In Pursuit of Luxury

Geordie Willis is Creative Director for Berry Bros. & Rudd. One of the oldest wine and spirit merchants in the World. With their headquarters based on St James Street in London, Berry Bros. & Rudd has been the official wine supplier to the British royal family since the reign of King George III and received its first royal warrant of appointment in 1903 from King Edward VII.

Grant Gibson is one of the UK’s leading design, craft and architecture writers. His work has been published in The Observer, New Statesman, The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, and House & Garden, to name just a few.

During a long career in magazines, Grant has been editor of Blueprint, deputy editor of FX, and acting executive editor of the RIBA Journal. More recently he has been editor of Crafts and a contributing editor of the Dutch architecture title MARK. He was also the launch editor of the London Design Festival Guide and co-founded Real to Reel, the UK’s first film festival devoted to making.

In 2019, he launched the critically acclaimed podcast, Material Matters with Grant Gibson. Three years later the show was transformed into a new fair at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf. Material Matters 2023 takes place at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf from 20-23 September.

Marc Chaya is CEO and co-founder of perfumery house Francis Kurkdjian.

Marc was inspired by creativity as a child but his parents encouraged him to follow a career in business. Having started his career at EY a global consultancy, Marc made partner in record time, at the age of 32. It was during this time that he met Francis Kurkdjian, already an accomplished perfumer having invented scents for Jean Paul Gaultier. What struck Marc was how little recognition perfumers had. And he set out to change that. In 2009 the house of Francis Kurkdjian was born. It is now a global player in the world of fragrance.

Nadia Tuma-Weldon is Global Head of Thought Leadership at McCann Worldgroup, and Executive Vice President of Truth Central, the agency’s global intelligence unit. She was named to Luxury Daily’s Luxury Women to Watch in 2021 list.

She has nearly 10 years of thought leadership experience, leading global pieces of research on topics as varied as globalization, sustainability, affluence, privacy and age. As Global Head of Thought Leadership, Nadia guides the organization in producing elevated insights that both unearths hidden truths across global culture, and leads to greater business impact.

Carl was born in the Austrian Alps surrounded by biodynamic and organic smallholder farmers. At 15, he started studies in graphic design and communications, and later specialized in brand strategy. He then did a year of volunteer work with street kids in Ecuador, where he met his wife. Social and environmental impact guides his work, along with the belief that nature is the ultimate luxury. At 27, he co-founded To'ak, a sustainable luxury chocolate brand that works to preserve an ancient cacao variety in Ecuador. A few years later, he co-founded Xoca, an upcycled cacao-based CPG, and Orijin, which focuses on digital supply chain management and transparency.

Adam Brand is the 4th generation co-owner of M&S Schmalberg the flower makers in New York. M&S Schmalberg, founded in 1916, is the last remaining manufacturer of artificial flowers in the New York City garment district. Using the same vintage manufacturing process since 1916, they provide exquisite quality and a level of artisanal customization that is not that easy to come by anymore. 

Some of their vintage flower moulds date back to the turn of the century. Their studio is amazing, it is like going back in time to when personal customer service was the forefront of any artisanal company. Aside from seeing thousands of amazing flowers you can meet the makers whose pride in their work is phenomenal, as is Adam’s passion for what he does.

Philip Hanson is a young driver to watch, in the field of endurance sportscar racing. During his short career he has already smashed records and competed in prestigious races such as Le Mans 24 and Rolex 24 Hours, at Daytona, alongside two-time F1 champion, Fernando Alonso.

Phil was crowned World Endurance Champion, the youngest driver to achieve this, won the European Le Mans Series and was the youngest ever Brit to win the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans, in September 2020. 

Kathryn started her career in the wonderful world of tailoring at Gieves & Hawkes in 1996, rising to the position of Head Cutter, the first woman to do so in the entire history of Savile Row. She founded her own tailoring house in 2012 and is the world’s only female Master Tailor. Breaking tradition, she offers tailoring for both men and women focusing on the needs of the client rather than a set house style.

T Michael is a bespoke tailor/ designer /artist with a conceptual approach to men’s tailoring inspired by his love of sartorial traditions and his passionate quest for a different narrative within tailoring, design and creativity, that celebrates stylistic and cultural diversities present in today's zeitgeist. He is known for his meticulous attention to details and for his garments’ impeccable construction.

Join us for a thoroughly engaging chat as we discuss the influence of Japan, different things that inspire his creativity and not being inspired by fashion.