This week I am still in Spain, and designer couture features prominently in cafés, waterside promenades, restaurants, and sometimes even supermarkets. Where better to enact a sense of a more passionate life than on holiday, wearing your favorite 'fits?

Against a background of "boardwalk" instead of "boardroom" looks, I sit down with MCM Worldwide's newly appointed Chief Digital and Merchandising Officer Marie-Laure Lequain. Before joining MCM, Marie-Laure spent over two decades at Gucci, developing their digital business.

We discuss the role of fashion - and especially designer fashion - in constructing our sense of self. We discuss heritage and brand promise in raising customer desire. We also talk about the role of creativity and creative direction as the engine that drives newness and helps brands to balance heritage and fashionability.

Given our shared commercial backgrounds, we also compare notes on how to effectively sell fashion, balancing exclusivity and commercial goals.