If you think China is still a developing country, this piece of news is going to surprise you. China has overtaken the US to become the world’s second largest luxury market.
In 2008, China’s super-rich bought a quarter of the world’s luxury goods.
According to the World Luxury Association, affluent Chinese lavished US$ 8.6 billion on luxury goods last year.
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Ladurée is partnering with Christian Louboutin starting in September on a series of macarons boxes illustrated with his iconic shoes.
There are three different gift boxes decorated with Louboutin shoes and purses.
The lid is designed to have a torn trompe l’oeil effect that gives a hint as to the contents.
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Manchester City football clubowner Sheikh Mansour has added space travel to his diverse portfolio of businesses by buying 32 per cent of Virgin Galactic.
The deal, which was done through the sheikh’s company Aabar, puts the value of Virgin Galactic at $900 million even though it hasn’t begun to offer flights yet.
In return it will gain regional rights to host Virgin Galactic tourism and research flights, and is planning to build spaceport facilities in Abu Dhabi.
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French luxury and retail group PPR managed to post first-half profits that beat forecasts despite a slump in spending on luxury goods in Japan and US department stores.
PPR made an operating profit of 707 million euros in the six months to June 30, down from 743 million euros in the year-ago period.
The retailer is behind Gucci Group, which is one of the world’s leading multi-brand luxury companies with a portfolio of premier brands.
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Italian-Mexican fine jewelry designer Victor Sabido Basteris has updated the classic friendship bracelet using eco-friendly, recycled silver filigree thread.
The inspiration for the collection stems from the beauty and vivid colors seen on the murals within the Mayan temples of Mexico.
The collection also uses gold, gemstones, wood, crystal, leather, and mother-of-pearl in a wide palette of colors to make dramatic one of a kind neckpieces.
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Check out the brandnew film for Lamborghini featuring Valentino Balboni, the world’s most famous testdriver and the Gallardo special edition, especially made for him and presented by him.
This documercial, made by the agency Philipp und Keuntje weaves a compelling brand story, showing a human side to this amazing piece of machinery.
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Lily Allen as the new queen of Chanel. Karl Lagerfeld takes his inspiration from the classic film Breakfast at Tiffany´s.
For now only a couple of images of the Lily Allen for Chanel campaign have surfaced, but look out for more as we get closer to Fall.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Wednesday that his health was good as he has returned to work after his collapse while jogging at the weekend, but acknowledged that he needed a rest.
Sarkozy will start a three-week summer holiday this weekend, flying south to a family villa of his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, on the Mediterranean.
The residence, on the secluded promontory of Cap Negre, near the resort town of Saint-Tropez, is a solid masonry built on a rock headland.
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A sunken pirate ship off the coast of Borneo has brought a German treasure-hunter a haul of booty worth at least €7 million ($10-million).
Martin Wenzels, 42, a property developer in Dresden, and business partner Klaus Keppler, 71, located the wreck of The Forbes, which sank in 1806.
What at first sight looked to be encrusted and worthless turned out to be a valuable haul, comprising 1.5 tons of silver coins, gold decorations, cannons, crystal and Ming porcelain.
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Takashi Murakami has gotten back together with one of his long time collaboration partners, Louis Vuitton, to create this Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami Panda figure.
The figure comes in a LV bag, similar to the ones that hold all of their wallets and bags, only this bag comes with a few Murakami images screened onto it.
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We take a look at the Hermes Alligator Leather Table Clock as made for the Only Watch 2009 event.
The Only Watch auction is a collaboration between Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show. It will be held this year in Monaco on September 24, 2009.
The charity that will benefit from the event researches treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
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There might be light at the end of the tunnel for Christian Lacroix.
After accumulating over 14 million dollars in losses and nearly facing liquidation, the fashion house received a serious bid from Italy’s Borletti Group.
Borletti is the owner of La Rinascente, Italy’s largest department store chain, and French department stores Printemps.
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Imagine a beach where the sky is always blue, it’s never too hot or cold, the water isn’t filled with salt and pollution, and the surf is always perfect.
Welcome to Ocean Dome, the world’s only indoor beach! Ocean Dome is known as the world’s largest indoor water park with a retractable roof.
The air temperature is always kept around 30º C and the water temperature is kept at around 28º C.
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Wrapped in 18 carat gold, these gold cuff links at €1150 ($1640) blending tradition with the modern era are must-have male accessories for those who want to add a little more value to their clothing and be centre of attraction.
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German pooches are getting the royal treatment as owners dish out more than $7 billion each year for pedicures, winter jackets and even wedding dresses for their dogs, the German Kennel Club (VDH) said on Monday.
Boutiques are popping up in cities across the country along with many websites that let owners buy posh accessories for their pups.
Monika Knut, the owner of Hundestolz (Dog Pride) boutique in Düsseldorf says owners frequently come in looking for outfits for their pets to match their own.
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Grebstad Hicks Communications (GHC), a specialist in the promotion of luxury lifestyle, hospitality and travel, has been appointed PR partner in Asia for ultra-luxurious travel organisation, The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW).
Internationally recognized as the definitive mark of excellence in hospitality, LHW began as a network of 38 hotels and 9,000 rooms and suites in Europe and Egypt in 1928 and now has some 450 Member Hotels and 80,000 rooms in 80 countries across the globe.
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Finally we can see the first pictures of new stunning Ferrari’s 458 Italia, released ahead of the official reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
The 458 Italia is the latest incarnation of the mid-rear engined berlinetta.
The new model is a synthesis of style, creative flair, passion and cutting-edge technology, characteristics for which Italy as a nation is well-known.
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France’s LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury group, on Monday reported a 23% profit drop for the first six months of 2009 to €687 million ($977 million).
But the company’s turnover edged up 0.2% from the same time last year to €7.81 billion ($11.1 billion) despite a sharp drop in sales of drinks and jewellery.
Watches and jewelry sector posted 73 percent drop in profit, and wines and spirits sectors fell 41 percent.
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As if the Pearl 60 yacht wasn’t luxurious and desirable enough, Pearl Motor Yachts has teamed with Bentley and is offering a free Bentley GT Continental Coupe with purchase of the Pearl 60.
“Bentley and Pearl have been working together for a while now, as the brands complement each other so well,” Pearl’s managing director Iain Smallridge said.
“Both offer exceptional British craftsmanship and bespoke finishes, so no two models are the same.”
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Coming in behind saffron, macadamia nuts, beluga caviar, and white truffles, the fifth most expensive food in the world isn’t some exotic fish or endangered tropical fruit: it’s a rare variety of potato.
Grown in France, the La Bonnotte potato sometimes achieves a market price of an astounding €500/kilo (US $300/lb).
It is cultivated exclusively on the Isle of Noirmoutier, where seaweed is added to the soil in which it’s grown.
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Fancy driving home a car into the living room rather than into a customary garage?
“Holger Schubert’s Design Driven – Maserati’s competition winning garage design — just lets you do so.”
Located on the upper floor of a new addition to a 1953 ranch-style home on a downsloping hillside lot, the garage overlooks the western part of Los Angeles.
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