Above: “High Style in the High Desert” takes the season’s best looks to Joshua Tree, Calif. Zegna suede jacket and silk-cashmere sweater, prices upon request; Officine Générale wool trousers, $530.
As diverse as the categories covered by Robb Report might be—from cars to watches, style to wine, yachts to food—there’s one thing our editors find in common: It’s nearly impossible to immerse yourself in a luxury industry without tripping over a heritage brand at every turn. To be sure, the Rolls-Royces and Château Latours and Louis Vuittons of the world loom large. Steeped in tradition, such companies offer rich histories to plumb. But there’s always something irresistible about a fresh name elbowing its way onto a crowded stage, particularly when it comes not from the United States, the U.K., or any of the grand capitals of Europe but rather from a burgeoning new center of finely made goods.
For our spring style issue, style editor Naomi Rougeau hopped a plane to Mumbai to report her profile of designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee amid his spectacular 25th-anniversary gala. His unparalleled success at home, where he’s affectionately known as Sabya, has put the company he built from $200 seed money—courtesy of his younger sister—reportedly on track to hit $2 billion in annual revenues by 2030. But 10-figure sales aren’t the only reason the sobriquet “the Ralph Lauren of India” feels apt. Like that elder statesman of American fashion, Mukherjee has managed to adopt aspects of traditional British tailoring while celebrating his own country’s aesthetically vital culture. With unapologetically maximalist men’s and women’s ready-to-wear as well as a dynamite high-jewelry collection, Sabyasachi has started making inroads in the U.S. via an evocative store in New York City’s West Village and prime real estate inside Bergdorf Goodman.
While Sabyasachi may be poised to become luxury’s next big heritage brand, another company seems desperate to shed that title. Jaguar, the storied marque that brought us the debonair D-Type and the elegantly proper XJ6—and whose devoted fans ranged from Queen Elizabeth II to the getaway driver of the infamous Great Train Robbery in 1963—unveiled a radical rebranding in December during Miami Art Week. Even that choice of locale felt provocative: It was there that Maurizio Cattelan debuted Comedian, a.k.a. the banana duct-taped to a wall, five years earlier. Jaguar, however, did not appear to be joking when it executed a U-turn, swapping out its logo and gently curvaceous lines for a blunt-nosed all-electric concept car that looks like it could eat the seductive 1961 E-Type for lunch. Writer Ben Oliver, who has driven historic Jags in both the Mille Miglia and the Goodwood Festival of Speed and is a regular contributor to these pages, digs in to the burning question “What were they thinking?” and assesses the company’s chances for success in “Jaguar v. Jaguar.”
Despite the occasional attempt at denial (whether on the personal, corporate, or national level), history has a way of repeating itself, not only in current events but also in the realm of luxury. In this issue, we examine how retro looks—whether entire silhouettes or small, considered touches—are influencing yacht designers. References range from the charming portholes and heavy-duty mahogany used in 1930s vessels to the low profile of ’80s-era superyachts. On the runways and in stores this spring, tried-and-true khaki, which has its roots in military uniforms, is coming on strong. This time around, the hue’s various iterations—ecru, olive green, dark greige—look especially fresh when combined. And Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos, who has built a passionate following of serious collectors with her Mahnaz Collection of rare jewelry, is now bringing vintage watches into the mix. Among her exquisite finds: gold and begemmed pieces from big-name houses as well as artistic creations by singular designers such as Augustin Julia-Plana and Andrew Grima. Their way of seeing was anything but same old, same old. Now that’s the kind of history we’d like to play on repeat.