Apple is diving into the luxury market for the first time ever with the exorbitantly expensive gold Apple Watch Edition. The pricey new timepiece has been met with criticism from Apple fans and haters a like, but according to Condé Nast, Apple is now a powerful player in the luxury industry and wants Jony Ive and Marc Newson to tell them all about it.
Jony Ive and Marc Newson will open the first ever Conde Nast Luxury Conference in Florence Italy in April 2015. The design duo will appear with event host, Vogue International editor Suzy Menkes, to discuss “21st century definition of luxury and their collaborative work to date.”
“Apple is now a powerful part of the luxury industry,” Menkes said today. “The iPhone, iPad, and the forthcoming Apple Watch are in direct competition with handbags, timepieces and high-end accessories. I want Jony Ive to tell the conference delegates where 21st century luxury is headed.”
Apple’s pair of famous designers will be joined by execs from top fashion brands, such as Hermes CEO Axel Dumas, Tory Burch, Chloé’s president and creative director, Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye and Clare Waight Keller, and Beluti CEO Antoine Arnault. The event will be held on April 22nd and 23rd at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, but with tickets going for $4,1000 (plus a $900 VAT), getting in won’t be cheap.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
