The Long View - Temperance is a Virtue

The long view is something I think about all the time and influences my approach to work; sometimes to my benefit and sometimes as an obstacle (especially with insta-satisfaction-types). The recent social climate and economic uncertainty will certainly make many people think about this, including CEOs. I remember sitting through a conference where Marco Bizzarri (then CEO of Gucci) emphasized how Gucci was all about exponential growth. Stores were literally popping-up everywhere, new “drops” and “collaborations” including one with Disney which I still cannot understand were turning up all the time. It was Guccimania…until it wasn’t. Did Marco Bizzarri and his team go too far? Did they have a well designed longterm vision? Too much of anything is never a good idea. Temperance is a virtue and is beautifully depicted in the Seven Virtues at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy.

Meanwhile, brands like Brunello Cucinelli dominate low key luxury and thrive with a true command of long-term thinking. Smaller labels like Toteme are gaining popularity and slowly gaining market share, without logos, too many famous ambassadors, infinite stores, and gimmicky collaborations. Have CEOS fallen into the modern trap of “I want it now, I want it fast, and I’m not truly thinking about tomorrow vibe” that has dominated human behaviour for the last 2 decades? There is a high possibility that many fashion and luxury brands are about to have a reckoning. Things are changing…lets see who will be ready.