Hosting the 4th Brand Meaning Network in Dubai

The Advances in Branding Research Cluster here at CBS and George Christodoulides hosted the 4th Brand Meaning Network workshop at American University of Sharjah, focusing on Luxury Branding in the Circular Economy. To discuss this vital topic in the UAE gave multiple insights into the meaning of luxury and what local practitioners are doing to change the agenda of Luxury Brands. One of the main themes of the worship was bridging the divide between academia and practitioners. This exploratory forum allowed Business Experts and Academics to share their views and research on the meaning of luxury in the context of circular economy, challenges, opportunities, relevant business models to adopt and so much more.

We have all enjoyed the tremendous networking and meeting new colleagues, but, importantly, sharing ideas and developing research agendas. Firstly, many thanks to M Sajid K. for supporting the event. We are endeared to Florence Bulté (Chalhoub Group), The Abaya Lab and Elise Sorgi from The Luxury Closet for spending their time to share their insights.

The workshop enabled us to explore the many paradoxical elements associated with luxury branding and circular economy. We heard how industry is tackling this head-on by using its (symbolic and political) influence to change the agenda and mindsets (of politicians and consumers). We also discussed the need to change the mindsets of the industry if a change is to be more than superficial. This was heartening and a good lesson for the industry. We also heard how luxury also affects individuals through compulsive consumption and the (self) abusive working conditions that Social Media Influencers are subjected to and part of. We hope to launch a special issue to move forward with research on some of these issues.