The WLCC Weekly Edit: your curated digest of the latest in the world of luxury. Each week, WLCC brings you a handpicked selection of industry news, insights, and stories influencing the future of high-end fashion, design, travel, real estate, and beyond. Consider this your insider’s guide to the latest in luxury.
Luxury in 2026: Control, Access, and Experience
Luxury in 2026 is defined less by visibility and abundance and more by control, clarity, and intentional design. Value is increasingly created through disciplined decision-making, curated access, and structured experiences rather than expansion or constant presence. Persuasion comes from restraint, absence builds desirability, and technology operates quietly as infrastructure rather than spectacle. Experiences are refined with clear boundaries, while collaborations prioritise execution over recognition. Across touchpoints, luxury brands guide behaviour instead of promoting endlessly, using limitation, focus, and confidence to sustain relevance. In this environment, luxury functions as a system of choices carefully managed, not signals loudly displayed.
Read more: WLCC
WLCC Leadership Lounge: Evolving Luxury Without Losing Meaning
The January 2026 WLCC Leadership Lounge convened senior luxury leaders for a curated, working dialogue on transformation without dilution of meaning. Anchored by a strategic fireside with Jeremie Bernheim, the discussion explored shifts from possession to purpose, relevance-driven scarcity, and the central role of leadership, trust, and emotional connection. Participants from multiple regions and sectors shared transformation priorities and formed live cross-industry connections. A clear theme emerged: modern luxury operates as an ecosystem, where collaboration, shared values, and client-centricity create long-term value. The session reflected WLCC’s role as a private platform for sustained, high-level peer exchange.
Read more: WLCC
The Luxury Agent Playbook by Mark Satterfield
The Luxury Agent Playbook by Mark Satterfield is a practical guide for real estate professionals seeking to operate credibly in the luxury market. Rather than focusing on properties alone, the book explains how perception, trust, discretion, and experience shape high-end transactions. Satterfield outlines common mistakes agents make when moving upmarket and provides strategies for positioning as a trusted advisor to affluent clients. Emphasising personal brand clarity, long-term relationships, and disciplined service standards, the book reframes luxury success as attracting the right clients through confidence and credibility, not aggressive selling. It offers a structured path toward sustainable, high-value real estate practice.
Read more: WLCC Curated Reads
LVMH Tightens Its Grip on Loro Piana
LVMH has increased its ownership of Italian luxury house Loro Piana from 85% to 94%, investing an additional €1 billion as part of a long-planned option. Acquired in 2013, the brand’s valuation has multiplied several times, reflecting strong performance and global demand for its ultra-premium cashmere and wool. The founding family retains a minority stake and board roles, preserving continuity and sourcing expertise. Despite a softer year for LVMH’s core fashion division, the group sees Loro Piana as a long-term growth pillar, prioritizing controlled expansion to protect quality and craftsmanship.
Read more: Luxury Tribune / Image: Loro Piana unveils the Spring/Summer 2026 Campaign shot by Mario Sorrenti
Arnaud Donckele Opens a New Chapter at Le Manoir
Celebrated French chef Arnaud Donckele brings his culinary vision to the UK for the first time, taking the helm at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Known for leading two three-Michelin-starred restaurants in France, Donckele is admired for his poetic, terroir-driven cuisine and masterful sauce-making. Working closely with Le Manoir’s gardens, farmers, and producers, he will blend British ingredients with refined French technique. Founder Raymond Blanc has endorsed the transition, praising shared values of sustainability and artistry. Under Belmond’s stewardship, Le Manoir enters a renewed era that honours heritage while embracing innovation and emotional storytelling through food.
Read more: Belmond / Image: Arnaud Donckele, Culinary Director in front of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, Oxfordshire
Stay ahead in luxury – explore the latest WLCC news, insights, and thought leadership:
https://worldluxurychamber.com/insights-news/
