2Jour Notes

Is there anything that can be done from a PR and communications standpoint in luxury fashion to handle the flood of TikTok videos making claims about production?

Nothing. At least publicly—nothing. These videos should discredit themselves.

The more complex task—the one I often write about (and have mentioned in the context of scandals involving Loro Piana, Dior, and more recently, Van Cleef & Arpels)—is ensuring that there’s genuinely nothing to criticize. That applies both to quality and to the supply chain.

Or take a specific, seemingly simple—yet simultaneously so difficult—action, like what Chanel could have done after that facepalm-worthy video published by WWD, which I also mentioned when analyzing the situation.

In fact, the entire TikTok farce, clearly triggered as a retaliation in the US-China trade war, only reinforces the already fragile perception of luxury—damaged by these and many other scandals that have called into question the so-called “high quality and craftsmanship.” Risking sounding mean—I’ll…

At some point, the relationship with luxury started to resemble a toxic one—where “love must be earned.” It seems today’s customer has been through therapy and is no longer interested in proving anything to anyone.

I have no idea how this video made it to public, but it broke the whole Chanel image in under 2 minutes.

Upd: I had this post in my drafts for quite some time. Today, I received an email that 24S, which I mentioned in the context of personal shopping, is closing its concierge service. Following LVMH e-commerce journey, it’s clear to me that the group is struggling to master its online presence. Partially may be explained by scale, apart from that using obvious and general methods doesn’t work in luxury.

This applies not only to 24S, which I’m sure is dragging down the group’s performance, but also to the online presence of its most prominent brands — about some of the gaps I wrote before (here I’m referring to Fashion & Leather Goods, Perfumes & Beauty, and Selective Retailing, as I’m not entirely familiar with the other divisions).

Personal shopping: A luxury gap

In the latest edition of 2Jour Gazette, I wrote an extensive article on luxury sanctions in Russia. I…

Psychologically, when a person tries to take up more space, it’s often an attempt to assume a position of power and assert dominance. There’s even a term for it — manspreading: when a man (as it’s usually a man) sits with legs wide apart and takes up too much space on public transport.

The current Saint Laurent collection, according to SL creative director Anthony Vaccarello in Vogue Runway, “is about control, and power, in a way.” He deliberately stepped away from the overused “a tuxedo for a woman which was worn naked underneath” (overused, but still no-lose combination I must say). Instead, he offered his vision of something “more strict” — oversized tailoring styles with shirts and ties, very reminiscent of 1980s men’s fashion.

I often browse the brand’s official website — Saint Laurent remains one of my personal favorites in RTW. In the lookbook available there, the backstage photos…

Part of effective PR communication is taking responsibility. Responsibility, in turn, implies a full (better transparent) investigation that leads to a conclusion: “guilty or not guilty.”

If found guilty, then a crucial part of the communication process is also having the strength to admit it, apologize, and outline a plan for change.

After writing about some of the most high-profile scandals in the world of luxury fashion over the past year (most of which were connected to LVMH) I realized I hadn’t heard a single apology.

For some reason, an apology is seen as a weakness. I see it as a sign of strength, maturity, and a bonus to public perception and reputation.

All the articles on PR & communications are here.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about a woman who’s largely ignored by the luxury fashion — yet this woman is one of the most attractive clients in terms of sustainability and loyalty. I even have a title for these thoughts, which may potentially turn into an article.

Simone Cotellessa (IG: ecce____homo) brilliantly wrote about two brands, The Row and Phoebe Philo, that, in many ways, embody the client base I’ve been thinking about. The text — which I find myself both agreeing and disagreeing with — offers real food for thought.

The final phrase is especially powerful:

It’s exactly how I’d describe the client I’m trying to write about. For such woman I created the project with digital lookbooks that’s so close to my heart — 2Jour-Stylist.com.

Enjoy the text as much as I did x

Almost three weeks ago, news broke about Louis Vuitton’s upcoming beauty line. The launch is scheduled for September, with Pat McGrath appointed as Cosmetics Creative Director. The announcement was picked up by all major fashion business media outlets. As I was reading through the coverage, I thought — this is a great example of how a brand can take control of the narrative (something LVMH struggles with, as mentioned in the section on communication strategies in the 2Jour Gazette special edition on LVMH). Although, to be fair, Louis Vuitton quite often uses this trick of engaging the audience before the official release of anything.

The cherry on top was a Financial Times Weekend article, which quoted Louis Vuitton CEO Pietro Beccari from a video call in Paris. When I read that piece, I was left with mixed feelings. So I set those thoughts aside for a while — to let them settle.