MEX

Lapo Elkann, who runs the ‘Tailor Made’ programme at Ferrari and is grandson of Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, stated in a recent interview with the FT’s How to Spent It magazine: “Today customisation is the key to real luxury, and there is now more opportunity to customise than ever before: the music you have on your iPad, the lighting effects in your kitchen, the essences and perfumes that give your house the feel you want it to have. Customisation is not a joke, or a philosophy, or a psychology – it is a reality. If you put yourself in an environment that suits you, you’re going to have a better life – it’s as simple as that.”

I found it an interesting statement on two levels.

Firstly, even a brand as evocative and historic as Ferrari is recognising the importance of reflecting the user’s individual personality in its products.

Secondly, the reference to the iPad hints at the potential for beautifully crafted digital products to be elevated to a form of luxury and, indeed, influence even those brands with a heritage as long as Ferrari’s.