Luxury Brand and Art Collaborations

Federica Carlotto is the Programme Director of the Master in Luxury Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art and a social anthropologist specialised in luxury, fashion and other cultural and creative industries. By applying the lens of human science to markets, trends and brands, Federica delves into the thick layers of meaning behind consumer behaviour, producing strategic business intelligence. Her cultural insights also look at connecting business with communities and the society at large, for responsible value creation.

• INTRODUCTIONCHAPTER 1: POSTMODERNITY Spectacular ensembles across genres and stylesThe eclectic manipulation of fragmentsAbove and beyond: hyperreality and its enhanced atmosphericsCASEPeculiar Contrast, Perfect Light: Virgil Abloh’s extravagant displayCHAPTER 2: PLACEDesigning luxury stores as heterotopias of wonderLocalism and nomadism of luxury spacesThe augmented geography of the art fairCASELa Galerie Dior and the creation of a new consumption ecosystemCHAPTER 3: TIME The digital now and its quantic momentsUnpacking and re-packaging the pastThe circular timing of traditions and anniversariesCASERooted in the time of the planet: Retour Aux Sources and RuinartCHAPTER 4: STATUS AND DISTINCTIONSubversive, omnivorous, playful: the new facets of distinctionEnriched ownership, diversified accessThe prestige-value and cultural nuances of experienceCASEOld Masters, new customers: the “Victoria Beckham effect” on Sotheby’s business evolutionCHAPTER 5 IDENTITIESHyphenated creativityCollaborative outputs as culture creationBetween outputs and outreach: the identity tension of luxury brandsCASE“Dolce Vita 4.0”: the Roman patronage of BulgariCONCLUSIONS

“From luxury brands to art collaborations, from postmodernism to culture, Federica Carlotto deftly analyzes the contemporary luxury imaginary. She produces useful and accessible insights into art’s co-operative manifestations and surveys numerous theoretical and practical approaches to postmodern consumer culture.”- John Armitage, University of Southampton.“In this highly original study, the case studies chosen are rich and their analysis within the framework of postmodern consumer culture is compelling. The varied approach to the entangled notion of luxury and art enriches our understanding of a phenomenon that will have an impact on current and future discourses, both high and low.”- Flavia Frigeri, Art Historian and Curator“Essential reading! Luxury Brand and Art Collaborations: Postmodern Consumer Culture provides a provocative analysis in a fresh approach to understanding how art and luxury are entwined in a post-modern, experiential and digitally networked world. The book provides theoretically nuanced insights into how place-making, time-work and social status redefinitions are triggered by the management of collaborations between artists, creative directors and executives of luxury brand corporations. Timely is an understatement!”- Annamma Joy, Professor of Marketing, University of British Columbia.“Where does luxury end and art begin? A compelling and illuminating exploration into the true meaning of brand collaborations through a social-cultural lens.”- Rebecca Robins, Global brand and luxury expert, and best-selling author