Roger Fingas
Key Apple designers Jony Ive and Marc Newson will be opening up the first ever Conde Nast International Luxury Conference, scheduled for April 22 and 23 in Florence, Italy, according to an announcement made on Wednesday.
The conference is being curated by Vogue international editor Suzy Menkes, who will talk with Ive and Newson about their collaborations and the "21st century definition of luxury." In a prepared statement by Menkes, Apple was described as a "powerful part of the luxury industry."
"The iPhone, iPad, and the forthcoming Apple Watch are in direct competition with handbags, timepieces and high-end accessories," Menkes said. "I want Jony Ive to tell the conference delegates where 21st century luxury is headed."
Some other fashionistas appearing at the event will include fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, Beluti CEO Antoine Arnault, and Hermes CEO Axel Dumas.
At the Apple Watch's final unveiling on Monday, Apple deliberately positioned the Apple Watch as a luxury item, emphasizing its fashion appeal. The Edition models of the device will start at $10,000, making them the most expensive consumer products Apple has ever sold.
Ive is the company's senior vice president of design, and often considered the driving influence behind the look and feel of its products. Newson is a relatively recent hire, brought on board solely to work on special projects. The two have been friends for some time, and in 2013 cooperated on designs for a (RED) charity auction.
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[quote name="AppleInsider" url="/t/185194/apple-designers-jony-ive-and-marc-newson-to-appear-at-conde-nast-luxury-conference#post_2690886"]Apple was described as a "powerful part of the luxury industry."[/quote] That's a powerful statement. The fashion industry doesn't suffer posers...and only the real deal gets to speak. Apple has the chops in these two designer to be credible in the luxury market... I can't see Samsung, Google, Motorola, or Microsoft even being allowed in the same room when Jony Ive and Marc Newson speaks...
[quote name="Macky the Macky" url="/t/185194/apple-designers-jony-ive-and-marc-newson-to-appear-at-conde-nast-luxury-conference#post_2690893"] That's a powerful statement. The fashion industry doesn't suffer posers...and only the real deal gets to speak. Apple has the chops in these two designer to be credible in the luxury market... I can't see Samsung, Google, Motorola, or Microsoft even being allowed in the same room when Jony Ive and Marc Newson speaks...[/quote] If they have any sense they won't want to try. If Apple wants to be a maker of expensive fashion gadgets that will be collecting dust in a drawer within a few years, good for them. Those other companies have more interesting, important and useful things to do.
[quote name="Macky the Macky" url="/t/185194/apple-designers-jony-ive-and-marc-newson-to-appear-at-conde-nast-luxury-conference#post_2690893"] That's a powerful statement.The fashion industry doesn't suffer posers...and only the real deal gets to speak.[/quote] I would argue that's only partially correct. The fashion industry needs a certain creative type for the designs so ones without the "vision" (i.e.: posers) will get found out right away, but they seem more than willing to say whatever crap they feel will work best at a given moment, so I wouldn't put too much into that statement alone. [VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42BD5aD28VM[/VIDEO]
The conference is being curated by Vogue international editor Suzy Menkes, who will talk with Ive and Newson about their collaborations and the "21st century definition of luxury." In a prepared statement by Menkes, Apple was described as a "powerful part of the luxury industry."
"The iPhone, iPad, and the forthcoming Apple Watch are in direct competition with handbags, timepieces and high-end accessories," Menkes said. "I want Jony Ive to tell the conference delegates where 21st century luxury is headed."
What a bunch of BS. Despite the claims to the contrary, Apple has never been a luxury company. Their success has always been in offering unique value, which is a very different thing. Obviously the Edition Awatch is a departure (yet to be successful.)
I would characterize Jony Ive as a "luxury enthusiast" rather than as an "authority" on luxury items. It seems to me that all his tentative forays into luxury have been ill-fated. Perhaps the Edition Awatch will be different.
Quote:
At the Apple Watch's final unveiling on Monday, Apple deliberately positioned the Apple Watch as a luxury item, emphasizing its fashion appeal. The Edition models of the device will start at $10,000, making them the most expensive consumer products Apple has ever sold.
Jeez, at least get this right. Just off the top of my head, Mac IIfx—it was around $10,000 and that must have been in early 90's dollars (multiply by 2 at least!) I'm sure they've sold other pieces of hardware that would work out to be more expensive too.
Quote:
Ive is the company's senior vice president of design, and often considered the driving influence behind the look and feel of its products. Newson is a relatively recent hire, brought on board solely to work on special projects. The two have been friends for some time, and in 2013 cooperated on designs for a (RED) charity auction.
Just my opinion, but I thought the stuff they did for the charity auction was crap. (I know, many of you disagree with me.) In any case I don't see it as a measure of their abilities in "luxury items" since it was for charity and a one off. Any one-off by by these two is probably a good investment (even if ugly, impractical, or just plain stupid) and of course when it's for charity, the whole idea is that folks want to open up their wallets and help.
The "designer set free" thing is so silly—full of self-indulgence and hubris. People always seem to dig "design porn." Most intelligent designers get over it pretty quickly though. Seeing or impossible "design concepts" and just plain stupid [but very pretty] crap winning awards year after year is tiresome.