Welcome to Lean Luxe.

The online newsletter for the modern luxury business crowd.

By any measure, the impact of today’s new luxury businesses and entrepreneurs has been gigantic.

Visionaries like Alexander Gilkes and team at Paddle8 have challenged the art world’s apathy towards online sales, making auctions more accessible to more people. Good friends Paul Trible and Paul Watson of Ledbury have solved a problem many men had: where to find a top-quality, better-fitting shirt at a great price. In San Fransisco, Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah of Cuyana have perfected the art of selling ethical luxury goods in a smart, contemporary package — without the preachiness that’s so often associated.

With their examples come hundreds more. So who are the people and companies worth paying attention to? And why do they matter? Nearly a decade into this important new era for the sector, there’s still no central source today answering these questions. No title is devoting focused — and consistent — analytical coverage to the new group that’s fundamentally reshaping the standards of the industry.

Lean Luxe is here to meet that challenge head on. We’re an online newsletter helping you better understand what’s happening inside the modern luxury market, and the broader impact of the players involved.

Think of us as The Economist meets Quartz for companies like Auctionata, Jack Erwin, Phlur, and MM.LaFleur.

Our mission is to give you the best context and business analysis on companies like these, and to treat them with the depth and intelligence they’ve been begging for. We’re aiming for a growing audience that’s yet to be properly addressed (or even categorized) as a distinctive group: the modern luxury business set. This includes those with skin in the game, and those who simply want to stay informed. We’re thinking of the founders, the management teams, the advisors, the employees, and the investors behind today’s new wave of luxury companies. But we’re also thinking of their most loyal customers, and the analysts looking to keep track.

The idea here is simple. Two or three days per week, we’ll deliver a big picture briefing straight to your inbox on the businesses, personalities, and affairs driving the modern luxury marketplace. We’re starting small, with the newsletter the first phase of a two-part rollout. In early 2017, we’re planning on unveiling a full site. Until then, we’re treating the newsletter as the beta, something of a practice run to see what works and what doesn’t, to perfect our voice, and to learn more about what our readers want as we march towards the full launch next year.

Details on the newsletter

What’s included in each issue?

— A featured analysis piece, typically a summarized take on important article from elsewhere, and sometimes something original written by us.

— Three or four links to business articles, always on modern luxury brands or figures, and each with a quick, crisp synopsis.

— A business-focused audio or video link.

Lastly, in lieu of breaking news, we’ll be providing you with something much more powerful — sharp analysis and informed thinking on an expanding new area of business. Even better, we’ll be presenting it from a well-defined, opinionated point of view to help you separate the wheat from the chaff.

We love all feedback, so if you have any suggestions, thoughts, requests, or tips contact us: info@leanluxe.com.

In the meantime, check out the first issue here, and be sure to subscribe to us. If you’re all-in on what we’re doing, pass us on to your friends and teams.

Thanks and enjoy,

M. Paul Munford, Editor-in-Chief

— Contact me at: mpm@leanluxe.com

— Find us on Twitter at: LeanLuxe