- Tell us why Bvlgari needed technology in accessories?
“We are very proud that we were able to reconcile the world of luxury and technology. Luxury goods are practically immortal, while technologies always have their own measured length of life. A similar paradox can give life to many new projects. Take the same watch. With the help of our new development, which has not yet gone on sale, it will be possible to pay for purchases and learn new information.
All Bvlgari bags we present at Milan Fashion Week have an embedded chip that allows the wearer to access information and our activities. When your smartphone is in such an accessory, it interacts with the chip and, for example, provides all the information about the bag: certificate of authenticity, data on materials, production and release date. At the same time, there is no electronic filling in the bags, the chip does not have a battery. In fact, this is an antenna that is activated via a smartphone.
Of course, the client will receive all the necessary information about new collections. For example, in the fall-winter season 2019/2020, we especially concentrated on the Serpenti Cabochon model. Let's say you already have a chip bag, and your phone will provide you with all the latest news about new products, about what other models have appeared.
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In a way, this allows you to strengthen the relationship between the brand and the client, to make these relationships more friendly. The client gets access to the Bvlgari Touch platform, a kind of closed club, where he will read what he is interested in, the first to know all the latest news. I want to point out that this is the first interactive bag in the world. It will be available at Bvlgari stores around the world. The technology itself is suitable for smartphones based on iOS or Android.
In addition, this technology is very important from a logistics point of view: now there is no need to check the tags for each model, it is enough just to scan in the warehouse. Now you can save tons of time knowing for sure where which bag is being sold. Our new Serpenti Cabochon is one of the most striking bags in the brand's history. It is very technologically advanced, but at the same time unobtrusive, the client does not come across head-to-head technology. In a way, this is also the final point in the issue of interaction between luxury and technology.
- Are you planning to develop this platform?
- Certainly. Now access to unique content that you will receive before anyone else is the main feature of the platform. It also creates a special relationship between the object and its owner. Now on the platform you can watch our news, updates, take photos, in general, there is a lot of interesting things. We really wanted the customer to feel joy using this application.
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- And became more loyal to the brand.
- Not without it. You use a bag, an app, and you enjoy it more and more.
- In general, Bvlgari is becoming a little more everyday. For example, you now have a fairly roomy tote, designed for a day rather than an evening.
- Yes, we try to go beyond certain limits, but it is important for us to remain a brand that is associated precisely with chic, and we successfully cope with this. Bvlgari's main territory is evening bags. The brand chose this category when it started working with accessories.
Our new Cabochon is a great example of how a luxury item has become more functional, but still special. It is larger, but not the kind of bag you take with you when you go shopping. We wanted the triangles, the snake, and the work with metals to be preserved here, to which we have the same approach as to the art of jewelry.
We are very proud to have been able to reconcile the world of luxury and technology.
- What do you think, will such a phenomenon as it-bags ever return? Today sneakers play their role.
“If you look at the luxury market over the past five years, you can see that bags have performed better in sales. Women like to have a lot of bags, which, of course, does not mean that they all have to be of the same brand. Each bag has its own purpose. Our Serpenti has been and continues to enjoy incredible success. Initially, it had a very clear definition: it is an accessory for special moments in life. Bvlgari clients will not go to an important event with an office bag: they will go home and change not only their clothes, but also accessories.
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We also have capsule collections. For example, there was a collaboration with Japanese artist Hirohiko Araki, who decorated the bags with manga drawings. These bags fueled even more interest in the brand, selling very well. We are preparing two new large projects, the release of which is scheduled for June and September.
I don't know if bags will replace sneakers in the struggle for the right to be called an it-accessory, but I can say that, unlike sneakers, bags are an art. It is especially pleasant that accessories are not our key category, first of all Bvlgari is still a jewelry brand. But at the same time, we were the first to be able to combine technology with classic luxury.>