As Luxe Pack celebrated 20 years in the business, the 2007 Monaco event highlighted the vital role packaging plays in the world of luxury products
How do you define luxury? Is it the quality, the price tag, the brand name or the rarity of the product? Whatever the answer, packaging plays a central role in promoting the notion of prestige. Exhibitors and visitors alike at Luxe Pack 2007 were reminded that packaging represents the first visual perception of a product and introduces the consumer to that product.
Luxe Pack once again showcased the very best of luxury packaging with more than 300 exhibitors and a record 6,121 visitors walking through the doors of Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum.
The 2007 exhibition was a milestone for the Luxe Pack brand as it celebrated its 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the show featured a number of exhibitions and evening celebrations that provided both a retrospective of the luxury packaging sector as well as a peep into the future of this dynamic market.
Central to the celebrations was the collaboration between Luxe Pack and the ten packaging companies who have exhibited at the show since its inception in 1988. The evening featured a retrospective of Luxe Pack’s previous events and awards were given to RPC Beauté, Verreries Brosse SAS, Alcan Packaging Beauty, Ets Clas, Doro, Kurz France, Ileos, Lisi Cosmetics, VPI and Qualipac for their loyalty and contribution to the show. The companies also presented in the future-focused Packaging and luxury goods 20 years from now section.
Françoise Montenay, chair of Chanel also marked the anniversary with a fascinating insight into her experience of the luxury goods sector.
After the success of its debut Trends & Market Observer in 2006, Luxe Pack organisers decided to run a second session. The observatory presented new studies and market trends in luxury packaging including sustainability and smart packaging, and was presided over by several major players from the luxury packaging industry including Agnès Kubiak, artistic director, Style Vision; Anne Lavaud, editor, Formes de Luxe; Béatrice Mariotti, vp Carré Noir; and Véronique Liabeuf associate md, Dragon Rouge.
Eco awareness
In addition to the anniversary celebrations, Luxe Pack featured a number of conferences, which addressed some of the key trends currently affecting the industry. Unsurprisingly, the burning issue of environmental awareness and sustainability took the top billing, with the conference room filled to full capacity to hear Eco Echo: The return of sustainable luxuries. A panel including Brenda Brock, founder and ceo, Farmaesthetics Skincare and fashion designer Linda Loudermilk joined moderator and design expert Marc Rosen to show how the eco movement has found a resounding place in the consumer psyche, and ironically become a luxury.
“Today’s more socially conscious generation wants to look after the planet - green now has caché,” said Marc Rosen. “There will always be those who will take advantage of the bandwagon to make a fast buck but sustainability is about integrity. Consumers don’t mind paying a bit more to be green.”
One route where eco and luxe have found a balance is through the creation of an eco luxury stamp of approval. The stamp is only issued to a very select handful of luxury brands with green credentials, including Linda Loudermilk, who uses eco-friendly materials such as hemp, soy, seaweed and bamboo in her fashion lines.
“Green credentials start with commitment - we need to get behind it,” said Loudermilk. “The old view of eco-friendly clothing was of scratchy, lumpy, beige clothes but now there are so many new fibres and fabrics that can create really premium products. We need these to make eco aspirational.”
The theme of green was also a talking point on the show floor, with many exhibitors focusing on bio-diversity and sustainability. Alcan showcased its Ecolo compact, part of a range of hybrid packaging, said to combine fossil-based and bio polymers, and eliminate compatibility issues, guarantee industrial performance and provide an eco-friendly, competitive alternative to traditional materials.
Similarly, API was keen to extol the green virtues of its latest foil and laminated board portfolio, which includes PortaBio, the company’s first biopolymer laminate made from sustainable resources. The laminate has a cellulose wood fibre base and is fully biodegradable, according to API’s account manager, Simon Thompson.
Give a little...get a lot
Gifting inspiration for cosmetics and toiletries has come from increasingly more obscure sources in recent years with the food and automotive industries lending the C&T industry some of the more novel and successful packaging concepts. This synergy has also worked in reverse, with other markets drawing on successful C&T packaging and products for inspiration, according to Cosfibel ceo, Ilan Schinazi.
“The demand for promotion is becoming stronger. There are bigger expectations on gifts,” he said. “We are seeing the drinks sector, in particular the vodka segment, wanting to use lipsticks as a promotion to target more women. Clients are looking for new solutions and gifts as they feel they need to add something different, particularly due to the retail reality in some markets such as the US.”
“There will always be those who will take advantage of the bandwagon to make a fast buck but sustainability is about integrity. Consumers don't mind paying a bit more to be green” |
Marc Rosen, designer |
He cited a direct seller in Peru who has offered a toolbox as a gift when buying men’s toiletries. “Many brands are looking beyond traditional gifting and there is a strong emphasis on creativity,” Shinazi continued.
Gifting was also a main theme within the sampling sector, with Valois showcasing Les Demoiselles, a new concept linking fragrance sampling with fashion accessories. Valois’ Easy Spray and Easy Link technology enables the accessory to be ‘clipped’ onto fragrance samplers, providing easy customisation and a point of difference in the sampling sector. According to Christophe Stalen, vp sales and marketing, initial response to the concept has been very positive.
“What we want to do here is bring new ideas to the existing Easy Spray concept. We don’t just want to be a pump producer, we want to provide packaging solutions around this, making it easier for the customer,” he said.
Adding value
Creating a point of difference is always at the forefront of luxury packaging and this year’s show saw a real drive from several major companies in the technology behind their packaging.
Alcan’s main launch focused on a new line of mascara brushes, which are the result of an exhaustive research programme into the distribution and resulting performance of fibre clusters. Notch 2 is a new generation of mascara brushes that adds a fourth dimension to the traditional three dimension fibre brushes used for mascara application. A patent pending process is claimed to change the distribution of the fibres on the brush, offering new combinations and different make-up finishes including greater curl length and more volume in a single application.
Pfeiffer introduced Irresistible, billed as the company’s first safe dispensing system suitable for preservative-free or low preservative substances, as well as formulations with sensitive natural or biotechnical ingredients. Key to the product is the integral Alpha cartridge, which has no interaction with metal parts, enabling a totally metal-free route for the product and eliminating any compatibility issues that can plague formulators.
“This system is our first 100% safe dispensing system,” explained Christian Hauger, senior product manager, fragrance and cosmetics, Pfeiffer. “It has been produced in a clean room environment so no bacteria can enter, enabling our customers to sustain their product claims. It has also been validated for medical applications.”
Rexam meanwhile focused on the aesthetics of fragrance pumps, with the launch of the XD11. The new compact pump is said to please the senses thanks to a low profile actuator that features a smooth, ergonomic feel when compressed and a high quality of fine spray. The pump’s design ensures that the fragrance is never in contact with the metal parts of the engine thanks to its external spring, while a glass ball and the absence of a rubber gasket allow for full compatibility, according to Rexam product manager, Julie Vergnion.
“This really is our top pump,” she told SPC. “It is perfect for premium products and its flexibility means it can be used on a wide range of designs. “
Luxe appeal
Upping the ante in the luxury stakes is always a priority for both the visitors and exhibitors at Luxe Pack and this year proved no different.
DieterBakic showcased two new packaging solutions claimed to integrate the concepts of luxury and standard packaging in a new and groundbreaking way. Two new premium PMMA jars have been added to the company’s successful Aqua line. The new Aqua Lux jars are available in 50ml and 15ml variants. Also making its debut at Luxe Pack was a new line of screw caps. The Stella Lux screw caps are manufactured in SAN/PP and have a high-end finish. They are available in two sizes and can be combined with a wide range of DieterBakic bottles. Both products have a two-part design, which allows for a wide range of visual effects and finishes, and the outer and inner shell can be decorated separately.
With such innovation and variety on offer, there was a packaging solution to suit every visitor to Luxe Pack, further cementing its position as a premier packaging show. As one exhibitor put it, “Luxe Pack is the most important show in the packaging calendar. Not only is there great packaging, there is a good mix of people at every level. There is simply no other show where you can meet all these people under one roof.”
Luxe Pack 2008, 28-31 October 2008
www.luxepack.com