
Advertise on podcast: Beyond Luxury
Rating
5from
This podcast has
52 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Carlota RodbenExplicit
No
Date created
2023/11/08
Latest episode
2026/10/16
Average duration
53 min.
Release period
39 days
Description
Beyond Luxury is a compass for where desire is moving and how the industry navigates what comes next. As luxury shifts from pure creation to relentless optimization, this podcast challenges what is gained, what is lost, and what must be reinvented. Through unfiltered conversations with the minds shaping luxury’s future, we open what’s usually hidden: the talent crisis, storytelling under pressure, business models in transition, the tech reshaping authorship, and the cultural forces redefining desire, identity, and belonging. Raw insights from behind closed doors. Hosted by Carlota Rodben
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Check latest episodes from Beyond Luxury podcast
#53 He Left Luxury Fashion for Coffee: Now He 4X'd illy’s Digital Business & Is Building Wellness Communities | Cristian Arcangeli
2026/10/16
Cristian Arcangeli is the Vice President of Marketing, Commercial Strategy and Digital at illycaffè America. He came to coffee from the world of luxury fashion, having spent years at Gucci and Diesel before making the leap to illy. Under his leadership in the US, illy has quadrupled its digital business, while Cristian has spearheaded the development of wellness experiences and communities across America.
In this episode Carlota and Cristian go deep on what happens when you apply the Hermès playbook to your morning cup, why luxury brands are arriving late to a strategy illy has been running for years, and what it actually takes to turn a commodity into a world people want to belong to.
What you will hear in this episode:
• From Gucci and Diesel to illy: what made Cristian cross over from luxury fashion to coffee.
• Turning coffee from a commodity into a conscious experience.
• The three pillars of quality, sustainability, and art and how they work together in practice.
• Creating your own platforms instead of sponsoring other people's events.
• The wellness platform with Megan Roup & Mellissa Wood Tepperberg and how a workout class sells coffee.
• The slow-down café in New York and the aroma bar experience.
• The fine dining programme with Michelin-star chefs building menus around espresso aromas.
• What luxury brands can learn from illy about desirability versus exclusivity.
• Spitfire questions on luxury, 2030, three words, and advice.
Follow the Beyond Luxury Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen.
FIND US
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@beyondluxurypodcast
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/beyondluxury
Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/beyondluxury
Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/
Beyond Luxury Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxurymedia/
Carlota's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/
Podcast TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast
Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/
Carlota's LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/
Website → https://beyondluxury.group/
LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
ShopMy → https://shopmy.us/carlotarodben/my-latest-finds
Get Your Books
Beauty As It Is → https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/164137313X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
Beyond Luxury: The Promise of Emotion → https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Luxury-Promise-Carlota-Rodben-ebook/dp/B0CJ2WBMWP
Beyond Luxury Group is a strategic advisory and new media group, guiding leaders towards the future of luxury and beyond. We work with fashion, beauty, wellness, travel, and hospitality groups and brands to accelerate meaningful, future-proof growth. Get in touch to find out how we can support your business.
Carlota Rodben is CEO and Founder of Beyond Luxury Group, bestselling author, former Head of Innovation at Chanel, and host of the Beyond Luxury Podcast, ranked top 2 globally in its category.
#52 She Has Been Placing the Top Executives in Hospitality and Leisure for 20 Years. Now She Is Rebuilding How Luxury Chooses Its Leaders | Hoda Tahoun, Founder of Maram Global
2026/09/29
Hoda Tahoun is the Founder and CEO of Maram Global and former Chief Talent Officer at Kempinski Hotels, Europe's oldest luxury hotel group. Before that she spent nearly a decade at Russell Reynolds Associates as Global Leader of their Leisure and Hospitality Practice and Chief Wellbeing Officer, advising Fortune 100 CEOs and boards on the human capital decisions that define industries.
In this episode Carlota and Hoda go deep on the talent crisis the luxury industry has not yet named, what good leadership actually looks like today, the four dimensions every high performer needs to regulate, why the client is not always right, and what it takes to find and place the top one percent in luxury hospitality when intuition matters more than a CV.
What you will hear in this episode.
• The reshuffling of luxury hospitality leadership and why it is happening.
• Why wellbeing is a business strategy, not an HR initiative.
• How the Chief Wellbeing Officer role was born during Covid.
• What top leaders are actually going through behind closed doors.
• The four dimensions of a high performing leader: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.
• Recruiting the top one percent: what the CV never shows.
• Women in leadership and the queen bee syndrome.
• Maram Global: a new platform and a new chapter.
• Spitfire questions on luxury, misconceptions, skills, and the future.
Follow the Beyond Luxury Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen.
FIND US
YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@beyondluxurypodcast
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/beyondluxury
Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/beyondluxury
Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/
Editorial Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.media/
Podcast Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.podcast/
Carlota's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/
Podcast TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast
Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/
Carlota's LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/
Website → https://beyondluxury.group/
LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
ShopMy → https://shopmy.us/carlotarodben/my-latest-finds
Get Your Books
Beauty As It Is → https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/164137313X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
Beyond Luxury: The Promise of Emotion → https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Luxury-Promise-Carlota-Rodben-ebook/dp/B0CJ2WBMWP
Beyond Luxury Group is a strategic advisory and new media group, guiding leaders towards the future of luxury and beyond. We work with top fashion/accessories, beauty/wellness, and hospitality/longevity brands to accelerate meaningful, future-proof growth. Get in touch to find out how we can support your business.
#51 She Built Assouline From a Paris Basement Into a Global Luxury Icon | Martine Assouline, Co-Founder of Assouline
2026/09/15
A luxury publishing co-founder on why a physical book beats fast information every time.
Martine Assouline co-founded Assouline in 1994 with her husband Prosper, starting the house from the basement of their Paris apartment with a first book on La Colombe d'Or, the hotel in the South of France they treated as a second home. Thirty years later, Assouline publishes across seven countries, holds the only trunk partnership Goyard has ever created with an outside brand, and counts Roger Federer among the subjects who trusted the house with his visual biography. Their son Alexandre now runs the company as president.
In this episode, Martine walks through how an Assouline book actually gets made, from a title on surrealism she had to kill over copyright costs to the discipline she calls "eating culture." She talks taste, AI, succession, craftsmanship, and what luxury will mean by the time water becomes the real currency.
Beyond Luxury brings together the founders, executives and cultural voices shaping the future of luxury, exploring brand innovation, consumer behavior, craftsmanship and where the luxury industry is headed next.
00:03:48 How images, not text, built Assouline's entire style
00:06:22 The book that started in a basement: La Colombe d'Or
00:14:56 Making the Roger Federer book
00:19:23 The surrealism book she had to kill over copyright costs
00:21:07 Why she calls ChatGPT and Google easy fast food
00:25:48 Why she tells her team to eat culture
00:32:28 Bergdorf Goodman's gift floor and Goyard's first-ever partnership
00:48:52 What is luxury? Her answer from a Rochas interview forty years ago
00:55:28 Three words for the luxury industry today
Subscribe for new conversations with the people shaping the future of luxury, every week.
Follow us on : Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/ Editorial Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.media/
Podcast Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.podcast/
Carlota's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/
Podcast Tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast
Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/ Carlota's LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/
Website → https://beyondluxury.group/
LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
#50 From 10 years at Nike to Le Coq Sportif: How He Reads Culture Before It Goes Mainstream|Pascal Monfort, Founder of REC and Chief Creative Officer of Le Coq Sportif
2026/09/01
The culture strategist who reads what consumers want before it goes mainstream. Pascal Monfort explains why good taste, not follower counts, is becoming one of luxury’s greatest competitive advantages.
Pascal Monfort is the founder of REC, the Paris-based cultural foresight and strategy agency built around its Research, Experts, Consumers methodology, with work spanning luxury, fashion and sport for brands including Lacoste and GANT.
He spent nearly 10 years at Nike working across consumer culture and innovation, was Art Director at Issey Miyake, founded Ephemera, the Paris bookshop dedicated to rare fashion documents, and teaches the history and sociology of fashion.
In 2026, Pascal was named Chief Creative Officer of Le Coq Sportif, where he is helping lead the next chapter of the historic French sportswear brand founded in 1882.
In this episode of Beyond Luxury, Pascal breaks down the REC method and his consumer pyramid, from “seeker heads” to early adopters, and explains why he needs only 24 of the right people to crack a strategic question.
We discuss:
• How to identify cultural shifts before they go mainstream• Why 24 carefully selected people can reveal more than thousands of data points
• The difference between creating culture and buying visibility• Why follower counts are a poor proxy for cultural influence• What Lacoste, Prada and GANT understand about cultural relevance
• How Nike taught Pascal to read consumers and subcultures• Why human taste still matters in an algorithmic world• Why good taste is expertise, not decoration
• What it takes to rebuild an iconic heritage brand like Le Coq Sportif
Beyond Luxury explores the forces reshaping the global luxury industry through conversations with the people building what comes next. Hosted by Carlota Rodben, the podcast brings together leaders across luxury, fashion, hospitality, technology, culture and innovation to understand changing consumer behaviour, brand strategy and the future of luxury.
Subscribe for new conversations with the people shaping the future of luxury, every week.
Follow us on :
Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/ Editorial Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.media/ Podcast Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.podcast/ Carlota's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/ Podcast Tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/ Carlota's LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/ Website → https://beyondluxury.group/ LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
Subscribe for new conversations with the people shaping the future of luxury, every week.
#49 Miami Is the Fastest-Growing Luxury City in America. She's Building the Infrastructure to Save It | Anya Freeman, Founder & CEO of Kind Designs
2026/08/18
A former litigator is 3D printing living seawalls that protect billions in Miami luxury real estate and rebuild marine life at the same time. Anya Freeman, founder and CEO of Kind Designs, has raised 22 million dollars, works with the Ritz-Carlton, the Mandarin Oriental and the Fontainebleau, and signed a contract with the US Navy, all from a factory on the Miami River.
Beyond Luxury is a podcast delivering luxury industry insights across fashion, beauty and hospitality, with expert perspectives on brand innovation, consumer behavior and the future of luxury. This episode covers luxury real estate, sustainability without the green premium, product-led growth, craftsmanship, coastal infrastructure and what it takes to build a category-defining brand as a first-time founder.
New episodes of Beyond Luxury drop weekly. Follow for more conversations with the founders and experts shaping the luxury industry. Read the deeper analysis on our Substack, Top Voices, linked in the show notes.
Timestamps
00:00 Why Miami's luxury boom has a coastline problem
04:32 From litigator to seawall founder
05:50 Ukraine to Maine to Miami, the immigrant path
07:09 The flooding that started Kind Designs
11:46 How a lawyer rewrites the building code
17:38 Raising 22 million dollars and why Florida investors said yes
20:35 Being the only woman in seawall construction
27:54 What luxury developers actually want in a seawall
29:20 Turning the seawall into public art
34:11 The US Navy contract and a printer that ships anywhere
39:56 2030: the first female unicorn in Miami
48:02 What luxury means to her
57:42 The one thing you need to make it: grit
Subscribe for new conversations with the people shaping the future of luxury, every week.
Subscribe for new conversations with the people shaping the future of luxury, every week. Follow us on :
Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/
Editorial Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.media/
Podcast Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.podcast/
Carlota's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/
Podcast Tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast
Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/
Carlota's LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/
Website → https://beyondluxury.group/
LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
#48 How Luxury Brands Win the Creator Economy with YouTube's Creator Lead and Meta's Former Head of Luxury | Ina Fuchs & Morin Oluwole
2026/08/04
Eighty percent of luxury discovery now starts on digital, so how do luxury brands stay desirable on platforms they cannot control?
YouTube's Creator Community Partnerships Lead, Ina Fuchs, and former Meta Global Head of Luxury and Board Member of Biologique Recherche, Breitling, and Rituals, Morin Oluwole, break down the creator economy reshaping luxury, fashion, beauty and hospitality marketing.
Recorded LIVE at Cannes Lions, this episode of Beyond Luxury covers creator communities, influencer strategy, brand storytelling, generative AI in luxury content, and the measurement gap in the creator economy.
Expect specifics on Coach, Hermès, Dior and Jacquemus, on why community beats follower count, and on how brands protect brand DNA while giving creators real creative freedom.
Beyond Luxury delivers luxury industry insights across fashion, beauty and hospitality, with expert perspectives on brand innovation, consumer behavior, craftsmanship and product-led growth.
New episodes of Beyond Luxury drop weekly. Follow for more conversations with the founders and experts shaping the luxury industry.
Read the deeper analysis on our Substack, Top Voices, linked in the show notes.
Timestamps:
00:00 Meet Ina Fuchs and Morin Oluwole
04:46 Why 80% of luxury discovery now starts on digital
10:10 The fear of losing brand DNA to creators
13:19 Why followers are the wrong metric, and the Coach book charm campaign
16:28 Playing with brand codes: Hermès and Dior x Jisoo
18:58 The problem with the word “control”
21:10 Jacquemus and the bags rolling down the street
26:03 Brands as creators, and the hero-hub-hygiene framework
28:41 The measurement gap and the reality inside the boardroom
37:30 Heritage, desirability and generative AI
42:25 The twelve-month playbook for brands
Subscribe for new conversations with the people shaping the future of luxury, every week!
Follow us on :
Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/
Editorial Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.media/
Podcast Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.podcast/
Carlota's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/
Podcast Tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast
Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/
Carlota's LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/
Website → https://beyondluxury.group/
LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
#47 From Developing the Aman Beverly Hills to Defining Taste in Luxury Hospitality | Nadine Choe, Founder of The Stanza
2026/07/21
Luxury hospitality is being reshaped by an $80 trillion wealth transfer, and Nadine Choe explains exactly who wins. Founder of the Milan-based media platform The Stanza, Nadine structured over $7b in development capital for hotel projects, including One Beverly Hills, a project flagged by Aman Hotel & Residences. She reads the industry through both the capital stack and the craftsmanship, a combination almost no one else brings.
The Beyond Luxury Podcast covers the future of luxury across fashion, beauty and hospitality, with expert conversations on brand innovation, consumer behavior and where the industry is headed next. This episode gets into product-led growth in hospitality, luxury branding, craftsmanship, patient capital, members clubs, and why flawless service is becoming the real luxury as AI reshapes travel. New episodes of Beyond Luxury drop weekly. Follow for more conversations with the founders and experts shaping the luxury industry. Read the deeper analysis on our Substack, Top Voices, linked in the show notes.
Timestamps-
00:00 Why luxury clients now collect experiences over objects
04:30 From underwriting billion-dollar hotels to building The Stanza
07:47 The $80 trillion wealth transfer and why luxury groups moved into hotels
14:20 Why a $300 room and a $10,000 room both call themselves luxury
17:00 Her real definition of luxury: removing every decision
18:19 Passalacqua, patient capital and the Dyson detail that gives it away
22:39 Why so many new hotels look exactly the same
27:00 How capital structure decides which hotels have taste
41:48 What makes a members club last instead of fade
50:30 How AI will split lifestyle and ultra-luxury hospitality
55:07 The one skill anyone entering hospitality has to have
Subscribe for new conversations with the people shaping the future of luxury, every week!
Follow us on :
Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/Editorial
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.media/
Podcast Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.podcast/Carlota's
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/Podcast
Tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast
Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/Carlota's
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/Website → https://beyondluxury.group/
LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
#46 He Had $12,000 and a Lucky Pineapple. Now Royalty Wears His Shoes | Edgardo Osorio, Founder & Creative Director of Aquazzura
2026/07/08
An independent luxury brand founder on why comfort, craftsmanship and staying private beat every conglomerate playbook. Edgardo Osorio is the founder and creative director of Aquazzura, a Florence-based luxury footwear and lifestyle brand recognized for its gold pineapple detail.
In this episode of Beyond Luxury, a podcast covering luxury industry insights, brand innovation and consumer trends across fashion, beauty and hospitality, Edgardo shares how he built Aquazzura into a globally recognized independent luxury brand, sold in 58 countries, without ever taking on a conglomerate or outside investor. He talks about product-led growth, luxury branding strategy, staying close to craftsmanship, and what real luxury means to him today.
New episodes of Beyond Luxury drop weekly. Follow for more conversations with the founders and experts shaping the luxury industry. Read the deeper analysis on our Substack, Top Voices, linked in the show notes.
Timestamps:
• 0:00 Intro
• 4:18 How thirteen weddings led to a shoe brand
• 13:19 Starting out at fifteen in Bogotá
• 20:39 The story behind the gold pineapple
• 31:27 Why independence means saying no to shareholders• 42:54 The copycat crisis that forced Aquazzura to diversify
• 53:48 What luxury actually means to him
• 57:16 Where the industry is headed next
Follow us on :
Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/Editorial
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.media/
Podcast Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.podcast/Carlota's
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/Podcast
Tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast
Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/Carlota's
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/Website → https://beyondluxury.group/
LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
#45 She Sold Out Candles With No Marketing Budget. Then Bottega Veneta Called | Daniella Nicola, Founder of Kensington Copy
2026/06/23
Daniella Nicola, founder of luxury copywriting consultancy Kensington Copy, breaks down the psychology behind why luxury brands actually sell desire, not product. Her proprietary framework, Dream Awareness, maps exactly how luxury consumers make buying decisions, and in this episode she explains it in detail for the first time.
She started by writing under a pseudonym from a 9-to-5. A stranger tattooed her words on their shoulder. Two candle launches sold out with no marketing budget, no audience, and no business experience.
Daniella now works with luxury brands across fragrance, fashion, and lifestyle, including Bottega Veneta, applying the same principles of brand strategy and copywriting that built her own business from nothing.
In this episode she breaks down the self-concept theory that explains why luxury sells desire and not product; her MVP framework for writing luxury copy that moves culture, Mythology, Vocabulary, Pictorial language, and why she has never explained it publicly before this; why advertising as a private club is the most powerful luxury marketing strategy most companies are not using consistently; the difference between premium buyers and luxury buyers and why the same message will not work on both; and what AI actually means for the future of strategic copywriting.
Timestamps:
0:00 — Why real luxury sells desire, not product
2:30 — From IP law to poetry to selling out a candle launch
8:00 — The self-concept theory and the psychology of desire
13:30 — The MVP framework (Mythology, Vocabulary, Pictorial language)
18:00 — How to tell a story in two sentences
24:00 — Advertising as a private club: seduction versus pitching
30:00 — The copywriting funnel: tension, trust, and avoiding post-purchase regret
39:00 — Dream Awareness: premium buyers versus luxury buyers
46:00 — AI and the future of strategic copywriting
47:00 — Rapid fire: three words to describe the industry
Follow us on :
Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/
Editorial Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.media/
Podcast Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.podcast/
Carlota's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/
Podcast Tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast
Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/
Carlota's LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/
Website → https://beyondluxury.group/
LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
ShopMy → https://shopmy.us/carlotarodben/my-latest-finds
Get Your Books:
Beauty As It Is → https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/164137313X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
Beyond Luxury: The Promise of Emotion → https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Luxury-Promise-Carlota-Rodben-ebook/dp/B0CJ2WBMWP
Beyond Luxury Group is a strategic advisory and new media group, guiding leaders towards the future of luxury and beyond.
We work with top fashion/accessories, beauty/wellness, and hospitality/longevity brands to accelerate meaningful, future-proof growth. Get in touch to find out how we can support your business.
Carlota Rodben is CEO and Founder of Beyond Luxury Group, best-selling author, former Head of Innovation at Chanel, and host of the Beyond Luxury Podcast, ranked top 10% globally on Spotify podcasts.
#44 He Built the Louis Vuitton x F1 Visibility. Now He's Saying What No One Inside Luxury Will | Martin Mangez-Casey
2026/06/09
Former Global VP of Digital Communications, Strategic Planning and Brand Experience at Louis Vuitton, Martin Mangez-Casey is the architect behind the Louis Vuitton x Formula One partnership, one of the most talked-about brand moments of the last decade. Now running strategy for one of Hollywood's most prominent family portfolios, he has the kind of distance that makes an honest diagnosis possible. And he is using it.
In this episode we go deep on what luxury brands are genuinely getting wrong, what the rare few getting it right are doing differently, and why the talent crisis in this industry is far more structural than anyone inside it wants to admit. We also get into why entertainment is becoming the only operating model that matters, what Chanel's Shanghai library reveals about long-game brand thinking, and why the first 100 days of any senior leader in luxury can define everything that follows.
This is one of the most candid conversations we have had on the podcast. The kind that only happens behind closed doors.
Timestamps
00:00 — Introduction: luxury's identity crisis and the "fashiontainment" shift
01:50 — Martin Casey: career path and following curiosity
03:45 — Behind the scenes: how LVMH x Formula One actually happened
08:00 — Why brands fail in sport partnerships and the green light mistake
13:30 — Creating culture vs. renting attention
15:20 — Chanel's Shanghai library and why it is smarter than a boutique
16:20 — ASAP Rocky, Chanel, and what the backlash really revealed
19:30 — Entertainment as the new operating model: Drive to Survive and 22 Montaigne
24:45 — Brand purpose: what Louis Vuitton got right and where others are lost
28:00 — The Chanel crossbody bag and wearing female freedom without knowing it
30:25 — Why luxury Maisons keep losing the talent they most want
34:00 — The playground problem: cross-industry hiring and why it keeps failing
43:50 — Hollywood family portfolios: speed, directness, and no fake calendar blocks
47:55 — Rapid fire: greed, speed, lack of serviceIf this conversation gave you something to think about, subscribe and follow the podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Follow us on :
Substack → https://beyondluxury.substack.com/
Editorial Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.media/
Podcast Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/beyondluxury.podcast/
Carlota's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlotarodben/
Podcast Tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondluxury.podcast
Beyond Luxury LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondluxurygroup/
Carlota's LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotarodben/
Website → https://beyondluxury.group/
LinkTree → https://linktr.ee/beyondluxury.group
ShopMy → https://shopmy.us/carlotarodben/my-latest-finds
Get Your Books:
Beauty As It Is → https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/164137313X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
Beyond Luxury: The Promise of Emotion → https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Luxury-Promise-Carlota-Rodben-ebook/dp/B0CJ2WBMWP
Beyond Luxury Group is a strategic advisory and new media group, guiding leaders towards the future of luxury and beyond.
We work with top fashion/accessories, beauty/wellness, and hospitality/longevity brands to accelerate meaningful, future-proof growth. Get in touch to find out how we can support your business.Carlota Rodben is CEO and Founder of Beyond Luxury Group, best-selling author, former Head of Innovation at Chanel, and host of the Beyond Luxury Podcast, ranked top 10% globally on Spotify podcasts.
#43 She Left LVMH to Build a Luxury Empire in Dublin | Ashley McDonnell, Founder & CEO of VYKO, Tech Powered Luxury, and Ireland Fashion Week
2026/05/26
A former LVMH executive is building Ireland's first luxury group. Ashley McDonnell reveals VYKO and the untold story of Irish craft luxury.
Ireland has centuries of mastery in wool, linen, whiskey, and knitwear, yet no luxury infrastructure has ever been built around it. Ashley McDonnell spent a decade inside LVMH, Dior, Puig, and Google, studying how the world's great luxury houses scale heritage into global brands. She saw a gap nobody was filling. VYKO is her answer: a luxury brand group designed to acquire, elevate, and globalize the best of Irish craft.
In this conversation, Ashley walks through her acquisition framework (three questions, no P&L required), explains why fragrance is always the first strategic move inside a new brand, and lays out VYKO's market expansion roadmap from New York to Dubai to Shanghai. She also shares the story behind Ireland Fashion Week, which she launched with 54 designers and generated 500 million impressions on zero budget.
This is one of those episodes where the last answer changes how you think about what luxury actually means.
TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 — Introduction
00:00:23 — Why Ireland is luxury's most overlooked origin story
00:05:20 — Ashley's decade inside LVMH, Dior, Puig, and Google
00:12:32 — What VYKO is and how the luxury group model works
00:46:40 — The 3-question brand acquisition filter
00:44:37 — Why fragrance is the first move in every acquisition
00:22:36 — Ireland Fashion Week: 54 designers, 500M impressions, zero budget
00:36:35 — The expansion map: New York, Dubai, Shanghai
00:56:36 — What luxury actually means to her
🎙️ Beyond Luxury Podcast · Season 4, Episode 1 Subscribe for the conversations shaping luxury's next chapter.
#LuxuryBusiness #IrishFashion #LuxuryStrategy #CraftLuxury #VYKO
FIND US
Substack → beyondluxury.substack.com
Instagram → @beyondluxury.media Instagram → @beyondluxury.podcast
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#42 Facing AI Fear in Luxury: The Counterintuitive Truth About Technology and What Makes Us Human | Carlota Rodben
2025/06/11
What if we told you AI adoption will make interactions more human than ever?For years, the industry feared that embracing technology could dilute brand value and displace human expertise. Yet in today’s landscape, it is precisely the intelligent integration of technology that allows brands to stay relevant, elevate their equity, and enrich their creative and operational excellence.This time, Carlota Rodben was interviewed on the Experience Vision stage by Andrea Pavon, External Advisory Partner at Beyond Luxury Group and Founder at Rune Futures, unveiling key insights drawn from leading brands such as Dior, Hennessy, Cambour, Ferrari, and Audemars Piguet, among others, all sharing their perspectives on the opportunities that lie ahead at the intersection of luxury and technology.They explored:-From fear to overstimulation and lack of confidence: the three barriers luxury brands have have acontinue to face when approaching technology.-The delicate balance of blending craftsmanship and innovation while safeguarding heritage and identity.-Why the most disruptive impact of technology on luxury may already belong to the past, and why its most transformative potential is only beginning to unfold.-How technology is reshaping every touchpoint: from hyper-personalized digital experiences led by brands like Doji, to more efficient and sustainable supply chains throughout the entire product lifecycle.-How an industry once positioned behind technology is now revealing its true strength: turning the pursuit of dreams into meaningful realities.-The growing imperative for qualitative, agile intelligence to remain ahead of the curve, especially in an era oversaturated with information.Want to stay ahead of the curve? Sign up for our Weekly Beyond Luxury Substack and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn for even more insights and inspiration.
#41 Réalité Étendue et Luxe: Comment l'XR de Snap Transforme Nos Émotions (FR) | Geoffrey Perez, Global Head of Luxury at Snap.Inc
2025/06/04
In this episode, Geoffrey Perez, Head of Luxury at Snap Inc., shares how luxury is evolving beyond products into experiences, emotions, and deep cultural relevance. He explains how new generations seek meaning, personalization, and emotional value, not just status or objects. With his experience leading luxury partnerships at Snapchat, Geoffrey breaks down how digital platforms offer new ways for brands to build intimacy, craft narratives, and create immersive moments that resonate with younger audiences.
He explores how technology allows luxury brands to stay human and personal at scale, how XR is redefining brand interaction, and why exclusivity is no longer just about scarcity, but about relevance and timing. Geoffrey also reflects on the importance of brand purpose, cultural sensitivity, and the art of crafting desire in a fast-moving digital world.
Want to stay ahead of the curve?
Sign up for our Weekly Beyond Luxury Substack and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn for even more insights and inspiration.
#40 Beauty Innovation: Why Physical Products Are Just the Beginning | Ines Alpha
2025/04/30
TL;DR
• Ines Alpha talks about her collaborations where creativity thrives within clear constraints. She values working with teams that respect her artistic vision, balancing freedom with specific direction.
• Her projects explore blending physical face wear with augmented reality (AR), creating a unique fusion of 3D makeup and digital experiences. Ines worked on both the physical design and AR elements to make the two worlds interact seamlessly.
• AR makeup allows for new forms of self-expression, enabling people to explore different identities digitally. It offers more freedom compared to traditional beauty standards, allowing people to experiment without physical boundaries.
• Ines envisions a future where AR makeup could be featured at high-profile fashion events, with both physical and digital beauty merging for immersive, forward-thinking experiences.
• The evolution of AR technology and social media platforms is shaping the future of beauty, making new forms of creative expression possible, and opening up opportunities for innovative collaborations.
Want to stay ahead of the curve?
Sign up for our Weekly Beyond Luxury Substack and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn for even more insights and inspiration.
#39 Future of Makeup: The 3D Artist Who's Making Physical Beauty Products Look Ancient | Ines Alpha
2025/04/23
In this podcast episode, Ines Alpha, a leader in the world of 3D makeup and augmented reality, shares insights into her creative journey, particularly her collaboration with Studio Halia. Ines discusses how she blends the physical and digital realms, emphasizing her passion for constraints in design that lead to true innovation. She highlights her work where physical face wear and makeup are enhanced by AR, allowing users to customize their appearance in real-time. Ines explains the importance of collaborating with expert teams to push the boundaries of what’s possible in AR, especially in creating highly interactive and personalized digital makeup experiences.
She also touches on the community aspect of her work, explaining how AR allows people to explore new identities and self-expression, often in spaces where traditional self-presentation might be limited. Looking ahead, Ines reflects on the future of augmented reality in major beauty and fashion events, foreseeing a shift where digital transformations will be just as prominent as physical ones. As technology evolves, she envisions a growing connection between the digital and physical worlds, with new opportunities to create more immersive and expressive experiences for her audience.
Want to stay ahead of the curve?
Sign up for our Weekly Beyond Luxury Substack and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn for even more insights and inspiration.
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