The World Luxury Chamber of Commerce was delighted to participate in the Business of Luxury Summit – Asia Edition, held in Hong Kong at the esteemed Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. This landmark event, organised by the Financial Times in partnership with Nikkei, convened the most senior executives, investors, brand leaders and cultural tastemakers shaping luxury in Asia.

Key Themes & Agenda

The summit hosted a series of sessions that explored the following major themes:

  • Asia’s luxury growth frontier: Insight into how Asia-Pacific continues to produce over a third of European luxury brands’ revenues, and how markets like India, Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong remain vital hubs.
  • Generational Wealth & Gen Z in China: A deep dive into how younger affluent consumers in Asia, especially in China, are rewriting expectations around luxury — placing emphasis on values, storytelling, immersive experience and community.
  • Digital Innovation & Experiential Retail: How luxury brands are transforming their customer touch-points through digital platforms, gamified loyalty, immersive retail design, and integrating online/offline.
  • M&A, Investment & Strategic Partnerships: Discussion on where the next deals in luxury will come from in Asia, what strategic collaborations mean for heritage brands, and how growth capital is being deployed.
  • Emerging Markets & Regional Nuance: Panel sessions addressed the less-saturated markets in Southeast Asia and India, examining how luxury brands can localise strategy while maintaining global identity.
  • Economic Outlook & Market Resilience: Considering macro-economic headwinds, inflation, geopolitics, and how the luxury sector in Asia is adapting and proving resilient.

Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari

Distinguished Speaker Line-Up

The event featured a powerful roster of global and regional leaders, offering a rich mix of brand, retail, investment and creative perspectives. Notable speakers included:

  • Ryoji Shoda, Global Head of Onitsuka Tiger.
  • Kim Jones, Artistic Director of Kim Jones Studio.
  • Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari.
  • Jennifer Woo, Chairman & CEO of Lane Crawford Joyce Group.
  • Other distinguished contributors: Putri Tanjung (CXO, CT Corp), Kate Richdale (Partner, KKR Asia Pacific), Giuseppe Oliveri (Group COO, Central Group), and many more from retail, brand, investment and creative leadership.

Prestige of the Audience & Networking Opportunities

As hosts, FT Live emphasised that this summit was not just about conversation — it was about connection. The attendee profile reflected the upper echelons of the luxury ecosystem:

  • C-suite executives (CEOs, Managing Directors), heads of strategy, retail and digital innovation.
  • Investors and private equity professionals focused on luxury, family capital and growth in Asia.
  • Brand founders and creative visionaries from across Asia (both heritage and emerging luxury names).
  • Strategic service providers, luxury‐sector advisors and ecosystem enablers.
  • Networking was embedded across breakfast breakout sessions, lunches, drinks receptions and a gala dinner — enabling fast-paced relationship-building in a highly curated environment.

WLCC’s Role & Strategic Take-Aways

WLCC was present to connect with the region’s luxury leadership, enhance our global network, and bring actionable insights back to our community. Key strategic take-aways include:

  • Membership Growth Opportunity: Asia remains a high-leverage region for expanding our WLCC network base — especially among APAC brands, creative houses and high-net-worth networks.
  • Content & Programming Direction: The themes of digital luxury transformation, generational wealth and regional market nuance will guide our 2026 programme design (panels, master-classes, regional hubs).
  • Brand Partnerships: The event reinforced the need for luxury brands to partner across boundaries (creative, retail, tech, investment) — an area where WLCC can act as convenor and facilitator.
  • Client Value-Proposition: For our members, the summit reinforces the importance of Asia-first luxury strategies, and the value of engaging early with younger affluent segments rather than only legacy high-net-worth audiences.

Looking Ahead

WLCC will continue to build on the momentum from this summit by curating Asia-specific content, forming regional networks and ensuring our members benefit from the insights and connections generated. We encourage our global members to review the themes, connect with the speaker network, and leverage the strategic opportunities identified.

For more details on the summit, you can visit the official event page.
https://luxuryasia.live.ft.com/home

Images provided by Business of Luxury Summit

Post Views: 62