The Luxury Item Podcast (2025)

25/06/2024

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item podcast, Scott Kerr speaks with Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of American luxury electric automaker Lucid Motors, about how the company evolved from an electric battery and powertrain supplier to a frontrunner in the electric vehicle market competing head-on with Tesla and German luxury manufacturers. Rawlinson, an auto industry veteran who previously engineered the Tesla Model S, discusses the technology innovations and design thinking behind the Lucid Air (its first vehicle) as well as its upcoming Gravity model entry into the competive luxury SUV market. He also talks about the EV marketplace and where it's going, how Lucid intends to generate consistent demand for its vehicles, scaling the business to profitability, why Chinese automakers are still years behind on EV tech, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
🎧 Apple: https://apple.co/3xnVhCa

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/3VHgnU7

🎧 YouTube: https://youtu.be/c01iGnRegqc

🎧 Other ways: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7

🎧 Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

11/06/2024

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item podcast, Scott Kerr speaks with Tina Edmundson, president of luxury at Marriott International, where she oversees a prestigious portfolio of luxury brands including The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, BVLGARI Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, EDITION, The Luxury Collection, JW Marriott and W Hotels.

Tina discusses her strategic priorities since being elevated to president, why the Marriott International and Starwood Hotels merger was a "perfect marriage" and the white space it filled in the luxury segment, and where Marriott is exploring growth opportunities to reach UHNW customers.

She also talks about more guests holding its luxury hotels to an even higher standard of experience driven services, building meaningful connections with guests through hyper-personalization, big luxury travel themes over the next 12 months, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
🎧 Apple: https://apple.co/3xajnA8

🎧 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4cc0QSM

🎧 YouTube: https://youtu.be/47GN-RtKwHc

🎧 Other ways: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7

04/06/2024

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item podcast, Scott Kerr joined by Guido Conti Caponi, chief operating officer at Loretta Caponi, the legendary family-owned Florentine luxury label founded by his grandmother more than 50 years ago and renowned for its hand-embroidered sleepwear, linens, and ready-to-wear. Guido talks about the brand's remarkable history and how Loretta turned her love for the craft of embroidery as a young girl into a successful global business with a client list that includes top Hollywood celebs and European royals.

Guido also discusses how he and his mother Lucia, who oversees design, are taking the brand into the future, the company's growth and distribution strategies, riding the 'quiet luxury' movement, bringing younger audiences into the brand, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
🎧 Apple: https://apple.co/4c3KLi6

🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/4e9fqMu

🎧 YouTube: https://youtu.be/8zdgljlxIg4

🎧 Other ways: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7

07/05/2024

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item podcast, Scott Kerr is joined by Deborah Calmeyer, CEO and founder of ultra-luxury African safari company ROAR AFRICA, to discuss how she turned her love for Africa and her desire to share its beauty with the world into a business. Calmeyer talks about her journey from growing up in the Zimbabwean bush to moving to New York City and launching a luxury African travel company, how the company's female-centric approach is a new model for the male-dominated African safari industry, what's fueling the surge in safari tourism, how luxury travelers to Africa have changed, and creating custom itineraries that cater to the upper echelon of global wealth, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4bsPR7e
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4brmYIx
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/_KbOTbT-MJ8
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

23/04/2024

Don't miss the latest episode of The Luxury Item podcast where Scott Kerr sits down with legendary fashion designer Norma Kamali to talk about the journey of running her own business for over 50 years, her enthusiasm for technology, and her continuous drive to learn and create.

Famously known for her innovative designs like the "sleeping bag" coat and "parachute dress", Kamali, now 78, discusses her approach to designing clothes that are timeless, why she embraced e-commerce before the rest of the fashion industry, and building a custom AI tool to preserve her design legacy. She also talks about how the 80s AIDS epidemic inspired her to put health and wellness at the heart of her brand, what the key is to building a strong brand identity, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/49J1ohm
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/49TECDs
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/FJRER0_zwKA
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

09/04/2024

Tune in to the newest episode of The Luxury Item Podcast and Scott Kerr's conversation with Antoine Pin, managing director of Bulgari's watch division, about the realities of the shifting luxury watch market, how the brand is aiming to win the battle for the wrists of wealthy buyers, and the artistic inspiration behind some of the new luxury timepieces that mark the 140th anniversary of the storied Roman jewelry house.

Antoine also talks about why gold is a hallmark element of Bulgari and the current trend towards yellow gold timepieces, why the brand introduced a collection of watches that incorporate the original design sketches on the dials, why multi-brand watch retailers are a key part of its long-term strategy, and more. Plus: Antoine announces Bulgari's new world's thinnest watch unveiled at Watches and Wonders and why the brand keeps creating wafer-thin watches

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/43SHXRZ
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/3vJ07sO
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/-OV0CuykNtA
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

02/04/2024

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item Podcast, Scott Kerr speaks to Raphael Sauleau, CEO of IYC (The International Yacht Company), one of the world’s largest superyacht brokerages, about the health of the luxury yacht market and the shifting buyer demographic. Raphael discusses his main strategic focus since joining as CEO in 2022, how he's navigating a market reversal after the post-pandemic yacht-buying boom, the rising influence of wealthy Millennial yacht owners, and fashion designers taking on superyacht projects. He also talks about how "quiet luxury" hit the superyacht market, why more UHNW owners are adding fitness facilities on their boats, the role of strategic partnerships with luxury brands in IYC's growth, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3xkTUni
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/43JWLlL
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/6bLcDmUem2Y
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

19/03/2024

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item Podcast, Scott Kerr speaks to Simon Kim, owner and CEO of Gracious Hospitality Management, the brand behind the highly acclaimed Michelin-starred Cote Korean Steakhouse in New York City, Miami, and Singapore as well as the newly opened high-end fried chicken and Champagne concept Coqodaq.

Kim, who came to the U.S. from Korea at age 13, talks about what's driving Americas' sharp demand for Korean cuisine and his journey to fulfilling his lifelong dream of opening a game-changing Korean restaurant. He also talks about what he learned about fine dining hospitality from working for the world's best chefs, the economics of running a Michelin star restaurant, the importance of having a great restaurant culture, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3IG22kP
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/3IIoCsT
▶️ YouTube:
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

05/03/2024

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item podcast, Scott Kerr speaks with Greg Spencer, Chief Executive Officer of Timbers Resorts, a leading luxury vacation homes and rentals company that offers the ability for HNWIs to buy fractional ownership in vacation properties in the world's top destinations.

Greg discusses how Timbers Resorts strives to deliver the same top-of-the-strata services and opulent experiences to its wealthy co-owners as ultra-luxury hotels, why the wrenching correction in the second-homes market didn't impact Timbers' business, creating a culture of hospitality excellence through creative solutions, why the 'experiential luxury' trend compliments its business model, big luxury travel themes for the coming year, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3V1qJ2k
▶️ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/433FVhq
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/9aQtW_fqVFA
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

27/02/2024

Season 11 of The Luxury Item podcast kicks off with Scott Kerr's conversation with John Gerhardt, global creative director at Moët Hennessy, the wines and spirits business of luxury giant LVMH. Gerhardt, a TIME Magazine "Design 100" honoree, discusses his role as the Moët Hennessy brand lead and how he partners with the twenty-seven Maisons, how Moët Hennessy is re-evaluating its creative approach in a challenging market, how its heritage brands are speaking to a new generation of drinkers, strategies behind some of the rebranding and new product efforts, and more. Don't miss this episode.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/42WhzpQ
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/3URQodF
▶️ YouTube: https://bit.ly/3OUTdqE
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

30/01/2024

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item podcast, Scott Kerr is joined by Pascal Féraud, Executive Chef at DUCASSE Paris, the restaurant group for world renowned chef Alain Ducasse. Pascal discusses his career working as a top chef in many of Alain Ducasse's emblematic fine dining restaurants including Le Louis XV in Monaco and Le Jules Verne located on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Pascal also talks about the Ducasse philosophy that's shared across the Group's extensive global empire of restaurants, adjusting his approach for American tastes and habits when he worked in Los Angeles, how the role of executive chef has changed over the years, Ducasse's haute chocolate universe, fine dining trends, the challenges that come with operating a high-end restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3OpMHIm
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/48ReE41
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/tn9Per5Rwio
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

16/01/2024

Tune in to the latest episode of The Luxury Item podcast, where Scott Kerr speaks to Roland Herlory, CEO of luxury swimwear brand Vilebrequin, about how the company began as a love story in the early '70s and grew into an iconic global brand. Roland talks about why taking the helm of Vilebrequin after 23 years at Hermès was the "most beautiful gift" in his professional life, why its physical stores will play an even more important role in the company's growth, and how the brand's distinctive product and positioning helps withstand increased competitive pressures in the luxury swimwear category. He also discusses Vilebrequin's approach to brand extensions, why it embraces collabs with artists in a big way, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/47Dvule
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/47Cngty
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/d2FihFBlnME
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

02/01/2024

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item podcast, Scott Kerr speaks with Eugene Tutunikov, CEO of SwissWatchExpo, one of the leading online global retailers of pre-owned luxury watches, about the state of the secondary luxury watch market. Eugene discusses coming to the U.S. with his family from Ukraine and realizing the American Dream with the success of his company, navigating the luxury watch demand slowdown, the impact of Rolex's certified pre-owned watch program on his business, new consumer segments leading the upswing in luxury watch sales, the watch collaboration explosion, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3TLtd4j
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/3NPrWWe
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/PCJ8eyUFP_o
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

19/12/2023

On the newest episode of The Luxury Item podcast, Scott Kerr speaks with Sophie Brocart, CEO of Patou, the iconic French luxury couture house founded by Jean Patou in 1914 and acquired by LVMH in 2018.

Sophie discusses how she and artistic director Guillaume Henry have revived the storied fashion label after being dormant for thirty years, why Jean Patou was a pioneer and his rivalry with Coco Chanel, and where LVMH saw the opportunity in resurrecting the maison.

She also talks about the business strategy for growing the brand, moving beyond a wholesale model, partnering with Fairly Made on a traceability solution, and more.

Listen to the conversation on...
▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NyBa9g
▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/3RNxYZB
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZqE9JHwVXwQ
▶️ Other ways to listen: https://bit.ly/3XUReG7
▶️ Say 🗣 "Alexa, open The Luxury Item podcast" to hear the episode

The Luxury Item Podcast