What The Luxe

From Blackpool to the Maldives, Paul Jones has lived a fascinating career to say the least. Sitting down with What The Luxe, Paul takes us back to the beginning, before weaving the tale of his life in hospitality to date, unveiling secrets of the trade along the way.

In 2005, Tim Butcher and Lizzie Deshayes founded Fromental, establishing their reputation with hand-painted, hand-embroidered silk wall coverings. Twenty years later, they've carved out a singular space in the interiors market. Sitting down with What The Luxe, Lizzie and Tim illuminate listeners on the innate fun of creation, the nuances of taste in designing for designers and how crafting beautiful things is a compulsive and human act.

Always armed with a pen and something sharp to say, James was the perfect victim for What The Luxe’s first video episode. He and Anant begin by debunking innovation myths and misconceptions surrounding the U/HNW cohort before moving through the subjects of status, digital assets, healthy friction in the customer experience, the importance of rewarding behaviours, creating ritual and the industry’s tendency to conflate observation with insight – punctuated with subtle innovation anecdotes and valuable case studies.

For nearly two decades, Black Tomato has been lighting the way for curious travellers, providing bespoke experiences designed to inspire, challenge and connect. Sitting down with What The Luxe, co-founder Tom Marchant taps into the brand’s driving forces as well as the need for a symbiotic relationship between traveller and place.

All-round streetwear icon, founder of STAPLE and creator of the Pigeon SB Dunk, Jeff Staple, joins the podcast to kick off What The Luxe’s coolest series yet – talking everything from 1980s/90s NYC to self-expression, individuality and why streetwear has become synonymous with the world of luxury. Plus we get the story behind the legendary “NYC Pigeon”, its five-figure value and more.

Wrapping up What The Luxe’s second series, Fred is joined by Geordie Mackay-Lewis; a former soldier turned co-founder of bespoke experience group Pelorus, who design and lead transformative travel experiences for those who desire something different. Covering the big subjects like sustainability, diversifying luxury audiences and market gaps, Fred and Geordie also touch on the question of AI, whether it’s a threat or benefit to Pelorus’ premise and why experiences should be designed destination-last, not first.

Our first team host and Head of Marketing Juliet Watkin-Rees sits down with Perla Bloom, Global Strategy Lead at Electronic Arts, to enlighten forward-thinking luxury brands on the gaming opportunity, clarify widespread misconceptions and demystify the space for those who have yet to get to grips with it – underpinned by a call for brands to value players just as much as they value traditional media audiences.

As a provocateur who stands against the hype, Tom Goodwin doesn’t mince words. It’s a candour he brings to What The Luxe’s latest episode as, alongside Anant, the two journey through topics like the philosophy of superfakes, death of longform, whether AI hype is warranted, loyalty myths and more. All underpinned by the necessity of nuance and context in a noisy, hype-driven world.

With over seventeen years of experience in the luxury space, Rosie Shephard is a font of knowledge for brands who wish to be first-movers. In the episode, she sits down with Fred to talk everything from luxury’s ever-evolving landscape and ongoing market shifts to new definitions and their role in the wider world, ultimately calling for industry ‘pearl-clutchers’ to kick away the heritage crutch and instead use the influence and privilege of luxury brands to push culture forward.

As the digitisation partner for world-leading brands like Pangaia, Mulberry, Coach, Chloé and many more, EON uses proprietary digital ID technology to make every product traceable, intelligent and valuable. Fred sits down with EON’s founder, Natasha Franck, to tap into the tech’s revolutionary potential and how it adds modern luxury value by heightening craft, deepening story and extending lifecycles.

In 2007, Mike and Alison Battle founded Lapland UK – an immersive, festive experience for every kind of family. As clients of Matter Of Form, we invited Mike to sit down with Fred to illuminate the complexities of the immersive experience business model, the importance of integrity when working with an open IP and how everything that can be considered luxury starts and ends with craft.

From Wall Street to luxury fashion to the wild world of nightclub ownership and now to Chief Brand Officer of citizenM, Robin Chadha’s career has been a vibrant one. As he and Anant talk everything innovation, tech and a shared, permanent fascination with hospitality, Robin reveals the story of citizenM, the lightbulb moment behind the concept and the brand’s distinctive take on luxury.

Chris Sanderson is the co-founder of The Future Laboratory, one of the world’s most renowned futures consultancies, and the best guest to kick off the second series of this podcast. A clear authority in what makes timeless brands, Chris and Anant tap into the science behind trends, sources of newness and the intricacies in the cycle of innovation; unpicking the trajectory of luxury as they go — all the way from antiquity to tomorrow.

A long-time friend of Matter Of Form and all-round luxury industry ace, Julia Perowne gives What The Luxe a glimpse of her innate sense of what makes a hotel special, some guidelines on what an exquisite hotel proposition looks like and why she is another hater of the term ‘luxury’.

With an intuitive understanding of people, Adam Blackwood, Founder & Creative Director of Private Drama Events, illuminates Fred on the power of complete immersion in one-of-a-kind experiences and creating the mystery of a lifetime on Belmond’s legendary British Pullman.

Continuing our channel-wide deep dive into fine jewellery, Fred is joined by world-renowned designer, jeweller & CEO of Ming Jewellery, Ming Lampson — whose love for gemstones has spanned both decades and continents — to mine her philosophy for crafting one-of-a-kind pieces, the story behind the stones and where fine jewellery is headed.

Keith Vincent, CEO of Wilderness, a world-leading conservation and hospitality company, fascinates and entertains Fred with his tales from the wild — both in nature and the unpredictable landscape of business & ecotourism. A total legend in the industry, he leads Wilderness’ 3000-strong collective with over 60 camps across 8 countries, acting as a force behind their mission to preserve the world’s ultimate, untamed places no matter where they may be.

Everyone knows about Dishoom, the decade-defining success story of London’s restaurant scene. To dive deeper, Fred is joined by Kavi Thakrar, Dishoom’s formidable and admirably humble Co-Founder & Head Babu. Weaving truly fascinating tales of both his life and business, Kavi tells Fred all about Bombay’s beautiful melting pot of culture, the challenge of replicating that in the UK restaurant industry, the secret to success in hospitality (answer: soul) and the importance of deepening a brand with storytelling, rather than diluting it.

Fred & Anant are joined by Charlotte Shaw, CMO of BlockBar — the world’s first DTC NFT marketplace for luxury wines and spirits — talking everything from their blockchain business model, the benefit for both brands and buyers as well as Web3’s potential to revolutionise luxury. Disclaimer: You will find yourself googling how to buy shares in BlockBar after listening.

Throwing up a middle finger to conventional notions of luxury travel, Fred is joined by Sam Highley, Founder of All Roads North – an unpretentious luxury travel company that custom designs unforgettable American road trips. Tune in as these two old friends tap into All Roads North’s ‘unpretentious luxury’ ethos, the many faces of the luxury road tripper and whether tech has the potential to displace the bespoke travel advisor.