Blending Heritage & Innovation
Today, I had the immense privilege of being invited by the House of Chanel to a private lunch with 8 great business women in Ms Chanel’s private apartment rue Cambon in Paris.
I have been a fan of Chanel since my early teens. Back then, I spent most of my pocket money on l’Officiel and Vogue and I would review and dissect all their collections. My dream was to own an Iconic Black Chanel Jacket.
30 years later, I still wonder at the beauty and creativity of each piece created by the House of Chanel. I love the energy of Karl Lagerfeld and his ability to combine innovation with a deep respect for the workmanship of the artisans that are unique to France.
[Karl Lagerfeld]…his ability to combine innovation with a deep respect for the workmanship of the artisans.
You can imagine how excited I was to go to lunch !
Apart from being blown away by the beauty of the location, the graciousness of our host and the amazing female leaders I shared lunch with, I realised how Innovation and Heritage finally go hand in hand.
When I started my career leading digital start ups, we were all about the big D’s: Disruption, Displacement and Destruction. No wonder traditional industries like high fashion, arts and Culture felt threatened by us!
Now I am delighted we have moved to the big E’s: using digital to Empower, Enhance and Enable. We are no longer separate worlds. We combine physical and digital, old and new.
In digital start-ups, we were all about the big D’s: Disruption, Displacement and Destruction. We have now moved to the big E’s: using digital to Empower, Enhance and Enable.
We leverage good UI and UX to enhance knowledge and wisdom from traditional mentors and experts. Digital is a platform to showcase and amplify traditional talent as well as new ideas.
We are at a new equilibrium!
