REPORTAJE
Dressing with the Italian seal of luxury by Jose Luis Led.
My relationship with Jose Luis Led is one that started a couple of years ago and is continuously growing in the present.
Just by talking to him we can see his knowledge in what luxury means and how to take his brand forward into the next level while at the same time, surpassing all their goals and expectations.
Is there something that you would like to say before the interview begins, to give the readers a better idea of the main topic?
Of course, I believe that it is important that the readers know that our relationship started nine years ago, during the last phase of my time in Spain and one or two years before my journey to North America. At that time, I had two current projects, the first one bored me but helped me keep the lights on and the bills paid while the second one kept me entertained and feeling alive, but it wasn’t profitable. That was a very interesting time because of the introduction of the “Florentino” brand in the United States. I was helping the owner’s son during the beginning until he took over the brand.
What does the brand “Made in Italy” mean to you?
“Made in Italy” had a great momentum, and is starting to recover again, but that’s just the beginning of everything. Made in Italy refers to using 90% or more of the materials made in Italy, which is the keystone of the clothing companies in the country. Italy’s corporations are lacking on the industrial level and is full of family-based companies. However, if there is something that Italy makes proud of, it is their international projection on the concepts of quality and Premium.
How would you describe the male luxury fashion?
In Italy, the male fashion is recognized not only for the idea of looking good in public, but for an aspiring sense of reality and to seem as if their life was based on luxury. This trend has been growing and even branched out into more countries such as Spain and the United States.
The brands evolve while people do, or the people should evolve as the brands do?
People have started to better understand the importance of the type of clothing in different circumstances. They have started to realize that fashion, along with brands evolving, causes people to find the luxury clothes they want according to their own taste and then improving it.
Can you describe the relationship with luxury and personal image?
I bought a suit from a luxury brand with the intention of using it on an administrative meeting. More and more, people have gotten into this type of style when they go to meet with a client, travel, and go into a meeting; they have only in mind to look as presentable and well dressed as possible. Even when we talk about the younger high-end customers, they have a specific mindset. When they buy a suit, they don’t throw it away unless it is a low-quality suit that won’t be used again.
What would be your advice, as a company, to help capture the younger consumer market?
My advice to you and the company is to create a catalog and then continue to innovate and update it. By creating more diversity in your products, it will attract young adults and help them create a better understanding and appreciation for luxury clothing.
What would be your advice, as a company, to help capture the younger consumer market?
My advice to you and the company is to create a catalog and then continue to innovate and update it. By creating more diversity in your products, it will attract young adults and help them create a better understanding and appreciation for luxury clothing.
How would you describe the relationship between the amount of product sold and the number of stores opened?
I believe that selling is based on direct impacts towards the consumers. We should sell wherever we can sell. There are cities, even lifestyles, that have been driven into the idea that suits have no meaning or use outside of the common wedding ceremonies. In those cases, you need to have quality over quantity. When people appreciate the clothing, they will have a higher rate of profits. But, in places such as Serrano in Madrid or Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona, people have another way to perceive the clothing, that having more stores of high brands would help with the flow of profit in that field.
You have dedicated your life to having an amazing web of networking that has helped you in your professional life, could you give use an idea of why you think that networking is so fundamental in business?
Networking is the keystone of the way that business gets done and continues to progress. An example of this was the web that I created in art a few years ago when I got back from selling art in New York. I was able to create a strong web on networking related to the art category. The surprising part is that after all these years, because of the strong networking that I managed to create, there are still people that continue buying art from me and that even bring new clients.
What do you believe is the future of our Premium stores and the online distribution?
I believe that both ideas work together; that the usual picture and banner on the store alone is not enough anymore. We need to act on the internet so that we can reach a greater number of customers, globally.
What do you see as the future of fashion and luxury in Spain?
Spain is the second country in commerce and tourism at the global level and is an important country when we talk about leisure. Most people come for the same reason to Spain, for the sun and for the countless stores that are always on top of the new styles that fashion offers. With more people coming other companies will arrive and the fashion would start to evolve towards the expectations that the of the public.
Do you think that Barcelona has the potential to become an icon on the luxury world?
Yes, without a doubt. We can unify the ocean, the beach, history, arts, and gastronomy. With these improving qualities, it creates more attraction compared to many other cities. It is true that Madrid has its own charm, but it doesn’t have a beach or ocean. A place with the beach and the great ocean on front gives the people a better way of life and shows more happiness and interaction with their society.
With that in mind, do you believe that Catalunya has an appealing factor such as Barcelona?
It would be amazing if we, Catalunya, becomes one of the few icons in this field. It has become more expensive; even when is not the same level as Paris or Milan, the city has the perfect conditions to achieve that goal. It may have a difficulty because of the political level but it seems to be growing quickly and steadily.
