"THE MYSTIQUE OF LUXURY BRANDS CONFERENCE"
(Keio University, Tokyo, Japan, 20 – 21 September 2019)
Proudly hosted by
The Luxury Branding Research Centre, Curtin University and Keio University
The Mystique of Luxury Brands Conference is an event where academics and luxury industry professionals convene for academic and industry keynotes, industry panel discussion and academic paper presentations. The Mystique of Luxury Brands Conference 2019 will be co-hosted by Keio University Mita Campus, the oldest private institution of higher learning in Japan. Despite Keio’s prestigious 150 years of tradition, the university remains at the forefront of innovation in its teaching and research. Driven by its founder’s commitment to jitsugaku (empirical science), there is no better place to hold an academic conference. Further, the university’s philosophy of jiga sakko (creating history to define the future) is also reflective of very essence of luxury branding. Events planned include industry and academic keynotes, research publishing workshops, inauguration of special interest groups, an awards ceremony for the best paper, as well as networking lunch and dinner.
Japan today, much like the rest of the world, is seeing dynamic changes in luxury brand consumption. The revenue is estimated to US$27,695m in the luxury goods market in Japan during 2019. The market is expected to grow annually by 1.0% (CAGR 2019-2023). The market's largest segment is the segment luxury fashion with a market volume of US$8,901m in 2019. Yet, consumption patterns vary across consumer segments with an increasing trend towards the consumption of less ostentatious consumer goods such as watches, bags and cars to experiential luxuries such as travel or summer homes. Subtle branding and designs are also becoming increasingly popular, reminiscent of Japan’s Zen traditions.
In a bow to the spirit of the host university and Japanese culture, this year’s conference aims to delve deeper into understanding changes in perceptions of luxury and consumer culture across a range of luxury product categories, as well as strategies that luxury brands can adopt to keep up with these changes in the region and globally.