Why Luxury Still Can’t Find Its Way Out of the Slump

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges facing the luxury sector despite new creative leadership and market interest.

Luxury entered 2026 with hopes that new creative directors and signs of stabilisation would finally help the sector turn a corner. Instead, the latest round of earnings has raised bigger questions about what growth now looks like for the industry. While brands including Dior, Gucci and Chanel are generating renewed interest, that excitement has not yet translated into a meaningful sales rebound.  From the slowing Chinese market to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, luxury conglomerates are facing a complex web of challenges that creative hype alone cannot solve. On the episode, BoF luxury editors Mimosa Spencer and Robert Williams explain why China remains such a critical missing piece, why Louis Vuitton is under closer scrutiny than usual, and why jewellery continues to outperform the rest of luxury. Key Insights: One of the clearest messages from this earnings season is that new designers can lift mood and momentum internally, but that alone is not enough to restart the industry. Williams says the latest results confirmed that the impact of all these creative resets is “pretty limited, especially in isolation”. As he puts it, “the result of that is more like…

People in this episode

Guests: Mimosa Spencer, Robert Williams

Topics covered

• luxury market
• creative directors
• sales performance
• China market
• geopolitical tensions
• jewellery performance

Keywords

• luxury
• sales rebound
• creative hype
• China
• geopolitical tensions
• jewellery
• Dior
• Gucci
• Chanel

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dior, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton

Places: China, Middle East

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