Life lessons: Interview with Helen Brocklebank

Walpole is an association for British luxury brands that promotes, protects and develops the luxury sector in the UK by speaking to governmental bodies and influential stakeholders. The person leading the charge? CEO Helen Brocklebank. She describes Walpole as "the love child of the CBI and Annabel's", which paints a picture of its supportive and empowering community. We speak to Helen about the seismic change to the luxury industry over the past few decades and what this means for its future.

What does luxury mean to you?

Luxury is the most incredible business - it's worth £48 billion to the UK economy. It's creative, entrepreneurial and nurtures a real love affair with customers. To me personally, it's about treats. It's not about things that are insanely expensive. It should be about having the best version of the thing that makes you happy.

How has luxury changed over the past 40 years?

I started my career about 30 years ago and luxury then was seen as something for the privileged few. Slowly, luxury has been democratised. If you really like Chanel, for example. you might not be able to buy couture, but you can buy a lipstick or a perfume. It's become more accessible. The other massive change, of course, is mobile. Mobiles have brought luxury into everyone's pocket. You can have a window into that world all the time, which has made people very luxury-savvy.

You've said before that luxury is undergoing "a discreet revolution". What do you mean by this?

The pandemic has had such a big effect on all of us in so many ways. It's made people think differently. Being stuck at home has now made people ask: "what's the treat that I deserve?". There is a real sense that you only live once, so now's the time to buy that item you've always wanted, or enjoy that trip you've saved up for. The other effect is that people are choosing something that is going to last. It might be an experience that's sustainable or an item that you can keep forever - but whatever it is, it's special.