Soon after the Portuguese opened the first direct sea route from Europe to Asia, they established trading centers in India and Sri Lanka. By the early 1500s, the courts and the cities of Europe had become avid consumers of luxury goods imported form South Asia. This book shows how the trade in exotica spurred the development of an extraordinary hybrid art, at once Indian and Portufuese. Many of the feautred objects have never before been properly identified or presented to the public. AUTHOR: Pedro Moura Carvalho is Aga Khan Fellow at Harvard University. 57 illustrations

Machine generated contents note: Luxury and global history Bernd-Stefan Grewe and Karin Hofmeester; 1. Precious things in motion: luxury and the circulation of jewels in Mughal India Kim Siebenhuner; 2. Diamonds as a global luxury commodity Karin Hofmeester; 3. Gold in twentieth-century India - a luxury? Bernd-Stefan Grewe; 4. Chinese porcelain local and global context: the imperial connection Anne Gerritsen; 5. Luxury or commodity? The success of Indian cotton cloth in the first global age Giorgio Riello; 6. The gendered luxury of wax prints in South Ghana: a local luxury good with global roots Silvia Ruschak; 7. From Venice to East Africa: history, uses and meanings of glass beads Karin Pallaver; 8. Imports and autarky: tortoiseshell in early modern Japan Martha Chaiklin; 9. Tickling and klicking the ivories - the metamorphosis of a global commodity in the nineteenth century Jonas Kranzer; 10. The conservation of luxury: safari hunting and the consumption of wildlife in twentieth-century East Africa Bernhard Gissibl; 11. Luxury as a global phenomenon: concluding remarks Bernd-Stefan Grewe and Karin Hofmeester

Luxury has been fascinating humanity for millennia and it seems that it will continue to do so in the future. As we can see in developed countries with populations living in relative affluence, luxury takes different forms, becoming less materialistic when people already own a house, two cars and a boat, but now crave wellness treatments and more recreational time. However, luxury will always have a material aspect as embodied by beautiful products made from exclusive materials by skilled artisans with an eye for detail. One way or another, luxury is big business and an important economic factor all over the world, especially in Switzerland, a country with few natural resources to speak of but a wealth of knowledge when it comes to services (e.g. hotel management) and the manufacture of exclusive products such as watches, textiles, and of course chocolate – to name just a few. Indeed, a significant proportion of Swiss GDP comes from the production of luxury goods which are exported all over the world. In this publication we examine the phenomenon of luxury, ist roots, and ist economic impact both globally and in Switzerland. You will learn more about global luxury markets, well-known and niche market players, as well as major trends shaping the definition of luxury and the management and marketing of luxury brands in the future.

This book explores the luxury industry and how it has undoubtedly been one of the fastest-growing sectors since the 1970s, and one in which Europe has managed to strengthen its competitiveness in the world market. While many aspects of globalization remain abstract and intangible, the luxury industry has created markets where previously there were none, by educating Japanese about the history of French handbags, Chinese about the finest wines, and setting global standards for an elite, inspirational lifestyle. In this edited volume, a wide range of scholars comes together to analyze the history of the business and the innovations in management and marketing that have emerged from it. Invaluable for scholars, industry figures, and dilettantes alike, it will define the field of study for years to come.

A thorough, comprehensive guide to the luxury goods industry for executives, entrepreneurs, and students interested to know about the luxury business As key new luxury markets like Asia, Latin America and Africa continue to expand, The Road to Luxury: The Evolution, Markets and Strategies of Luxury Brand Management gives professionals interested in the industry a holistic understanding of luxury market dynamics around the world using stories, experiences, relevant data and statistics on current market trends. For investors, the book offers valuable insight on where the industry is headed. For industry insiders and executives, it presents valuable data with which to craft successful business strategies. The definitive insider's guide to the luxury sector by leading figures in the field Includes rigorous academic data, including information on the business attractiveness and appropriateness of various country markets Examines strategies and success factors of key players, and insight into the systems and operations, retail, distribution and e-commerce, emerging markets and emerging brands, as well as management styles For professionals in the luxury industry, as well as those studying it or investing in it, The Road to Luxury presents a complete and information-packed resource covering virtually every aspect of this growing sector.

Immanuel Wallerstein’s highly influential, multi-volume opus, The Modern World-System, is one of this century’s greatest works of social science. An innovative, panoramic reinterpretation of global history, it traces the emergence and development of the modern world from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.

Learn how your business can tap into foreign markets In Export Now, two international business experts reveal the secrets to taking your company global. Offering a real-life strategy that businesses of any size can use to expand their reach around the world, this book is the ultimate guide to identifying, evaluating, and profiting from global opportunities. Essential reading for any company looking to expand abroad, the book explains the five essentials of international growth. All businesses know they need to get into new markets, but the lack of familiarity, the cultural and language gaps, and the differences in business practices can be intimidating—this book solves these problems, giving you everything you need to grow. The ultimate handbook for any business looking to go global Explains the five essentials of international expansion Written by two experts with years of experience building global businesses around the world Guiding you through the how to's of going global, Export Now is your one-stop resource for expanding your business overseas.

The definitive guide to managing a luxury brand, newly revised and updated What defines a luxury brand? Traditional wisdom suggests that it's one that's selective and exclusive—to such a degree that only one brand can exist within each retail category (automobiles, fragrances, cosmetics, etc.). But this definition is inherently restrictive, failing to take into account the way in which luxury brands today are increasingly identified as such by their placement in stores and how consumers perceive them. This revised and updated edition of Luxury Brand Management, the first comprehensive book on luxury brand management, looks at the world of branding today. Written by two renowned insiders, the book builds on this new, broader definition of luxury and examines more than 450 internationally known brands from a wide range of industries. Packed with new information covering the financial crisis's impact on luxury brands, and looking towards a new period of growth, the book reconciles management, marketing, and creation with real-life examples and management tools that the authors have successfully used in their professional careers. Includes dedicated chapters focusing on each of the main functions of a luxury brand, including brand creation, the complexity of managing brand identity, the convergence of arts and brands, and much more Addresses the practical functions that can make or break bottom lines and affect brand perception, such as distribution, retailing, logistics, and licensing Focuses on brand life-cycle, brand identity, and licensing issues A compelling and comprehensive examination of the different dimensions of luxury management in various sectors, this new edition of the classic text on brand management is essential reading for anyone working with or interested in making the most of a luxury brand in the post-recession world.

This book analyses the idea of luxury, shows how its evaluative meaning has changed, and explores its role in the determination of social order.