Extracted from WOBI Magazine

“Do better if possible, and that is always possible.”

The words of François Constantin, who along with Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1819 founded the celebrated luxury watch makers Vacheron Constantin, still echo in the Swiss company’s bones after two decades of creating pieces that are considered prized jewels, with their prestige maintained and validity intact.

An abounding love for what they do, perseverance, humility, and the ability to reinvent themselves; “this is the base to ensure unique pieces,” write Manfredi Ricca and Rebecca Robins, directors of the consultancy Interbrand Europe, and authors of Meta-Luxury: Brands and the Culture of Excellence (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). The book, the result of an exhaustive investigation of the luxury industry, traces the essence of the term almost to its origins in order to find the primitive purity of the word.

Through fascinating stories from the artisans of some of the market’s most beautiful and unique objects, the authors of Meta-Luxury suggest that products that are truly luxurious are made from love of the trade and from the synthesis of tradition and innovation.

In the following discover examples of today’s meta-luxury brands whose innovation models are different than in any other industry. 

Admired for her commercial vision and artistic eye, CEO Angela Ahrendts has taken Burberry to the top of the luxury market.  WOBI's Lori Greene recently had the chance to chat with her in New York about the strategies she employed and the challenges she overcame in renovating the iconic 156 year old luxury fashion brand.  Read some of the highlights of their conversation here…