The Luxury Plot Twist Nobody Saw Coming

Remember when Bernard Arnault tried to hostile-takeover Hermès in 2010? Well, karma just served revenge ice-cold on a silver Tiffany platter.

While LVMH—the supposed "luxury empire"—posts its first revenue decline in years (down 3%, ouch), Hermès is literally galloping ahead with 7.2% growth. Plot twist: the company Arnault couldn't buy is now eating his lunch.

This is why bigger isn't always better. While LVMH was busy playing acquisition Monopoly, Hermès doubled down on something revolutionary: actually caring about craft over cash flow.

In this episode going into my Forbes article, The Luxury Market’s New Normal: What LVMH Could Learn From Hermès, we dissect the luxury market's brutal new reality where growth projections have face-planted from 5% to barely 1-3%. Consumers are fed up with "luxury" that feels mass-produced, and they're voting with their wallets.

You'll discover:

• Why Hermès' "no more than 250 employees per workshop" rule is genius
• The 5-voice marketing strategy that's crushing traditional celebrity endorsements
• How jewelry's 34% growth surge is powered by scrappy smaller brands, not the big players
• Why treating your janitor like a brand ambassador might be your smartest move

Whether you're fascinated by business strategy, luxury obsessed, or just love a good David-beats-Goliath story, this episode reveals why authenticity just became luxury's most expensive commodity.

Spoiler alert: The future belongs to brands that make you feel something, not just own something.