Zalando and Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana bring together changemakers in luxury fashion to share insights into the latest trends in luxury e-commerce

• Zalando and Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana hosted an evening of inspiration and exchange for leading entrepreneurs of luxury fashion.
• The 'Changemakers in Luxury Fashion' event celebrated top visionaries of the Italian and international fashion world, including JACQUEMUS, OTB Group and Dolce & Gabbana.
• McKinsey & Company presented the new report “Beyond Boundaries: Redefining Aspirational Luxury Consumers”, sharing insights into values, habits and behaviours of the aspirational luxury consumers in fashion.

MILAN, MARCH 20, 2024 // Zalando and Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana ​​(CNMI) brought together top visionaries of Italian and international fashion at the 'Changemakers in Luxury Fashion' event in Milan.

The evening of inspiration and exchange, hosted by CNMI’s Chairman Carlo Capasa and Zalando’s Co-CEO David Schneider, took place at the historical Biblioteca Braidense in Milan. The event, moderated by Digital Creative and Founder Tamu McPherson, celebrated the top thinkers of the Italian and international fashion industry.

Simon Porte Jacquemus, Founder & Creative Director at JACQUEMUS, was recognised as the leading changemaker in the ‘Disruptive Fashion and Communication’ category. During the event, he spoke about what it means to be an independent brand on the contemporary scene, about the creative process that leads him to create collections that resonate with people's sensitivities, dreams, fears and successes, and about his relationship with Italy and Made in Italy.

Renzo Rosso, Founder & Chairman, OTB Group, was recognized in the ‘Innovation’ category for his vision and work, which combines creativity and business practices. During the event, he traced OTB's history from its beginning to becoming a relevant Italian fashion and luxury group. He highlighted that the Made in Italy supply chain represents an added value to the Group, which distinguishes itself internationally, thanks to the uniqueness of its brands.

Alfonso Dolce, CEO of Dolce & Gabbana, who was recognized in the ‘Craftsmanship’ category, took the stage to share his vision of craftsmanship and talk about the initiatives taken to promote craftsmanship and its transmission to young people.

Simone Marchetti, Vanity Fair European editorial Director and Vanity Fair Italia Editor in Chief, who was recognised as a changemaker in the 'Value' category, moderated the fireside chat with author, journalist and producer Marilena Delli, providing a deep dive into Marilena’s work and exploring the need to change the language we use to combat discrimination.

Keynote speeches by Zalando, Highsnobiety and McKinsey & Company provided insights into the latest trends in the luxury fashion industry and e-commerce.

David Schneider, Co-CEO of Zalando, shared his vision for the future of fashion e-commerce, based on Zalando’s leading expertise in offering high-quality multi-brand fashion and lifestyle shopping experience to about 50 million active customers in 25 European markets. The keynote highlighted the three major trends driving the e-commerce transformation: the growing importance of the digital-first generation of customers, technological shifts including the rise of Generative AI, and the increasing need for personalisation due to the growing complexity of the European market.

Gemma D’Auria, senior partner and global leader of McKinsey & Company’s Apparel, Fashion and Luxury Practice, took the stage to present the new report “Beyond Boundaries: Redefining Aspirational Luxury Consumers” with contributions from CNMI and Zalando. The research explores values, habits and behaviours of the aspirational luxury consumers in fashion, involving over 5,000 individuals across 7 markets (Italy, France, UK, Germany, Switzerland, the US, and China). These consumers make at least one luxury item purchase annually and spend between €3,000 to €10,000 on fashion each year.

Lena-Sophie Roeper, General Manager Designer at Zalando, presented a keynote dedicated to future luxury fashion consumers, sharing key innovations and digital strategies needed to cater to their diverse needs and behaviours. The presentation shared Zalando’s insights on the steady growth of the aspirational luxury customer segment and their increasing interest and investment into luxury brands on Zalando. It also showcased examples of the new technologies that are elevating the experience for this new generation of luxury e-commerce customers.

David Fischer, Founder & CEO of Highsnobiety, presented the whitepaper titled New Luxury, New Rules, exploring how the fascinating phenomenon of New Luxury has evolved since Highsnobiety’s first insightful study on the topic 5 years ago. The research explores the new luxury rules, including the shift from didactic top-down brand communication to giving voice to the community, the rise of new talents shaping the industry, and growing importance of inclusivity and representation in the luxury industry.

Please find a selection of highlight quotes by the speakers below:

Carlo Capasa, Chairman Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, said:
“Fashion has always been able to instil sense into the fragments of time and play an active role in society’s transformations. The stories we are celebrating today bear witness to this, plotting new trajectories for fashion’s creativity, business and culture, and we thank Zalando and McKinsey for their major contribution. Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, as an institution, is a forum designed for sharing, discussing and bringing together the fruits of what our member brands do with such passion and tangibility. It’s moments like these that offer opportunities for building on our commitment to storytelling, environmental and social sustainability, inclusion and appreciation of differences, education and training, new talents and digitalization. For we understand, now more than ever, the responsibilities we have in the construction of our future.”  
Riccardo Vola, General Manager Italy and Spain at Zalando, adds: “This event, in collaboration with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, is fundamental to strengthening our ecosystem and continuing to offer inspiration and entertainment to Italian consumers, elevating their shopping experience. It's worth underlining that Italy holds a central place internationally when it comes to craftsmanship and innovation in the fashion and luxury sector. Consequently, this makes investing in Italy so important for Zalando."

David Schneider, Co-CEO of Zalando, says: “We see three major trends in luxury e-commerce today. Firstly, customers strongly appreciate quality –  in terms of the curated assortment selection, tailored experience, and convenience. Secondly, the rising generation of Gen Z customers is looking for new engaging and entertaining experiences when shopping online. Finally, we see an increasing need for personalisation and localisation, to meet the needs and the growing complexity of the European market. At Zalando, we strongly believe in meaningful brand partnerships. Together with brand partners, we can unlock unique opportunities in the quickly evolving luxury e-commerce market.”

Lena-Sophie Roeper, General Manager Designer at Zalando, adds: “The aspirational luxury customer segment has been consistently growing for Zalando. We see that customers who started their Designer shopping with us have steadily increased their spending on luxury goods with us every year. Even more exciting is the opportunity that lies ahead of us; to lead the new wave of fashion ecommerce through rich data-driven, tech-fueled innovations at scale.”

David Fischer, Founder & CEO of Highsnobiety, says:
“Over the last 18 years, we’ve observed, charted, and shaped major cultural shifts in brand marketing. Five years ago, we published ‘The New Luxury’ report. For its 5th anniversary, we wanted to revisit it and explore what has changed. In doing so, we unearthed ‘New Luxury’s New Rules’, where we explored the new communication codes, celebrating the new generation of creators, new approach to events,  inclusivity and brand collaborations. Today, brands are behaving in a totally different and unexpected way to not only reach consumers but also shape the way they think.”

Gemma D’Auria, senior partner and global leader of McKinsey & Company’s Apparel, Fashion and Luxury Practice, adds: “Aspirational luxury consumers represent a significant segment, accounting for 50% of fashion luxury brand revenues and about 20% of the overall fashion market. Our insight is that they are not a universal global segment, but rather a set of communities that show diverse values, habits and behaviours, varying across different geographies. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy to cater to these communities. Fashion brands should adopt made-to-measure approaches and focus on three key dimensions: personalised customer journeys, both online and offline diversified marketing channel mix, combining social and traditional media; cross-category product strategy, emphasising highly relevant categories such as apparel and leather goods, and enhancing their appeal vis-à-vis aspirational luxury consumers”.

Simon Porte Jacquemus, says:
I am really happy to receive the “Changemaker in Disruptive Fashion & Communication” award, it’s a beautiful recognition for the brand and my team. As an independent designer, I was always keen on being innovative and creative in the design of my collections and also in my communication.  
It’s always about communicating and creating experiences with our community in a unique way.  
Jacquemus has always been supported by Italy, and I am very excited to bring new projects here soon. I warmly thank Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana for this great support and this award.”

Renzo Rosso, Chairman and Founder of the OTB Group, comments:
“Our brands focus on the beauty and quality of their products and aim at making fashion a dream, even if this means going in the market opposite direction. This vision, combined with the excellence of our Italian partners and their ability to craft unique products, allowed us to create OTB, a special group and an Italian fashion and luxury hub. Sustainability and technology are part of our and our people’s mindset; they represent the driving forces of our teams’ innovation process, and also help us communicate more effectively the value of our brands to our customers worldwide.”

Alfonso Dolce, CEO, Dolce & Gabbana, says:
"Dolce&Gabbana's commitment to social and environmental sustainability has evolved as part of a path of conscious growth that began some time ago, to consolidate a distinctive position in the sector by promoting the culture, craftsmanship and traditions of Made in Italy, encouraging new generations to dialogue with the territory and contributing to the creation of social value. This important recognition honours us and encourages us to do even better in the future: for us, Fatto a Mano is not just a production method or a communication concept, but a modus operandi that affects our reality at many levels".

Simone Marchetti, Vanity Fair European editorial Director and Vanity Fair Italia Editor in Chief, says:
"We are living in an age of profound change that demands a radical overhaul of language and, more broadly, culture. Contributing to this transition is the most significant task. Conversely, obstructing this progress and reverting to the past is the gravest mistake one could commit."

About CNMI

Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) is a non-profit association founded in 1958 to represent, promote and support the values and development of Italian fashion in Italy and worldwide. Based in world fashion capital Milan, the Association represents around 220 Italian brands. CNMI members include some of the biggest names in Italian fashion, such as Armani, Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Emilio Pucci, Etro, Fendi, Ferragamo, Gucci, Max Mara, Missoni, Moncler, OTB, Prada, Roberto Cavalli, Trussardi, Valentino, Versace and ZEGNA. Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana members enjoy numerous services, as well as being able to take part in all the Association’s events and activities. CNMI’s mission is to support the entire Italian fashion industry worldwide by maintaining institutional relationships and communicating our values and activities. One of the most important of our many initiatives is organizing the Milan Fashion Weeks. CNMI’s operating strategy and development are based on the following four pillars: Sustainability, Education and Young Designers, Digitalization and Internationalization.

Contact for press: beatrice.rossaro@cameramoda.it