ML - Vegas Magazine

Vegas - 2015 - Issue 5 - September - Fall Fashion - Kate King

Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.

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Diversifying Luxury Las Vegas's reputation as the high-end shopping mecca for international visitors continues to escalate, despite a strengthening dollar. For years, Las Vegas has been packing all the biggest players in luxury retail onto its four-mile strip, including multiple locations of some of the world's most exclusive brands. There's a good reason for the heavy concentration of stores from Tiffany & Co. (four within walking distance of each other), Louis Vuitton (three, also a quick stroll apart), and Chanel (three, two of them within Wynn and encore), and that's market demand. according to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors authority, of the 41 million travelers who arrived in Vegas in 2014, 61 percent went shopping. only a decade or so ago, shopping was something to keep gamers' bored significant others occupied. now many international visitors come to Las Vegas exclusively to buy luxury items—a trend that doesn't seem to be waning as the dollar strengthens. still, retailers know that to compete with all the entertain- ing options on the strip, they must provide a bit of extra service, and maybe some entertainment of their own, to keep visitors engaged. enter private lounge areas; enter- tainment venues; a free (with reservations), permanent James Turrell art installation (Akhob, shown above) at Louis Vuitton's store at The shops at Crystals, its largest in north america; a personal liaison with fashion houses for couture clients staying at Wynn, which will even provide a villa to accommodate fittings; and a concierge service at The Forum shops that will arrange translators for more than 25 languages for shoppers from around the world. Perhaps the most significant trend in the last several years, however, has been fashion houses' willingness to bypass the usual cities to establish their first Us boutiques in Las Vegas (like givenchy, which opened at Wynn last year). Meanwhile, less-expected brands—such as Mulberry, nicholas Kirkwood, and Charlotte olympia—continue to enter the city's retail crush at a snappy pace, not only luring well-heeled locals seeking greater variety, but also offering only-in- Vegas exclusives for trophy-hunting visitors. and while you're here, look for those graff diamond-encrusted headphones.—Andrea Bennett Shopping used to be something to keep gamers' bored significant others occupied. Now many visitors come to Vegas exclusively to buy luxury items. been around for 50 to 100 years have to have responsibility, credibility, and follow-through on these topics, because they're going to get more and more important as the customer gets younger and younger. BC: Another aspect of sustainability is an approach we started taking 10 years ago of buying small artisanal [businesses] where the craft itself was in danger of becoming extinct. I think many of you have done the same thing. Mr. Lagerfeld creates the Métiers d'art collection once a year—that only uses those fve to six specialist houses. When we think about sustainability long- term—and for all of us, the story of our brand is so much tied to what is unique and special—giving these people a lifeline, if you will, to continue their craft is what it's about as well. V "All brands are searching for ways to be relevant to the millennials." —maz zouhair i, ceo and pr esident, lalique north amer ica

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