Christine Russo in Conversation with Astrid Wendlandt: Challenging Luxury’s Power Players and Protecting Journalism’s Integrity

Christine Russo, host of What Just Happened, sits Astrid Wendlandt, founder and editor of Miss Tweed, the independent luxury and fashion media brand.

Wendlandt shares her motivation for launching Miss Tweed in 2020: to offer rigorous, independent investigative journalism in a fashion and luxury industry too often shaped by corporate advertising. Drawing on her decades-long career at Reuters, the Financial Times, and The New York Times, Wendlandt argues that traditional outlets are often constrained by the influence of luxury advertisers. Miss Tweed, by contrast, is funded through subscriptions and aims to deliver exclusive, uncompromising reporting every Sunday.

A central theme of the interview is the tension between journalistic integrity and luxury brand control. Wendlandt details her blacklisting from groups such as LVMH and Richemont. Despite being banned from shows and events, her work is widely read including, ironically, within the organizations that attempt to marginalize her. She recounts moments such as being barred from Watches & Wonders despite receiving direct invitations, and confronting Richemont chairman Johann Rupert at a shareholder meeting. The encounter, she says, revealed the extent to which executives resist criticism while privately acknowledging her impact.

Wendlandt critiques many luxury brands for stifling creativity and relying too heavily on corporate narratives. She highlights the inconsistency and lack of coherence in Gucci’s recent campaigns, contrasting it with the brand alignment and longevity of Ralph Lauren, which she credits to internal clarity, staff retention, and consistent messaging. She argues that the over-rotation of creative directors has created a confusing sameness across brands, with Gucci, Valentino, and Balenciaga appearing stylistically interchangeable. She warns that brands are losing aspirational consumers due to price inflation, risk aversion, and creative stagnation.

The conversation also touches on Wendlandt’s refusal to give away proprietary content, even to legacy media or analysts, in defense of her subscription model and intellectual property. She expresses frustration at the casual sharing of Miss Tweed’s reporting within major luxury houses and reveals she is pursuing legal action for IP violations.

Miss Tweed, she asserts, stands for transparency, editorial courage, and creative integrity qualities she believes the luxury world sorely needs.

Key Takeaways:

Independent Journalism, and Freedom of Information:

Wendlandt explains that luxury brands often avoid engaging with her because she offers reporting that is not influenced by advertising revenue. Most mainstream media outlets are financially tied to major brands through ads, which leads them to avoid publishing anything critical that brands would not approve.

Creativity:

Wendlandt discusses the lack of audacity and creativity in today’s luxury industry. She believes that the fear of taking risks has made top brands overly cautious. Rather than innovating or taking bold steps with new designers or ideas, brands consistently hire the same well-known figures, resulting in collections and advertising that all look very similar. Wendlandt argues that this repetitive approach leads to uninspired products and bland campaigns, which ultimately disappoints consumers and diminishes excitement around luxury brands. She insists that true creativity and a readiness to take risks are essential if luxury companies want to regain trust, stand out from the competition, and spark genuine interest among consumers

Joan of Arc or Joan Crawford?

We will let the listener decide