We have received a heritage of craftsmanship, of aesthetics, of taste, of identity. Our brands have the beauty to preserve and perpetuate it.
In an era of instant communication, a flaw or non-perfect product creates immediate bad buzz.
My father has many talents, but his best is marketing.
A pair of Berluti shoes has this flair, these nuances in colour and patina, so I thought: 'What if we took this je ne sais quoi and turn it into a menswear brand?'
I had a couple of years of rebellion - I was singing in a rock band.
Luxury takes many forms nowadays, but one thing doesn't change: luxury is about desire and the ability to create dreams.
You have to embrace trends; it's crazy to think you can live above it. Like digital, like selling online, like social networks - if you fear them, they're going to eat you alive.
Experience is going to be even more important than it used to be - people will want to live something when they are in our stores, otherwise they'll just buy on their phones.
What we sell are not products... that customers are going to put in a closet and forget.
Designers are not artists. They may have the talent of one, but if they want to work in that way they should paint or sculpt.
It's not a burden, you know? You're going to work in fashion, surrounded by creativity and beautiful people, beautiful objects... or work in banking. OK, I choose fashion.
I love Aston Martin.
If you have trouble in your private life, who are you going to speak to? Not the new friend you made the day before, but people you trust and have known forever. Vuitton, Berluti, Hermes: it is those brands that have never compromised on quality or values that people turn to.
We were raised with real values about the importance of work and respect for the people.
I hate the marketing side of business where, 'Oh let's do a shoe for this clientele or for the Chinese or for the Japanese.' We're doing the same products for everyone.
It was clear from very early on that I would work in the family company. There was not really ever another option or idea.
During the last years of university I started an online business with a couple of friends selling domain names - we started by cybersquatting and then we became a real business. Someone bought us after three years and we made a good deal.
Being surrounded by creativity and talent is very enriching - not in terms of money but in terms of the soul and the spirit.
I never conduct business on the golf course.
Luxury is a difficult object to describe - it's been the object of hundreds of years of discussion. We definitely don't need it, but it's good for the soul.
