French sports car manufacturer, Bugatti, hosted their first ever ‘Luxury Summit’ at their headquarters in Molsheim, France. Industry professionals and academics discussed the ever-shifting definition of luxury and the latest trends that are shaping the sector.
A quaint, handsome town in the northeastern region of France, known for its winemaking, is an unlikely location for a summit about luxury. However Molsheim is no ordinary town – it’s the home of Bugatti. The brand is not only synonymous with elegance, innovation and exclusivity but it’s also steeped in tradition and heritage. Bugatti’s association with luxury extends beyond the automotive and into the upper echelons of pure luxury.
As my driver pulls up to the iron gates of Château Saint-Jean with the exquisite nineteenth-century mansion in clear view as well as several vintage cars parked on the lush green lawn – you instinctively know you have arrived somewhere special. Yet, it feels like a scene from a David Lynch movie; a lucid dream where the surreal sensory experience of the protagonist knows that they are dreaming – except, this is not a dream, nor am I hallucinating.
The founder, Ettore Bugatti bought the château in 1928 to entertain his guests and customers; the experience of buying a Bugatti began here and continues to this day. Sadly, my arrival at the mansion is not to place an order on a shiny new Chiron, nor any other Bugatti for that matter. I’m here to explore the trends that are influencing the luxury market. Guest speakers include experts and leading executives from the industry with keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshops scheduled throughout the day.
Topics discussed during the Summit
The chair for the day is Rebecca Robins, a distinguished author and an industry expert that has worked with some of the world’s leading luxury brands. Robins introduces Professor Ashok Shom, that delivers his keynote speech. Shom argues that consumers’ mindsets have changed largely due to the impact of the pandemic on the industry; the extensive periods of lockdown have led to luxury brands adapting to consumers’ desire for innovation, including new products, styles and experiences. A physical store and website are no longer a viable offering – consumers now engage with brands on multi-channels and therefore, the journey to the ‘shopping cart’ must be reinvented. Augmented reality technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly playing a role in raising a brand’s visibility to attract new customers.
A panel discussion that included Vincent Billiard, managing director of Hôtel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel, contrasted his customers’ need for greater digital experience with the importance of human connection, including the smile, welcome or handshake. All these personable gestures are essential for the Hôtel de Crillon. For many of his guests, the definition of luxury would be a memorable stay; the hotel butlers are encouraged to create ‘personalised moments’ for their guests that have sentimental value.
For Rosewood it’s more about the personal experience, but both the physical and digital can seamlessly co-exist as explained by Ali Walker, chief creative officer of Asprey Studio. Walker launches art collections for the 250-year-old luxury brand that are offered with exclusive digital attributes such as NFTs; this brings together the human touch element with the technology to support it. For example, Asprey’s Bugatti Egg collection consists of hand-crafted Fabergé-like eggs that include a digital NFT artwork component. These NFTs provide the owner with access to exclusive private events or gifts. Digital assets are popular among younger collectors.
The blockchain technology used by Asprey Studio is also utilised for the traceability of products and raw materials. Stefano Rosso and Daniela Ott of Aura Blockchain Consortium discussed how they used blockchain to allow their client, Loro Piana to provide complete transparency for their customers; when a garment is purchased, the customer can scan the QR code on the label to view information relating to the sourcing, creation and production process. By providing the full lifecycle the authenticity of the product is assured and in case of resale, the ownership details are updated so that the provenance is accurately recorded.
As we try to understand the impact of ChatGPT, the collaborative consortium has also been looking at ways to work with AI to predict trends in the industry or to create the perfect product by forecasting customers’ preferences. Tony Pinville has dedicated his life’s work to AI and argues against the idea of technology as a threat to designers; he believes it should be embraced as an asset for generating new and innovative ideas more rapidly and efficiently – a tool to foster the creative process.
Sustainability is a key element to the modern luxury world and a customer expectation, particularly among the younger generations. My past features detail its impact on the hospitality or luxury development sector – but where does Bugatti stand on this important cornerstone? Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti and Rimac Automobili, explains that they are already making great strides in cutting the carbon footprint of both the supply chain and the manufacturing of its cars. Greater emphasis is given to the procurement of suppliers that can trace and prove the sustainability of their products. Rimac also discusses that in the future, they may consider the customer paying extra for features such as leather seats, whereby the extra costs are put towards environmental incentives such as planting trees.
The Atelier
After the Bugatti Luxury Summit, it’s time for apéritif en plen air, which consists of decadent canapés and Blanc de Blancs champagne, poured from jeroboams of EB02 Carbon for Bugatti cuvée, we walk over to the factory where dinner is soon to be served. I must confess, it’s one of the most unusual venues I’ve had the pleasure of dining inside. Referred to as the Atelier, this modern building is designed in the shape of Bugatti’s signature feature, the macaron. It’s where each Bugatti is assembled by hand; there’s no vast production line just a few chassis in various stages of completion. The chassis and engines are like sculptural art objects, jacked up on brushed steel hydraulics to be observed in the round.
Juxtapose this with a backdrop of dining tables with pristine white linen and crystal glassware by Lalique to provide the ideal setting for Chef Paul Stradner and his team from the two-Michelin star restaurant, Villa René Lalique to present tonight’s culinary masterpiece.
Dinner by Lalique
We begin with the amuse-bouche – egg with sorrel; the delicate mixture is placed inside an eggshell and served with sake (Monad, Shimizu Seizabura Zaku). For starters, we have yellowtail and rock crab with kohlrabi and combawa. The dish is paired with Alsace Grand Cru Engelberg, Riesling, Domaine Pfister 2020. For the intermezzo we have asparagus, grapefruit and elderflower, shortly followed by the main course of beef wellington with perigourdine sauce. The dish is served with Saint Emillion Grand Cru, Château Faugéres 2015, Grand Cru Classé.
We end the Bugatti Luxury Summit dinner with strawberry, abies lagrimus pine, a dessert by Nicolas Multon, Lalique’s Pastry Chef who was inspired by the ‘shapes, expression and power’ of Kandinsky’s The Music Room (1931). The delicious dish is served with Sauternes, Château Lafaurie Peyraguey, 2015, 1st Grand Cru Classé. Interestingly, the wine bottle is created by Lalique with an engraving of Femme et Raisins (1928) by René Lalique on the front.
The most important summit on luxury?
The Bugatti Luxury Summit had a pantheon of speakers that have given an intriguing insight into the luxury industry. We’ve had thought-provoking debates on what the future may look like and how the innovations of certain brands are creating new trends that will evolve and shape the industry. While this was only the first edition of the summit, it has all the hallmarks of becoming one of the most important luxury events in the industry.
To discover more about Bugatti visit bugatti.com
I flew to Frankfurt with Lufthansa, flying direct from London Gatwick. To discover more on schedules and prices visit lufthansa.com
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All imagery courtesy of BUGATTI AUTOMOBILES S.A.S.