Selling Europe to the World

Chanel suits, Louis Vuitton bags and Omega watches are now objects that embody a globalized material culture. Over the past 30 years, the luxury goods industry has undergone a tremendous expansion around the world. However, it remains largely dominated by European companies, ranging from diversified conglomerates such as LVMH and Richemont to independent companies such as the Italian fashion houses Armani and Ermenegildo Zegna, and industrial groups like Swatch and L’Oréal or new start-ups such as Richard Mille. How and why did these companies succeed? How did they manage to transform a sector previously dominated by small family firms into a global big business?

Selling Europe to the World presents the development of the global luxury goods industry from the 1980s to the present day. It highlights the strategies implemented by a new generation of entrepreneurs and explains, beyond the glamorous image conveyed by luxury brands, the sources of success of these firms. An essential book for understanding the success of the contemporary luxury industry.

Author Biography

Pierre-Yves Donzé is Professor of Business History at Osaka University in Japan and a visiting professor at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He is the author of six books (in French, with translations in English, Italian and Japanese), three edited volumes and more than 20 research papers published in international journals. He is the co-author of Fashion Business since 1850 (Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2023) and co-editor of the journal Business History.