I'd also like to make a book recommendation. Deluxe: How luxury lost its luster by Dana Thomas is simply a fantastic and eye opening read. It has a lot of insights into the luxury industry as it was, and the business of luxury as it is now.
An excerpt from the inner cover:
There was a time when luxury was available only to the rarefied and aristocratic world of old money and royalty. Luxury wasn't simply a product, it was a lifestyle, one that denoted a history of tradition, superior quality and offered a pampered buying experience. Today's luxury marketplace would be virtually unrecognizable to its founders. Gone are the family-owned businesses dedicated to integrity and quality; the industry is now run by multi-billion dollar global corporations focused on growth, visibility, brand-awareness, advertising and above all, profits. Handcrafted goods are practically extinct, and almost all manufacturing has been outsourced to large factories in such places as China, where your expensive brand-name handbag is being assembled right next to one from a mass-market label that will cost substantially less.
Also pictured are two of my other current reads. :)
