Tech Powered Luxury

By Ashley McDonnellBusiness Entrepreneurship

Tech Powered Luxury episodes

June 17, 2024LVMH Innovation Award Winner Michel Tjoeng: Social to Commerce with ChatLabs
This week, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Michel Tjoeng, the pragmatic technologist who founded ChatLabs. We explore his path and bring on the insights from beginning to end: starting as child with a passion for computers and UI, obsessed with customer experience (which child isn’t, really) to working with the biggest luxury group in the world, LVMH.
50% scientist, 50% marketer. This is the self-declared composition of Michel Tjoeng, co-founder of ChatLabs, the 2023 LVMH Innovation Prize winner startup that is revolutionizing social commerce in the West.

Michel brings the best of the social commerce dynamics that exist in China and applies them to Western luxury brands. Prepare for a masterclass on the digital Chinese ecosystem, customer relationship management and creating the next-level personalized customer journey.

He thoroughly believes that personalization is efficient when it considers current consumer behaviour and interests, and his background gave him the cards needed to play a game that can get very complicated, very fast: how to work with the massive amount of data that informs who your customer is, what they want to see, when and how they want to see it?
ABOUT
Season 4 of Tech Powered Luxury is brought to you in partnership with Seoulista Beauty, a cryo-powered skincare brand, as well as our sponsors, Sinead Keary the Label and Digital Luxury Group.
LISTENER BENEFITS
Tech Powered Luxury listeners benefit from a 20% discount on https://seoulistabeauty.com/ and https://sineadkeary.com/ with the code TPL20, as well as a complementary perspective on building your brands strategy for China with Digital Luxury Group. Email [email protected] to organise your consultation.
NEWSLETTER & COMMUNITY REWARDS
Each week, we bring a dedicated newsletter as well as Community Rewards to Tech Powered Luxury listeners. Subscribe to our substack to have full access: https://techpoweredluxury.substack.com/
THE TECH POWERED LUXURY TEAM
Producer & Host: Ashley McDonnell
Partnerships: Cliona Jordan
Videography: Ben O’Neill, Christos Celniku and Morgan Prudhomme
Photography: Anastasiia Redko, Anastasiia Lopushynska and Madeline Gillespie
Production Assistants: Abigail Herbert, Gemma Brennan, Tessa Haughton Lynch and Klaudia Skierska
Newsletter: Beatriz Barros
Styling: Johanna Dooley
Styling Assistants: Cian Crowe and Alison Murphy
Social Media Management: Grace Slattery
Public Relations: Align Agency
Content Creation: Kinsman & Co
54 min
June 10, 2024 Building Ireland’s First BCorp Certified Fashion Brand & Climbing to New Heights in 2025 with Aoife McNamara
This week, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Aoife McNamara, the visionary Irish fashion designer revolutionising the industry with her sustainable and ethical approach. We dive into her inspiring journey, her dedication to sustainability, and the exciting ventures she has planned for the future, including a community expedition to Kilimanjaro and a documentary that looks at Ireland’s addiction to fast fashion - and where these fast fashion garments go after they’re no longer wanted. Tech Powered Luxury listeners benefit from a €50 voucher to use on Aoife’s website on fashion items, sign up to our substack to access the code: ⁠https://techpoweredluxury.substack.com/⁠. I you'd like to join us on our expedition to Kilimanjaro in January 2025, read more about it here.
Season 4 of Tech Powered Luxury is brought to you in partnership with Seoulista Beauty, a cryo-powered skincare brand, as well as our sponsors, Sinead Keary the Label and Digital Luxury Group.

LISTENER BENEFITS
Tech Powered Luxury listeners benefit from a 20% discount on ⁠https://seoulistabeauty.com/⁠ and ⁠https://sineadkeary.com/⁠ with the code TPL20, as well as a complementary perspective on building your brands strategy for China with Digital Luxury Group. Email ⁠[email protected]⁠ to organise your consultation.

NEWSLETTER & COMMUNITY REWARDS
Each week, we bring a dedicated newsletter as well as Community Rewards to Tech Powered Luxury listeners. Subscribe to our substack to have full access: ⁠https://techpoweredluxury.substack.com/⁠

THE TECH POWERED LUXURY TEAM
Producer & Host: Ashley McDonnell
Partnerships: Cliona Jordan
Videography: Ben O’Neill, Christos Celniku and Morgan Prudhomme
Photography: Anastasiia Redko, Anastasiia Lopushynska and Madeline Gillespie
Production Assistants: Abigail Herbert, Gemma Brennan, Tessa Haughton Lynch and Klaudia Skierska
Newsletter: Beatriz Barros
Styling: Johanna Dooley
Styling Assistants: Cian Crowe and Alison Murphy
Social Media Management: Grace Slattery
Public Relations: Align Agency
Content Creation: Kinsman & Co
51 min
June 03, 2024 A Life of Fashion, Media & More with Brendan Courtney: From Off the Rails to Lennon Courtney
Season 4 of Tech Powered Luxury kicks off live from the newly opened Cartier espace in Dublin, Ireland, within Paul Sheeran Jewellers. Ashley McDonnell interviews none other than Irish media and fashion icon: Brendan Courtney.

From creating his first award-winning documentary in his early 20s to launching a fashion-tech platform, starring in multiple TV shows in Ireland and the UK and eventually co-founding Lennon Courtney, this insightful and entertaining conversation sheds light on Brendan Courtney’s remarkable journey so far.
Season 4 of Tech Powered Luxury is brought to you in partnership with Seoulista Beauty, a cryo-powered skincare brand, as well as our sponsors, Sinead Keary the Label and Digital Luxury Group.

LISTENER BENEFITS
Tech Powered Luxury listeners benefit from a 20% discount on https://seoulistabeauty.com/ and https://sineadkeary.com/ with the code TPL20, as well as a complementary perspective on building your brands strategy for China with Digital Luxury Group. Email [email protected] to organise your consultation.

NEWSLETTER & COMMUNITY REWARDS
Each week, we bring a dedicated newsletter as well as Community Rewards to Tech Powered Luxury listeners. Subscribe to our substack to have full access: https://techpoweredluxury.substack.com/

THE TECH POWERED LUXURY TEAM
Producer & Host: Ashley McDonnell
Partnerships: Cliona Jordan
Videography: Ben O’Neill, Christos Celniku and Morgan Prudhomme
Photography: Anastasiia Redko, Anastasiia Lopushynska and Madeline Gillespie
Production Assistants: Abigail Herbert, Gemma Brennan, Tessa Haughton Lynch and Klaudia Skierska
Newsletter: Beatriz Barros
Styling: Johanna Dooley
Styling Assistants: Cian Crowe and Alison Murphy
Social Media Management: Grace Slattery
Public Relations: Align Agency
Content Creation: Kinsman & Co
49 min
March 26, 2024 Live From Paris Fashion Week with Rachel Maguire: How Fashion Saved Her Life & Seeing Her Brand ‘Rashhiiid’ Being Worn By Doja Cat, Ariana Grande, Megan Fox, Rosalía and More
Rachel Maguire is an Irish fashion designer and founder of independent fashion brand Rashhiiid, whose designs have been worn by global stars including Doja Cat, Ariana Grande, Megan Fox, Rosalía and many more.
Rachel is a digital-first designer who’s viral faux fur hats, coats and accessories have put Irish design on the global map. Rachel was the first designer ever from the Grafton Academy of Fashion Design to create both of her collections completely out of recycled materials and today is working with the highest quality faux fur available to create luxury collections without an ethical compromise.
In this episode recorded during Paris Fashion Week in March 2024, we talk about how fashion saved Rachel's life, the biggest investment she's made so far in building her business, how she created those viral celebrity moments and what’s next for Rachel and Rashhiiid.
Follow Rashhiiid on Instagram and discover her latest collections on her website.
24 min
March 19, 2024 Smita Lasrado: Putting India on the Global Fashion Map & Modelling Around the World for IMG
Smita Lasrado is an Indian born and raised former international model and co-founder of creative and talent agency Feat Artists.

With a roster of clients that include Dior, Chanel, Jimmy Choo and Vogue, Smita is putting India and Indians on the fashion map: from collaborating with Dior on their pre-fall 2023 show which took place in Mumbai on March 31, 2023, to bringing India's top models to runways in Paris, Milan and beyond.
In this episode of Tech Powered Luxury, Smita shares how she was scouted as a model and ended up traveling the world with IMG, to going back to her geographical and professional roots by co-founding Feat Agency in Mumbai.

20 min
March 15, 2024 LIVE from FuturePlus Paris: Fashion, Art & Culture on the Blockchain
During the FuturePlus event in Paris on February 22nd 2024 brought to you by MAD Global in parntership with Tech Powered Luxury, host Ashley McDonnell sits down with a panel of four founders within the intersection of fashion, art and culture on the blockchain for a discussion on how technology is disrupting the meaning of expression, community, investment and even the perception of value.
“Fashion, Art, and Culture on the Blockchain” is our topic of discussion and the four panelists are people who represent four very different corners of these worlds, which makes for an interesting discussion.

With us on the panel we have:
Ashley McDonnell, host of Tech Powered Luxury and moderator of the discussion
Jean-Michel Pailhon, Co-Founder, Grail Capital
Stephanie Abrishamchi, Co-Founder, PJPP
Ismail Tazi, CEO/Co-Founder, CPG + Trame
Daniella Loftus, Founder and CEO, Draup

Jean-Michel Pailhon is Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer at Grail Capital, which exists to make it easy, profitable, and safe for investors to collect digital art. Formerly at Ledger; co-founder of the NFT Factory Paris and France Fintech, Jean-Michel previously worked in financial services and capital markets at the NYSE and Euronext.

Stephanie Abrishamchi, the co-owner of Private Jet Pyjama Party, also known as PJPP, a digital membership club bringing a global community together through experiences and a shared passion for the finer things in life. Stephanie has a background in luxury brand expansion focused on the Middle East and is also the founder and CEO of her wellness brand, InBloom Drops.

Ismail Tazi, formerly a member and now the CEO of Crypto Packaged Goods (or CPG) which is a series of collectible NFTs facilitating access to networking and mentorship at the intersection of crypto and consumer while supporting nonprofits. Ismail is also the co-founder of TRAME, a collaborative studio and curated gallery to discover and collect limited-edition design and art with digital provenance.

Daniella Loftus, also known as Dani, she is a digital fashion founder, influencer & investor with a background in mainstream tech. Dani started writing about digital fashion in 2020, pioneering the space of a digital fashion content creator (make sure to check out her Instagram account at “this outfit does not exist”) and soon after became a founding member of RED DAO. Dani’s digital fashion brand Draup believes that code is couture and requires craft and storytelling.

Fun fact: Dani was the first person to ever sell a digital piece of fashion at Christie's.

—

This episode of Tech Powered Luxury is brough to you in partnership with FuturePlus by MAD Global.
47 min
February 19, 2024 The Changing Faces of Tech and Luxury Throughout 3 Seasons of Tech Powered Luxury
This season has seen us dive into all elements and topics that are important in the world of luxury and tech today, across many different product categories: hair care, fashion, beauty, interiors, henna, knitwear, and new technological developments that impact these categories; from AI that can eliminate sizing inconsistencies within fashion to blockchain technologies combined with insurance for luxury goods to the role of social media in the luxury industry from the perspective of Instagram’s Head of Creators and a leading luxury creator.
I’m often asked “how can I learn more about luxury and technology?”, from different types of people from all over the world, but in general almost everyone fits into 2 categories. The first category is pretty straightforward, people with little to no experience in this space, often students, who dream of landing a role at the crossroads of luxury and tech. The second category is moreso people who are either working in luxury OR tech already, and they know that understanding the other side will massively help them grow the business that they either own or contribute to.

To be honest, there isn’t a one-shot online course or certificate that exists today that covers the crossovers of luxury and technology, which is why this podcast exists! For almost 8 years I have been teaching courses about luxury and tech, starting with very focused topics that only looked at certain components, and now as my own experience has developed, I can touch on broader themes and of course, bring in experts from all over the world to learn directly from them. So here, with this podcast, Tech Powered Luxury gives you a free online resource to learn about everything that happens within this space.
Thank you for listening in to 3 seasons of Tech Powered Luxury, there's a lot more to come!

Follow Tech Powered Luxury on Instagram.
10 min
February 12, 2024 Celia B: Injecting Fun Into Fashion Through Colour & Character
Celia B is the ultimate fashion all-rounder. Growing up in a small town in Spain, she pursued a degree in communications, gained experience within agencies, and eventually became a jewelry designer and finally, a fashion designer, a creative director and a tastemaker.
Celia B has managed to catapult her colourful fashion house into that much-coveted space of being an independent designer with full creative control, whilst building an engaged global community and her own in-house team across continents.
With a long list of celebrity fans and a primarily direct-to-consumer business, Celia takes us behind the scenes of her fashion brand, sharing how she went from working in advertising to running her international fashion label between Spain and Shanghai: Celia B.
Tech Powered Luxury is proudly sponsored by FarmHouse Fresh.
50 min
January 09, 2024 Turning Data into Stories for the World's Leading Luxury Houses with Former Google Executive and NYU Adjunct Professor David Klingbeil
David Klingbeil is building the ultimate data platform for luxury houses around the globe with his latest venture Submarine.ai. His 5 years experience at Google turning data into stories for major brands, a streak of serial entrepreneurship, giving 1000s of hours of lectures over the last decade on innovation and luxury means the NYU Adjunct Professor gives us a masterclass on all things tech and luxury in this week’s episode of Tech Powered Luxury.
Tech Powered Luxury is proudly sponsored by FarmHouse Fresh.
59 min
January 01, 2024 Rylé Tuvierra: How She Went From 12-Hour Shifts at 7/11 to Conquering Fashion Weeks Around the World
Rylé Tuvierra is our first guest of 2024, and Tech Powered Luxury's first-ever guest to return for a second episode. Rylé's first conversation with Ashley McDonnell was the most shared episode of 2023, and we're back a year later to check in with the Arab and Asian businesswoman. This time, we dive deep into Rylé's humble beginnings: working 12-hour shifts at a 7/11 in Dubai, and how her dream of being a fashion designer led her to pursue the impossible until it became her reality.

With a slew of big fashion names on her roster of campaigns and having attended fashion weeks across the globe with many more to come in 2024, Rylé shares everything from her reaction to finding out she was named on the Vogue Top 100 Innovators list to her recent press trip with Jean Paul Gaultier to Verbier, Switzerland. Sit back, relax and enjoy this eye-opening conversation which is available across all podcasting platforms and exclusively with video on Spotify.

Tech Powered Luxury is proudly sponsored by FarmHouse Fresh.
57 min