Word: high-end
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...study of classical-instrument valuations by Brandeis economist Kathryn Graddy shows that violins may be among the most stable of investments. Graddy's data indicate that between 1850 and April of this year, the value of professional-quality instruments rose in real terms (i.e., after inflation) about 3% annually. High-end violins have appreciated at much higher rates - particularly rare instruments made by Italian masters like Stradivari, Amati and Guarneri...
...Demand for student string instruments, including those valued under $10,000, has also suffered. "Like just about everyone in retail, our members have certainly been impacted by the recession," says Joe Lamond, CEO of the International Music Products Association, which represents instrument retailers. "Acoustic pianos and high-end guitars are discretionary purchases for most people, and in tough times these can be deferred until things look brighter." In such an environment, dealers are far more likely to offer discounts. (See 25 people to blame for the financial crisis...
...early as 2005, in fact, high-end fashion houses like Burberry and Louis Vuitton were warning that profits from cheap reproductions of their desirable goods might be used to fund terrorist organizations. Many people were skeptical of alarm bells emanating from such well-heeled manufacturers until Interpol backed up the claims. "North African radical fundamentalist groups in Europe, al-Qaeda and Hizballah all derive income from counterfeiting," John Newton, an Interpol officer specializing in intellectual-property crime, told the London Times in 2005 when it came to light. "This crime has the potential to become the preferred source of funding...
...Lacroix's situation is indicative of the state of luxury overall, a business that is structured on a pyramid model wherein companies invest in the high-end image of a brand that will generate profits at the lower end of the price spectrum. Lacroix, who launched his label in 1987 with the financial backing of Bernard Arnault, chief of the mighty LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is a product of a 20-year creative and business cycle that has come crashing down with the recent global financial crisis. Despite his enormous creativity and influence on fashion, Lacroix could...
Lacroix's chief executive, Nicolas Topiol indicated that the brand would continue, despite this setback. "Since the acquisition of Christian Lacroix SNC, we have been committed to the brand and to its high-end development," Topiol said in a statement. "We will continue to do so, but the sharp downturn of the luxury market has significantly hurt our revenues...