darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 21/05/2025What the luxury industry is worried about, and what it should be worried about are not necessarily aligned. That’s what we leaned at this week’s #FTLuxury summit in Barcelona open.substack.com/pub/darkluxu... 012
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 09/05/2025Art dealer and BBC Bargain Hunt expert Oghenochuko Ojiri leaves court after admitting that he failed to report a series of art sales to a man linked to proscribed terror group Hezbollah He’s one of the subjects of today’s newsletter later today open.substack.com/pub/darkluxury 021
Reposted by @darkluxury.newsConrad Quilty-Harper @cqh.bsky.social · 06/05/2025UK and India trade deal obviously a massive deal for the Scotch industry, and a quite nice perk for luxury car makers in the UK like JLR, Rolls-Royce and Bentley But overall it's expected to have a teeny tiny impact on GDP by 2040: a £4.8 billion increase in GDP, or 0.1% www.gov.uk/government/p...gov.ukTechnical note of the preliminary economic impacts of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement 011
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 04/04/2025Read all about luxury’s ‘Liberation' day www.darkluxury.news/p/trump-tari...darkluxury.newsLuxury’s ‘Liberation' dayTrump's tariffs and their impact on watches, superyachts and other luxury goods 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 04/04/2025ALCOHOL The French federation expects a €800 million decline in wine and spirit exports. Still, it's not the previously threatened 200 per cent tax. We'll drink to that. 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 04/04/2025SUPERYACHTS Perhaps the most interesting sector. US owners will probably continue to keep their yachts foreign-flagged, reports Super Yacht Times. "With ownership often structured through foreign corporations for tax and liability purposes". 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 04/04/2025BEAUTY AND PERFUME The price of a bottle of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum could jump by another $35 on top of its $150 sticker price. However, Jefferies analysts believe that investing beauty could be a smart defensive move as beauty sales have traditionally remained resilient to tariffs. 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 04/04/2025PRIVATE JETS Own or operate a private jet in the US? Expect higher maintenance costs. Aluminium prices are already in effect. Fuel is exempted, though. 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 04/04/2025LUXURY CARS Higher prices are coming down the line for US customers, if Lamborghini, Audi and Porsche owner Volkswagen follows through on its hints Ferrari's already said it's hiking prices by 10 per cent Shipments are also being paused and held at ports, which will hike second-hand prices 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 04/04/2025HIGH-END FASHION AND HANDBAGS Not even Hermès's share price is insulated, at least going by today's share price moves. LVMH has some safety in its healthy profits and US production Poor Gucci-owner Kering is being hammered 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 04/04/2025WATCHES JPMorgan analysts see potentially the “most pressure on the Swiss watchmakers” thanks to those surprise 31% tariffs on Switzerland Watchmakers there are scrambling to deal with watches already in transit to clients There appears to be some confusion about how they are applied, too 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 04/04/2025How will Trump's tariffs affect luxury businesses? Let us count the ways 110
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 03/04/2025Ultimately, no-one really knows what will happen now that Trump has imposed the tariffs Best buckle up then www.darkluxury.news/p/lamborghin...darkluxury.news‘There is going to be pain’American Lamborghini sales people react to Trump’s proposed tariffs 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 03/04/2025They said customers are "freaking out", that "there will be pain" at dealerships as price rises are likely to be passed on by the manufacturer, and that they expect cancellations Trump says tariffs will "Make America Wealthy Again", but one dealer said instead that it feels like a tax on the rich 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 03/04/2025As one of the most expensive single items an American consumer can buy, their response gives us a flavour of the potential impact of trade tariffs at the upper end of the luxury market 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 03/04/2025‘There is going to be pain’ Dark Luxury spoke to a dozen Lamborghini dealers in the US about the prospect of Trump's 25% tariffs Here's what they said they said 🧵 101
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 28/03/2025As an insider told us, “It’s a futile merry-go-round of turning up, seizing stuff, for it to be replaced x number of weeks later”, speaking about anti-counterfeiting raids in Camden Get the full story: www.darkluxury.news/p/counterfei...darkluxury.newsLondon's raids on fake luxury retailers miss the targetDark Luxury reveals how stores selling fake luxury goods in Camden, London are restocked with the same items within 24 hours. So why aren't police targeting the warehouses which supply them? 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 28/03/2025Here's a photo taken by Dark Luxury in the shop the next day, showing shelves stocked with what appeared to be counterfeit Marc Jacobs, Valentino and Coach handbags 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 28/03/2025Dark Luxury can exclusively reveal how much of this activity appears to be missing the mark Here's a photo taken during a police raid on a shop on Camden High Street in February, showing what appears to be dozens of counterfeit handbags which were seized 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 28/03/2025London's raids on fake luxury retailers are missing the target Luxury brands spend millions to try and prevent the sale of fake luxury goods, and police often raid stores in London to try and stop retailers... 101
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 19/03/2025Things went a bit crazy in the mass luxury world in the last week www.darkluxury.news/p/bernard-ar...darkluxury.newsHas mass luxury gone mad?Huge moves everywhere all at once 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 07/03/2025How to avoid price drops, why should avoid "faster" handbags, and why not all "newness" is novel A guide to luxury handbags as an asset class www.darkluxury.news/p/hermes-bir...darkluxury.newsBlue chip BirkinsThe secrets of managing a multi-million pound luxury handbag portfolio. 001
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 05/03/2025In luxury just two per cent of customers are responsible for 40 per cent of sales Why luxury is in its Marie Antoinette era open.substack.com/pub/darkluxu...open.substack.comLuxury’s Marie Antoinette eraLet them wear dupes 001
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 26/02/2025Harassment, abuse, low pay and HR in the pocket of the CEO. This report by @bectu.bsky.social about what it’s really like working in the UK fashion industry is a must-read. open.substack.com/pub/darkluxu...open.substack.comThe Devil Wears Prada is for realThe UK fashion industry is rife with harassment, abuse, low pay, and nepotism, according to a new survey 001
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 23/02/2025Read the full story on Dark Luxury www.darkluxury.news/p/selfridges...darkluxury.newsA loaded gun in SelfridgesDark Luxury’s investigation reveals rampant criminality on the London shop floor – including discovery of a loaded gun – with little action taken by management. 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 23/02/2025One source said Hermès bags are stolen at least four times a week. “Poundland’s security is tighter than Selfridges”, they said 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 23/02/2025All of the security workers we spoke to said that the shop’s policy did allow guards to intervene and detain suspects under certain circumstances. But they said they felt the image of the store and the experience of shoppers was prioritised over stopping the organised criminal groups 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 23/02/2025“I’ve seen people come in spending five, ten thousand in cash. They walk past, stinking of weed and pay cash, cash, cash” “The fraudsters come in quick. Six or seven scatter round Prada, Gucci, Creed. They leave in black cabs.” “It’s been the same guys for years and nobody does anything” 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 23/02/2025A loaded gun in a shoplifter’s bag Suspected street gang members and drug dealers spending stacks of cash Pickpockets collaborating with fraudsters Dark Luxury can exclusively reveal the rampant criminality operating in Selfridges, one of the world’s most luxurious department stores 110
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 14/02/2025That’s an extraordinary achievement for a brand that was once a takeover target for LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault. www.darkluxury.news/p/hermes-ceo...darkluxury.newsHermès CEO: The Walmart Birkin is ‘detestable’Hermès CEO Axel Dumas implied he will use legal action to fight the makers of dupes like the $80 Walmart Birkin, nicknamed “the Wirkin.” 010
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 14/02/2025Not such a bargain, after all, it turns out. Meanwhile, the Hermès 2024 results reconfirmed that it is one of the brightest spots in luxury right now, reporting financial results well above analyst expectations with quarterly sales up 18 per cent. 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 14/02/2025On this morning's sales call, he implied he will use legal action to fight makers of dupes like the Walmart Birkin, nicknamed “the Wirkin.” Dark Luxury revealed this cheap imitation of the famous Birkin, which can sell for tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes contained dangerous bits of wire. 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 14/02/2025Journalists worry about AI taking over their jobs and copying their articles. Hermès CEO Axel Dumas implied that dupe makers copying his bags is exactly the same. 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 05/02/2025Paid subscribers to @darkluxury.news can read the rest of the story now, about how luxury retailers and brands can tackle the activity www.darkluxury.newsdarkluxury.newsDark Luxury | Conrad Quilty-Harper | SubstackDark Luxury investigates the creative alchemy, business strategies and dark arts of the €1.5 trillion luxury goods business. Click to read Dark Luxury, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscrib... 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 05/02/2025Our investigation into how Chinese gangs smuggle Louis Vuitton handbags out of Europe, and cash in 21% VAT refunds is now live on Jing Daily jingdaily.com/posts/china-...jingdaily.comChina luxury gray market: Gangs recruit tourists to fuel $100B underground trade | Jing DailyHow Chinese gangs exploit the price differences between handbags sold in Europe and China, and inflate profit via VAT refunds. 101
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 31/01/2025Read the full story on Dark Luxury: www.darkluxury.news/p/how-chines...darkluxury.newsHow Chinese gangs trick Louis Vuitton staff and EU taxpayers to get cheaper handbags for the grey marketDark Luxury exclusively reveals how Chinese gangs exploit the price difference between handbags sold in Europe and China, and cash in extra profit via VAT refunds. 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 31/01/2025Billionaire LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault has disparaged what he calls “parallel exports” by his peers in the industry, which feed this market. Our story reveals that Louis Vuitton, and perhaps other LVMH brands are not immune to this. 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 31/01/2025Chinese gangs are tricking Louis Vuitton staff to get cheaper handbags to service the $100 billion grey market. @darkluxury.news can exclusively reveal the gangs' latest innovation: cashing in extra profit by fraudulently claiming EU VAT refunds on those purchases. 101
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 30/01/2025Get the full breakdown of LVMH’s 2024, and what Alfred Tong imagines the big boss was really thinking bit.ly/3PWDGGRbit.lyLVMH's 2024 results: the story behind the numbersThis is what's really on Bernard Arnault's mind as he unveils LVMH's 2024 finances 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 30/01/2025Delphine, 49, is no change A lot will depend on the handling of the replacements of two vital positions at the Dior brand she runs this year 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 30/01/2025Alexandre, 32, had a bad year, thanks to the massive decline in the group’s revenue from alcohol “Let’s give them [Alexandre and the CFO] two years there, so we can see what they can do," his dad (and boss) said 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 30/01/2025Frédéric, 29, had a good year, thanks to a new role at Financière Agache, the family holding company 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 30/01/2025Billionaire LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault announced his company's financial results for 2024 this week, and what he didn’t say was perhaps as important as what he did He dodged a question about US tariffs, instead criticising French taxes He also not-so-subtly marked his childrens' homework... 101
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 24/01/2025Exclusive: Savile Row's Kilgour is coming back from the dead Famous for dressing Cary Grant in North by Northwest in its heydey, it's the latest chapter in the messy rise, fall, and now, rise again of this famous menswear brand www.darkluxury.news/p/savile-row...darkluxury.newsSavile Row's Kilgour is coming back from the deadThe tailor which made Cary Grant's suit in North by Northwest is under new ownership 001
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 20/01/2025Paris Match (owned by Arnault) has been publishing favourable articles about Trump for weeks. Meanwhile, Arnault’s son, Alexandre, was at Trump’s Madison Square Gardens rally where a comedian made not-very-nice jokes about Puerto Ricans. And now the family has great seats at the inauguration. 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 17/01/2025And we are releasing it for free over the weekend to all readers. Enjoy! www.darkluxury.news/p/pitti-uomo...darkluxury.newsPitti Uomo 2025: Mens’ fashion at its most ridiculous and sublimeAlfred Tong takes us deep into the heart of the chaotic trade fair to reveal what really matters in men’s fashion in 2025 000
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 17/01/2025From the wonderful things Italian textile makers do with cashmere (boiled cashmere!) to the dreadful things that have happened to some of Britain’s most prestigious brands, this is a fascinating read. 110
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 17/01/2025From Yetis to ostentations (plural word for a flock of peacocks!), I learned so much reading and editing this story by my colleague Alfred. 100
darkluxury.news @darkluxury.news · 17/01/2025Pitti Uomo is the slightly chaotic, sometimes silly, but ultimately very serious trade show in Florence, Italy for the menswear industry. 🧵 101
Reposted by @darkluxury.newsConrad Quilty-Harper @cqh.bsky.social · 15/01/2025The potential shutdown of TikTok is forcing luxury media agencies to secure refunds or re-route millions of dollars of advertising spending, and that’s all before the ban comes into effect. Full story on @darkluxury.news open.substack.com/pub/darkluxu...open.substack.comTikTok's looming US shutdown has 'serious' implications for luxury marketingPlus: A guide to Xiaohongshu, or Red Note, the app "TikTok refugees" are flocking to ahead of the shutdown. And a short preview of Pitti. 001
