I made a walk to the Duomo of Florence today. It’s around 30 minutes from my house.

Sunday morning. Very few people around. Almost no tourists.

An empty city. Rich of beauty and soul. With stunning corners of poetry.

I carefully avoided places where I could see small groups and I took other roads.

This reminded me a Robert Foster poetry
“The road not taken” last verse

“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

At it led me to the beauty of driving in tiny country roads in Hampshire, UK, early in the morning, crossing wild horses, vintage Rolls Royce cars driven by silver haired gentlemen and the misty light of the raising sun.

This is what this lockdown is trying to tell us all.

To take the less travelled road.

Because it makes all the difference.

While competitors are “stuck” in their success and troubles, LVMH seems to be speeding up on a series of crucial decisions.

• Balance geo-distribution of the business: Rihanna #Fenty is certainly not aimed at conquering China, but the USA, same as Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton. These are big catalysts for the black community which represents a relevant market for fashion.
• #Beauty is a big business and when you own both Beauty Brands as well a key retailer you are on the easy path to success
• Slowly but steady growth compared to competitors
• #hospitality business from Cheval Blanc to Bulgari hotels to Belmond is a luxury lifestyle investment that reinforces the group image and perception and makes sense in the global #LuxuryExperience concept
• #winesandspirits is another channel very useful for being relevant in a channel that allows partnerships with key high-end sports players such as Roger Federer and entertainment events such as Golden Globes

Style and clear vision is what makes of this group the first entity in the luxury and fashion industry.

An interesting benchmark, indeed.