Lucchese Bootmakers

Angela Thomisee

Luxury Merchandising Authority

Understanding Customers to Create Relevant Accessories

For me, it starts with a combination of trend research, sales data and customer feedback. The Western market is nuanced within the global retail landscape and often trends differently than the broader market, so really understanding our specific consumer is essential.

We spend a lot of time looking at vintage products and studying what has historically resonated with this customer, then thinking about how we can modernize those ideas for today. Combining that research with what customers are actually buying and what we are hearing directly from our stores gives us a really strong foundation for developing products that feel both relevant and authentic.

Bridging Creativity and Commercial Success through Merchandising

I really see merchandising as the bridge between creativity and commercial success. You can have a great product idea, but it still has to make sense within the larger assortment, hit the right price and have a reason to exist within the business.

At the same time, you have to protect the integrity and perceived value of the brand. Merchandising helps us identify whitespace and opportunity without just creating more product for the sake of creating product.

“Commercial success is about creating the right product for the right customer, maintaining desirability and strengthening the brand long term.”

In luxury, there is also a responsibility to be intentional about assortment, distribution and volume. Commercial success is about creating the right product for the right customer, maintaining desirability and strengthening the brand long term.

Balancing Insights, Trends and Creative Instinct

I think all of those inputs are important, but none of them should dictate the process entirely. Sales data tells you what has worked, customer feedback tells you what people are responding to and trend research gives you an idea of where the market may be going, but product development still requires instinct and taste.

Working for a heritage brand adds another layer because we are constantly thinking about what feels authentic to our history, how we make it relevant for today and whether it can stand the test of time. You can't just chase what is trending or recreate what sold last season. The business goals create the guardrails, but within those guardrails, you have to trust your point of view and leave room for creativity, experimentation and calculated risk.

Shaping the Future of Luxury through Consumer Experience

I think consumers are becoming increasingly savvy, especially those willing to pay a premium for luxury goods. They understand quality, they do their research and they have more access to products and information than ever before. That puts more responsibility on luxury brands to give them something that truly warrants the investment through quality, craftsmanship, design and a product that stands apart.

In a world where AI and technology have put so much at our fingertips, accessibility and convenience alone aren't enough to differentiate a brand anymore. I think luxury will increasingly be defined by more than the physical product. The experience around it, whether that's personalization, service, storytelling or simply creating a sense of discovery and connection, is becoming just as important.

Advice for Future Product Development Professionals

Get away from the computer and immerse yourself in your customer's world. Data and research are incredibly valuable, but they can only tell you so much. Shop where your customer shops, get into stores, talk to the people actually selling your product and pay attention to what people are wearing and buying.

I also think it's incredibly important to understand where your customer came from. Where were they shopping ten or twenty years ago? What were they wearing? What comes around tends to go around, and history can tell us quite a bit about where things may be headed next.

Develop your own taste and point of view, but stay curious and keep challenging your assumptions. The more perspective you have, the better equipped you are to recognize an opportunity before it becomes obvious.