What The Luxe

Always armed with a pen and something sharp to say, James was the perfect victim for What The Luxe's first video episode. He and Anant begin by debunking innovation myths and misconceptions surrounding the U/HNW cohort before moving through the subjects of status, digital assets, healthy friction in the customer experience, the importance of rewarding behaviours, creating ritual and the industry's tendency to conflate observation with insight – punctuated with subtle innovation anecdotes and valuable case studies.

For nearly two decades, Black Tomato has been lighting the way for curious travellers, providing bespoke experiences designed to inspire, challenge and connect. Sitting down with What The Luxe, co-founder Tom Marchant taps into the brand's driving forces as well as the need for a symbiotic relationship between traveller and place.

All-round streetwear icon, founder of STAPLE and creator of the Pigeon SB Dunk, Jeff Staple, joins the podcast to kick off What The Luxe's coolest series yet – talking everything from 1980s/90s NYC to self-expression, individuality and why streetwear has become synonymous with the world of luxury. Plus we get the story behind the legendary "NYC Pigeon", its five-figure value and more.

Our first team host and Head of Marketing Juliet Watkin-Rees sits down with Perla Bloom, Global Strategy Lead at Electronic Arts, to enlighten forward-thinking luxury brands on the gaming opportunity, clarify widespread misconceptions and demystify the space for those who have yet to get to grips with it – underpinned by a call for brands to value players just as much as they value traditional media audiences.

As a provocateur who stands against the hype, Tom Goodwin doesn't mince words. It's a candour he brings to What The Luxe's latest episode as, alongside Anant, the two journey through topics like the philosophy of superfakes, death of longform, whether AI hype is warranted, loyalty myths and more. All underpinned by the necessity of nuance and context in a noisy, hype-driven world.

With over seventeen years of experience in the luxury space, Rosie Shephard is a font of knowledge for brands who wish to be first-movers. In the episode, she sits down with Fred to talk everything from luxury's ever-evolving landscape and ongoing market shifts to new definitions and their role in the wider world, ultimately calling for industry 'pearl-clutchers' to kick away the heritage crutch and instead use the influence and privilege of luxury brands to push culture forward.

As the digitisation partner for world-leading brands like Pangaia, Mulberry, Coach, Chloé and many more, EON uses proprietary digital ID technology to make every product traceable, intelligent and valuable. Fred sits down with EON's founder, Natasha Franck, to tap into the tech's revolutionary potential and how it adds modern luxury value by heightening craft, deepening story and extending lifecycles.

In 2007, Mike and Alison Battle founded Lapland UK – an immersive, festive experience for every kind of family. As clients of Matter Of Form, we invited Mike to sit down with Fred to illuminate the complexities of the immersive experience business model, the importance of integrity when working with an open IP and how everything that can be considered luxury starts and ends with craft.

From Wall Street to luxury fashion to the wild world of nightclub ownership and now to Chief Brand Officer of citizenM, Robin Chadha's career has been a vibrant one. As he and Anant talk everything innovation, tech and a shared, permanent fascination with hospitality, Robin reveals the story of citizenM, the lightbulb moment behind the concept and the brand's distinctive take on luxury.