"Luxury Fatigue" and the Future of High-End Culture: IE Alumni Luxury Club Relaunches with Masterclass and Cocktail Evening

The IE Alumni Luxury Club made a bold return last week with its relaunch event, "Luxury Fatigue," bringing together more than 30+ alumni and experts for an evening of reflection on the state and future of the luxury industry. The event featured a keynote masterclass by luxury strategist and IE University professor Javier Plazas, followed by a cocktail reception aimed at fostering stronger community relationships among IE alumni who are passionate about the luxury industry.

The event, which took place at IE Business School, featured a masterclass by Javier Plazas, an associate professor and strategic foresight consultant at IE. It was then followed by a cocktail reception that was intended to help members of the IE luxury community connect and network.

Plazas is a global speaker, contributor to TEDx Talks, and strategic foresight specialist with a focus on luxury and digital transformation. He also teaches at IE Business School, where he leads classes in executive programs on digital transformation, luxury strategic management, and corporate communication. 

During the event, Plazas offered an in-depth look at the factors reshaping the luxury market throughout the event, emphasizing changes in consumer behavior, changes in the leadership of well-known brands, and the growing significance of authenticity in a competitive marketplace.

"Luxury means nowadays luxury is health and time." Plazas said. Reflecting on the current state of the industry, he noted that terms like “luxury fatigue” are emerging as consumers demand more meaning and authenticity from brands.

He also reflected on the importance of the relaunch: "This might be a place to rethink the future of luxury and create experiences to connect people and network."

Throughout the event, attendees were invited to reflect on the evolving meaning of luxury. IE alumni and trend analyst in corporate communications, Covadonga García, offered a thoughtful take, describing luxury as "something related to your essence… the object is just the recipe for the meaning, but luxury is the meaning." 

Strategy and talent management professional Lucía Marzo offered a different angle, noting that "luxury is what is rare," she said. "I take it to other places like time and silence. We value those different things that are handmade and, as Javier was saying, are built with time."

Marzo applauded the Luxury Club’s initiative as the building block of creating a network and was optimistic that the group could make a difference.

"It’s a seed of community that we are placing here to become stronger, wiser, and to make it more fun," she said. "For me, this is the beginning of us."

The relaunch event confirmed the IE Alumni Luxury Club's objective as it embarks on its next chapter: to be a space for fresh ideas, collaboration, and a more thoughtful approach to luxury in the modern world.