The Genesis

Intro to Influx

Welcome to Influx, the Newsletter that will accompany my work as I build Fluxury a Sustainable Luxury Research and Insights platform. Part musings, part build in public and part sustainable luxury newsletter. Ideally, I would make it one thing a Sustainable Luxury Newsletter. However, there are several sustainability newsletters and I'm not motivated to add to them unless I can add a unique perspective. As someone new to the space I am still developing this.

Sustainable Luxury

When I tell people about Fluxury I say I'm creating a sustainable luxury research and insights platform. I’m often asked about what sustainable luxury means. Quite often luxury is conflated with fashion and fashion is very much a part of the industry but not all of it.

To explain what else is included in luxury I borrow sector taxonomy from Walpole a beacon in British luxury company membership.

Luxury ≠ Sustainability

Another (mis)/preconception I find people have is luxury equals sustainability because of the assumption that luxury products are made to last and have longevity. Firstly, this might be the case for heirloom-type luxury goods. Secondly, not all luxury items are long-lasting. The £300 t-shirt eventually fades and probably has the same end-of-life fate as a £30 t-shirt. Lastly, product longevity is only one element of sustainability. Often the production of luxury products and experiences results in extractive and exploitative operations and practices in supply chains that are detrimental to the environment and communities where production and raw materials originate- so much work needs to be done in this space.

Sustainable or Sustainability

Moving on from that people ask me what sustainable means, and rightly so it’s used to mean different things in a business context. For brevity, I use it as a catch-all for ESG, Climate, Green ‘X’ (tech, skills etc) and Sustainability. This is not without the awareness that they are distinct but intertwined disciplines.

Expert Echo Chamber

When first entering the sustainability space it can seem like an echo chamber. Experts talking to experts which is understandable because a lot but not all aspects of the discipline are technical.

I hold a few beliefs when it comes to making the dialogue more inclusive and accessible. Every business leader in the near future will be a sustainability leader even without carrying a sustainability title- the shift is already happening in marketing, sourcing, design etc.

The second view is curbing capitalism works hand in hand with curbing consumerism. Regulation alone will not resolve this so consumers need to be part of the solution.

Then finally as the discipline ascends in businesses' strategic priorities it's worth remembering that a lot of sustainability operations, strategies and teams are still maturing in a rapidly evolving and regulated space. Business as usual is outmoded because there is no Planet B, the transformation is imperative, a frontier for growth, differentiation and opportunity for innovation.

Luxury v Premium

What makes luxury, luxury is a topic of great debate and sometimes subjective. In the case of luxury goods, these lines can blur because luxury group companies can have premium brands within their portfolios. So this is more a nod to the fact that luxury can range from opulence to premium to affordable. If there is enough data I intend to stick to luxury but may also draw inspiration outside of luxury if it helps the research.

I did a talk at London Business School for the LBS Retail, Luxury and Consumer Club last month. During the research for my keynote 'Crafting Tomorrow's Sustainable Luxury Experiences' I came across an interesting fact from the book 'How Brands Grow' by Jenni Romaniuk and Byron Sharp . When exploring who spends on luxury they call out the middle-class population over billionaires because there are more of them even though per capita billionaires spend more on luxury. There are 1.3 million members of the middle class/ billionaire. This is another reason to view luxury on a spectrum and not be bogged down with definition, which can be challenging when trying to take a purist view of luxury.

Experimenting v Experience

I plan to experiment. A lot. Experimenting and not being from this space doesn't mean being inexperienced. I leverage two decades of work experience a decade of solo projects, over a decade working for a luxury automotive brand and four decades of personality.

I'm blending my experience in Strategy, Technology, Innovation and Impact. In addition, my foundation in Procurement and Supply Chain instilled the relationship-building needed to collaborate with different experts.

Admittedly my experiments are at times impulsive and short-lived. That is the beauty of being in charge of my work, the benefit of choosing to work on things I'm interested in and motivated to do and the banishing of fear of failure.

I see being new as an advantage to create novelty by combining disciplines. When thinking about what is inherent in me to help me succeed at creating the platform I know that I am curious, a curator and connect dots. When I couple this with the ability to learn immersively, bias towards action and I become obsessive about turning ideas into reality.

Building in Public

There is a school of thought that says building in public is a distraction and only talk about moves when they have been made- very valid. To offer my perspective- I build in public first and foremost for accountability. When I say I am going to do something I am more likely to do it than if I don't and secondly, people can't make use of products and services they are not aware of. I have always found the internet for all its downfalls a brilliant amplifier- distribution is queen.

There is a fear of being copied when you build in public but ideas beat execution every time. I am also not creating something that doesn't exist. I'm also drawing inspiration with pride from some of my favourite brands The Future Laboratory , Gartner , Trend Hunter and BOI (Board of Innovation) .

Parting Thoughts

Ideally, I want to get to a stage where I can openly share a roadmap. I am currently trying to work out a scalable and repeatable way of creating value. I will be publishing my first sustainable luxury insights in Luxury Watches in April.

If you read this far, thank you. Do subscribe to the Newsletter, share it with people who might be interested and share your thoughts- I am always open to understanding different perspectives and learning from people ahead of me.

This post was first published on LinkedIn.