The Business of Fashion

CEO Talk | Camilla Skovgaard, Shoe designer and entrepreneur

Camilla Skovgaard is one of those rare aberrations of the current economic malaise.

While almost all other designers I have spoken to are nervously reporting order cancellations and declining or flat sales, Skovgaard's shoes have chalked up triple-digit increases for Spring/Summer 2009.

Of course, part of this growth can be explained by the rapid growth of the luxury shoe category -- it's a case of  'the rising tide raises all boats. ' And, according to a recent report by Bain & Company, shoes will continue to be the fastest growing luxury segment of all; more than handbags, apparel, watches, jewelry and fragrances.

However, Camilla's enviable success can mostly be attributed to perseverance, an incredible work-ethic, great design and pragmatism about merchandising and pricing her collection for the downturn. In our second CEO Talk, we caught up with Camilla to learn the secrets of her success.

Q&A | James Ogilvy, Publisher of Luxury Briefing

James Ogilvy noticed something in 1996: there was no dedicated business publication for the wider luxury industry. So he conceived of Luxury Briefing, a monthly publication which is read by leaders and senior executives in luxury companies from fashion to cosmetics to gourmet food to design to media. Since then, James and his team have launched a website and a series of annual conferences that dig into the issues that impact businesses across the luxury spectrum.

James comes into contact with idea makers and opinion leaders from different parts of luxury and knows the topics and concerns on these executives' minds. I caught up with James to benefit from this unique industry-wide vantage point and to learn about an exclusive Luxury Briefing offer for readers of The Business of Fashion.