Luxe Pack gave buyers and sellers the chance to get down to business.

Packaging Stars Shine at Luxe Pack NY

An expanded cast of luxury packaging companies, business-friendly lounges and an inspired seminar program draw rave reviews.

Jamie Matusow, Editor

On May 21-22, Luxe Pack New York literally rolled out the red carpet on West 18th Street in Manhattan, where, for the first time, the luxury packaging show had expanded into the stately Altman Building, adjacent to its Metropolitan Pavilion home of six years. The stars of the two-day event were 113 exhibitors deemed by Luxe Pack’s organizers as meeting the highest standards in luxury packaging. The audience? More than 2,000 high-powered design and marketing executives from luxury goods manufacturers worldwide—an increase of 13% over last year’s visitors.

All About Inspiration

Nathalie Grosdidier, general commissioner of Luxe Pack, explained that the New York show differs from other packaging events in its selective nature. “All exhibitors are chosen for their innovations,” said Grosdidier. The relaxed setting, she said—which is more like a private club, with lounges throughout the show floor and complimentary food and drink—is geared toward sharing inspiration.

Emanuele Mazzei, president, Heinz-Glas USA

‘Greenwashing’ or Going Green?

Grosdidier pointed out that sustainability continues to be a key packaging trend and several of the event’s seminars—and many of the suppliers—offered inspirational green solutions and food for thought.
  
In one well-attended session, Andrew Dent, PhD, from Material ConneXion, New York, described a range of sustainable materials and stressed the importance of designing for end of life. Most important, he said, “is to look for simple solutions in what you can do with your products or production methods.”

John Marsden, VP sales, Pochet of America, points out some beautiful flacons.

Does Luxury Always = Excess?

International packaging designer Marc Rosen’s panel, “Basta! Does Luxury Have to Mean Excess?” looked at redefining luxury packaging in light of environmental concerns, and generated much discussion. Are luxury consumers ready to give up the associated packaging? Are all consumers eager to go green? Maybe not, according to Henry Renella, senior vice president global packaging, The Estée Lauder Companies, who revealed that while Estée Lauder is a leading proponent of cradle-to-cradle thinking and post-consumer packaging materials, the message may not necessarily resonate with all consumers. Thus, there’s no mention of it on Estée Lauder brand packages—while on Aveda, another Estée brand, it’s clearly touted. “It’s a personal choice to put post-consumer on the package,” said Renella.
  

Mark Rosen's session on luxury included: (l-r): Rosen, Karen Young, Henry Renella, George Utley and Stephen Pearlman.

Another speaker on Rosen’s panel, Stephen Pearlman, president Risdon International, said that in some ways, “sustainable luxury packaging is a contradiction; the real challenge is to marry the two. While a plastic lipstick can be totally disassembled for recycling, will it be viewed as a luxury package? On the other hand, said Pearlman, “A complex metal lipstick can have as many as 12 parts, and with metal, plastic and glue, it cannot be disassembled.” Design, he said, is key: “Through design, we can achieve an attractive package without being wasteful.”
  
Controversy mounted as George D. Utley III, president Utley’s, Inc., put forth the idea that sustainable packaging talk may be nothing more than greenwashing. “Personally,” he said, “I don’t see it.” He said that most buyers seem more interested in removing a piece that costs five cents than in using a more sustainable material. He stressed the need for education of future designers and said that design, production, marketing and manufacturing must all get on the same page to create a “less is more” acceptance in luxury packaging.
  

BP editor Jamie Matusow and Marc Rosen tour the show floor.

Karen Young of The Young Group wrapped up the discussion, noting that luxury brands have been slow to come to the environmentally friendly plate: Of the top 12 luxury companies she studied, only Tiffany and LVMH alluded to anything sustainability-oriented on their websites. “How we think of luxury is old-fashioned,” said Young. “Today’s idea of luxury is Diesel jeans ripped beyond recognition.”

Trendspotting with Marc Rosen: Take 2

Once Rosen drew his panel to a close, determining that there are indeed ways to package luxury without excess, he joined me for our now traditional stroll around the Luxe Pack exhibit floor (see www.beautypackaging.com/articles/
2007/12/a-package-beyond-par.php for our trendspotting at Luxe Pack Monaco) to point out packaging components that had caught his eye.
   

ABA's Rafael Cruz shows off the company's new line of stock glass from France.

First stop: FiberMark, where Rosen couldn’t resist showing me the company’s sophisticated, high-quality papers. Rosen had chosen their luxurious shagreen-like paper for the Lisa Hoffman bags he had designed.
  
Rosen then steered me to C+N USA-Poland to show me “the wonderful array of metal and plastic caps,” with the emphasis on Surlyn.  Chris Young, C+N’s president, noted, “Stock is becoming a player so you don’t have to retool.”

At MG New York, Gary Korba, chief officer of operations and innovations, showed Rosen and me matching compacts and purses for brands such as MAC and Lancôme, and a paper-straw line for Origins. “Plaques, charms and pins are very big right now,” noted Korba.
  
On to Risdon, where Rosen asked about a small, rounded applicator tip in the showcase: It was a plated, copper ball—a very cool, very cooling La Mer innovation, perfect for applying eye cream.

FiFis on Display

Luxe Pack New York was also the venue for presenting all the FiFi award nominees and recipients for the first time—and many suppliers proudly displayed winners in their booths.
  

MG New York created MAC's matching compact and bag.

Emanuele Mazzei, president Heinz-Glas USA, Linden, NJ, exhibited FiFi winners Christian Lacroix and Derek Jeter flacons front-and-center. Heinz-Glas produced the glass as well as the decoration for these popular fragrances. Mazzei noted that there’s been a slight increase in the interest in glass packaging due to its recyclability, but added that very sophisticated decoration is taking it to new levels, with techniques such as laser decorating.  “Fragrances will always be in glass,” he said, “but good artistry and deco now play almost a 50/50 role.”

Glass Shines

Matteo Moretti, president and CEO of Lumson.

Glass flacons also shone at Bormioli Luigi, where a couple of trends in fragrance packaging were evident: the combination of heavy, thick glass with metallization and the incorporation of ribbons and other accessories onto the bottle. The new Hugo Boss flacon has heavy metal plates glued around the back and the cap. MaxMara’s new footless bottle, in a teardrop shape, features an appliquéd ribbon, applied in two pieces, which runs around the bottle and over the cap.
  
At New High Glass, marketing director Len Loffler showed off the company’s tall, skinny bottles from Zignago Vetro, New High’s Italian glass partner. The unique shape of New High’s brand new actuator inspired its name: The actuator is a rounded, sort of UFO-shaped device, which is available in natural or metallized plastic.
  

MaxMara's ribbon-trimmed footless flacon was knockout at Bormioli Luigi's booth.

Matteo Moretti, president and CEO of Lumson showed me the new Indy Collezione, which looks like glass, and is available in two plastic materials: PE with soft-touch effect or PET.
  
Saverglass, elegant, heavy-based glass from France, was a new introduction at ABA Packaging, where Rafael Cruz, director of operations, explained that the elegant line is stock in France. Bottles can be ceramic sprayed, acid-etched, or filled with a colored fragrance, another popular trend.

Pump It Up; Cap It Off

Norbert de Jong, marketing director, and Elisabeth Benoît, product manager closures, Rexam Dispensing Systems, showed off the XD 11— “the best of the best” according to de Jong—a super low-profile high-end pump with a very smooth, gentle spray. The Symplicity pump, for body lotions and shower gels, features a neutral pump that contains no elastomer or stainless steel. Hot stamping and pink metallization around the two-piece cap for Chopard’s Happy Spirit produced a jewel-like effect that was so pretty it made you wish you could wear it as a ring.
  

Bormioli Luigi's crew includes: Marco Azzali, Beth-Anne Kline and Olga Bursac.

Caps were also high priority at Cameo Metal Products, Brooklyn, NY, where Anthony Di Maio showed me the company’s new decorating technique for jar covers, closures, and fragrance caps. A full-color litho, covered with a polymer can be laid on top.

Innovation Across the Board

Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc., Bennington, NH, offered ENVI, an 80% post-consumer waste sheet made using 100% green electricity. According to David Gabriel Lunati, director of marketing, the ultra bright white board, which is chlorine-free and FSC-certified “was created as an alternative for luxury brands that didn’t want gray or crunchy.” It is used by Estée Lauder’s Origins brand.
  
At Alcan Beauty Packaging, new formulation designs in lipglosses were hot. One featured suspended golden flakes and another, a zigzag design running through the tube. Bamboo brushes, with handles that use very little plastic, were generating interest as was a tagine-like sponge applicator and loose powder container.
  

Global Ribbons' mannequin strutted her stuff.

Jim Gabilanes, senior vice president sales and marketing for sampling solutions provider Flexpaq, South Plainfield, NJ, reiterated the focus of the show—that innovative products are in high demand. He also said there is an increased interest in sampling sizes and said, “value-added features are especially popular.” Flexpaq offers a variety of decorating options using graphics and treatments on film, such as dull, shiny, raised and flocked.

Len Loffler (l) and Enrico Raccah of New High Glass.

Wrapping Things Up

One of my favorite Luxe Pack exhibitors was Global Ribbons Group, headquartered in the UK. Maybe it’s because I’m a textile fanatic, but their display of colorful, textural, printed ribbons and their innovative mannequins dressed in clothing woven entirely of the specialty trim were inspiring. Brand names from Gucci to Lancôme graced the many spools of ribbon on display. All are printed in France on English ribbon. Nick Cole, director of the group, said they’re seeing increased interest in natural ribbons made out of cotton, and are currently developing an environmentally friendly, biodegradable ribbon, made of sustainability’s “friend,” Ingeo fibers. Whatever the fabric, “Ribbon,” said Cole, “allows you to sell the product at a much higher premium.”
  
From ribbon to metal, samplers to sustainable solutions, Luxe Pack New York provided the perfect relaxed venue for attendees and suppliers to exchange innovative ideas.