I met the LuxCartel partners, Jenna Sloan and Natalya Rovner, at Natalya’s house in the heart of Soho in New York. In her beautifully decorated living room, the likes of Giovanna Battaglia, Fashion Editor for W, and Claire Distenfeld, owner of the Upper East Side concept store Fivestory, were learning more about Russian designers like Kalmanovich or LES’ while trying on Sabine Ghanem jewelry. There is no doubt that the ladies behind LuxCartel are equipped with an enviable address book, but beyond that, as I was to learn, their strategy was equally solid. What LuxCartel does is not easy to define as it dabbles in all areas of the luxury industry process, focusing on a personal approach to retail and concentrating on two of the most vivacious markets in the world: the Middle East and Russia. We sat down with the founders ahead of the upcoming pop-up events to be held in Dubai on March 15th and Jeddah on March 25th, which will showcase selections from over twelve accessory lines, fine jewelry, and ready-to-wear collections, including Campbell Jewelry, Perez Sanz, Kalmanovich, LES’, Sabine G, and Razan Al Azzouni.
Tell us about your background and how the decision to launch LuxCartel came about.
Natalya: I am Russian. I grew up in Russia and I moved to America when I was 13. I did a little bit of living in Europe for a few months here and there, but essentially my home base is been between New York, Boston, and Moscow.
As far as launching LuxCartel, Jenna launched it and I joined her about two years ago. When I joined, we completely restructured the vision and the business. The company, as you know it today, is two years old and up until recently I was more of a silent partner, but my network in Russia and scouting ability led me to come on board full-time.
Jenna: I grew up in Saudi Arabia and then I moved to California. I have been living in New York for seven years now.
What is the vision behind LuxCartel?
Jenna: We are a place for designers to grow, be nurtured, and to feel supported. The biggest support that we have to offer them is the feeling that we are with them and that we are willing to help them in all capacities.
How so?
Natalya: We offer sales, press, and creative direction. We are a launch pad for designers and we are their business partners. We let the designers create and we take care of the business part from A to Z. We are even shareholders of some of the designers we represent.
Natalya Rovner in her New York apartment
Tell me more about your upcoming pop-ups.
Natalya: We decided that this format is the most suited to present our designers. We started in Moscow with a really successful event orchestrated by Miroslava Duma. For a designer to be successful, it is very important to reach the customer directly. By the time they get to the store, we want them to be familiar with the collection. What we are doing is a very special project because we target both stores and clients. In the same evening, shoppers can buy the current collection and place special orders, meanwhile boutiques can place their order for the next season. So by the time the collection is available in stores the shopper will say, “Oh I saw this at Faten Abbar’s house in Saudi or Alia Al Sadek’s house in Dubai.”
I see Arab, Russian, and French designers in the LuxCartel portfolio. Is it important for you to represent brands from various locations?
Jenna: Our main focus is Russia because Natalya is from there and the Middle East because that is my background and I am an Arab at heart. And of course the United States—we are a link between the U.S., Russia, and the Middle East, bridging all of the countries together, and placing the designers where they want to be. It is a good fit for us.
Natalya: We have a very personal approach to everything we do. We show in my house in New York and we are hosted in a house in Saudi Arabia and it is the same in Dubai. It is very important to us to be able to offer a cozy environment in markets that we know very well. It is by chance that everything we are doing is organic.
Let’s talk about the Russian pack. I saw Miroslava Duma at your showroom yesterday and you are part of this group, Natalya. Where do you see Russia going?
Jenna Sloan wearing Kalmanovitch
Natalya: Russians have always had good taste. We appreciate good things, good quality, and luxury. It is natural that as soon as a new generation grew up exposed to fashion after the communist years, that they do it well. They understand fashion and luxury. Russia is a very special place, it really is a mix of Asia and Europe and we have this “X Factor”.
It is Russia’s time to shine now. But I have to say that the Middle East is on your tail. We might not have the Ulyanas and Miroslavas…
Natalya: But you have Razan Alazzouni and Deena Abdulaziz!
Watch out world of fashion, the Arabs are coming!
Jenna: Inshallah!
