the past years, 2022 deserves a special mention.

After two years of Covid lockdowns, social everyday interactions reliant on digital platforms and altered working patterns we walk out into a world that has been altered forever; pandemic ongoing, war in Ukraine, environmental disasters, increased social uncertainty and volatility. Where does Luxury fit into all this? Importantly, given an acceleration in luxury consumption during 2021, -right in the middle of a global pandemic- why does luxury seem to be paradoxically even more relevant today than ever before?

The Luxury Plus Summit therefore has a special and challenging mission: to explore the nature of these recent changes, their effects on the luxury industry and on our identity, as producers, thinkers, consumers of luxury. This year, four broad substantial themes navigate the choppy waters of socio-political, consumer behaviour, education/training, innovation/technology discourse:

• How is the world of luxury adapting to the unfolding geopolitical changes?
• What new consumer behaviour patterns emerge and how will they drive industry evolution?
• How do changes in the way we work, play and consume affect the way we deliver education and personal training?
• What technological, environmental and other innovations are influencing the world of luxury and how?

• George Bouvier, Chair
• Nadja Swarovski, Business Founder and Philanthropist
• Dr. Ian King – founder of the Responsible Fashion Series conference and professor at the London College of Fashion
• Annick Schramme – Academic Director, International Masters, Fashion Management, Antwerp Management School
• Bianca Quets Luzi – CEO of Raf Simons 
• Dr. Carolyn Mair – Founder, Carolyn Mair Consulting Limited
• Marie-Pierre Schickel – Brand Innovation Strategist and Business Designer
• Cecilia Parker Aranha, Director of Consumer Protection, U.K. Competition and Markets Authority
• Gordon Ritchie, Managing Director, Crombie
• Tiago Valente, Director of Parsons, the New School – MSP Fashion, Management, Partners and Culture
• Cédric Vanhoeck, Executive Lead, Resortecs
• Sheahan Stephen, President, Sheahan Stephen Sapphires
• Paul Foulkes-Arellano, Founder and Circularity Educator, Circuthon Consulting
• Keanan Duffty, Director, Fashion Programs, Provost’s Office, The New School, Parsons
• Dr. Felicia Caponigri, Program Director, Notre Dame Law School
• Dr. Catherine Willems, Lecturer, KASK & Conservatorium, school of arts of HOGENT, Belgium; Director, The Future Footwear Foundation
• Dr. Shaun Borstrock, Associate Dean, University of Hertfordshire; Editor, In Pursuit of Luxury
• Dr. Dirk Reynders, Lecturer and Researcher, LUCA School of Arts (Belgium)
• Daniela Della Rosa, Partner, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP & Fashion Law Expert
• Paul Sternberg, Chief Executive, Global Luxury Alliance