"We are looking for talent, orientation and gender identity don't matter," says Petr Jindra, who has linked his name to the world of luxury, about his choice of colleagues.
As CEO and co-owner of Luxury Brand Management, you look after the most luxury brands on Paris Street. Sounds like a dream job, what was your journey to this leadership role?
I knew I was passionate about business from a young age. I simply have "marketism" in my blood. I first studied commerce at the University of Economics in Prague and then went to Germany where I also studied marketing and communication. There I got my first job challenges - I started working in the media, at RTL TV. After returning to the Czech Republic, I joined Czech Television and gradually, apart from the media world, I gained experience in several multinational advertising and PR agencies. Then came my first position in retail, straight into international, I was in charge of five countries. And I was just 26 years old. (laughs)
Then it was just a step to luxury retail. I worked for local and global players and also for lifestyle, fashion and luxury brands such as Swarowski, Louis Vuitton and as Group Manager for three countries in the luxury division of L'Oréal. I came to LBM and "Paris" first as Group Marketing Director for the whole group and gradually took over the whole sales team. I've been CEO and co-owner for the last three years and it's been a ride. The company is thriving, we are getting new cool brands and especially concepts that nobody else offers and Prague hasn't "seen" yet.
Ten years ago, it was you who brought brands like Balenciaga, Saint Laurent and Givenchy to The Brands in the Czech Republic. Now you are opening the third luxury multi-brand boutique at The Brands. Will it be different from the existing ones?
Ten years have passed and it's time for something unique again! Already this autumn, the concept of the third The Brands will offer a completely new shopping experience, and not just shopping. On more than 700 square metres, we will create a versatile space that combines luxury fashion, design, art and gastronomy. We will create a place where you don't just go to buy a luxury piece of clothing, but you will get to know other new trendy brands, meet extraordinary people, be surrounded by beauty and creativity at every turn and enjoy premium coffee or champagne. Imagine a luxury boutique with an art gallery, champagne bar, café and Private Members Club. You simply won't want to leave...
Gianni Versace once said, "Don't follow trends. Don't let fashion control you, decide who you are and what you want to express by how you dress and how you live." Do you think that still applies?
If we're talking about self-expression and individuality, then fashion is undoubtedly the best vehicle. Thank goodness we live in a time where we no longer have to be afraid of self-expression, and that goes for creativity in fashion as well. Thanks to globalisation and social media, you can now also see designers and brands that directly target LGBT creativity. Or you can just walk into your favourite boutique, not just on Parisian Street, and buy and wear what you like. Fashion is a game. Nothing should be taken too seriously.
Do you see any changes in the collections of luxury brands with regard to the LGBT community?
Fashion is very open and diverse in that regard and that's great. It's also common nowadays for big fashion houses to have transgender models walking the catwalk at shows in Paris or Milan, for example. In June, there are often limited capsule collections that are exclusive to all things Pride Month. But self-expression is still key, so in my opinion the main message is: walk in what you feel like yourself in.
There has also been a big boom in unisex fashion from luxury brands in the past. Does this trend still persist in fashion, or do people who are not comfortable with the division of fashion into men's and women's have other more interesting options?
Unisex collections are no longer trendy. People want to look beautiful. What we were used to in the past is coming back into fashion - an emphasis on precision workmanship, opulence, craftsmanship and premium materials. But the shift is evident in the fact that people don't care so much about the division between men's and women's fashion anymore. Gentlemen are comfortable reaching for a great piece in the women's department, and ladies are equally unafraid to head to the men's department. It's great that the question of who a piece is for doesn't come up so often. After all, if you like something and it suits you, why bother? Fashion is all about freedom of expression - and it's great that more and more people understand that.
The fashion world naturally attracts people with an open mind, strong creativity and a strong expression of individuality. What is LBM's strategy with regard to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
For us, the strategy is quite simple. I want to have the best people on the team - not just people, but brands. This combination allows me to offer our VIC(Very Important Clientele, ed.) customers the best service and also take the best care of them. But in general, finding good people is key in luxury. The more diversity in the team, the better the results. We have already proven this. In monobrand boutiques, they are often a bit more shackled by internal rules and limits. We, on the other hand, love the cocktail of different energies, and great ideas are born.
We give managers the resources and space to share in our collective success. They choose the collections, the team and are involved in the marketing of the brand. We've also introduced a special "Talent Acquisition Program", where newcomers to our boutiques are trained across the LBM portfolio so they can try working for different luxury brands and quickly see which one they like best. Orientation and gender identity play no part in this, we are looking for skilled "Entrepreneurs".
Has an open approach from your employer ever helped you personally in your career growth, or did you have to work harder than others to get where you are today?
When I started in retail a few decades back, being gay, and still in this business, wasn't really in vogue. It was a tough-guy business, you just had to have elbows. No one ever helped me in my career and I worked really hard for everything, I worked harder than everyone else. And I guess that's why I am where I am. I didn't grow up with a golden spoon in my mouth, and I didn't have a path all the way to the finish line. I've never. But I'm half-German and a workaholic and a perfectionist, so I need those challenges in my life. The paradox is that I can now compare that classic retail environment with luxury fashion and I would say that in my current industry, given the equal representation of everyone, the opposite is more of a problem. (laughs) But I think too much of everything is bad for everything, I think the ideal situation is when everything is balanced.
