Episode title:Accenture's Amal Benichou on New Luxury, the Cans and Cannots, and What the Data Actually Shows Show notes: Luxury is under pressure. The dream is intact but the curtain came down. Customers can see the machinery, and they don't love what they see. Amal Benichou, Global Luxury Practice Lead at Accenture, presented the Luxe Eternal Report to more than 60 luxury leaders at NRF 2026. Christine Russo was in the room. Then they sat down together. Benichou's data is uncomfortable and necessary. Fifty percent of consumers now believe luxury brands are profit-driven businesses, not dream makers. Thirty-six percent of VICs say the category has become too accessible. And loyalty, once inherited by the great maisons, now has to be continuously earned. Benichou pushes back on the idea that luxury needs to abandon its push model. The craft still leads. But ignoring the voice of the customer while you execute it is where brands get into trouble. Gucci and Burberry learned that the hard way. Hermès and Chanel under Matthieu Blazy did not. The wellness question is the one to watch. Where is the wealthy customer actually spending? The Kering and L'Oréal longevity joint venture is the answer forming in real time.