What business school won’t teach you about luxury. How do you work in luxury fashion? This is inside LVMH’s playbook.
This week, I’m joined by Pauline Brown, former Chairwoman of LVMH North America, Harvard Business School professor, and author of Aesthetic Intelligence. Pauline shares the lessons she learned leading some of the world’s most iconic luxury brands. We cover a lot, from why climbing the corporate ladder doesn’t always bring more freedom, to the mistake most people make when planning their careers, and why she believes taste will become one of the most valuable skills in the future of work. We also dive into what luxury brands understand about consumer psychology, how Dior and Chanel think differently from startups, what it really takes to break into companies like LVMH, and why Pauline convinced Harvard Business School to create a course on The Business of Aesthetics. Whether you’re building a brand, growing your career, or simply trying to develop better taste, this episode is packed with frameworks you’ll think about long after listening.
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Brunello: The Gracious Visionary
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Thank you to this episodes’s sponsor Blue Fox Entertainment!
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Timestamps
0:00 Meet Former Chairwoman of LVMH
4:20 Pivoting Careers from consulting to fashion and beauty
6:09 Inside LVMH
8:04 Career advice for your 20s and 30s
13:23 What luxury brands get right
20:43 Harvard Business School wasn’t teaching this
25:30 How to work in luxury fashion
30:08 Do this to break into luxury fashion
36:21 What role does taste play in your career
40:41 How to use technology in a tasteful way
45:55 What if I can’t afford my taste
50:20 Fashion industry misconception
53:55 Corporate or entrepreneurship first?
Thanks for listening!
