Carla Branco: Your career has become synonymous with luxury management in Latin America. When did you realise this would be your professional territory?
Carlos Ferreirinha: I didn’t pursue luxury. Nearly 30 years ago, Louis Vuitton was looking for an executive to manage its operations in South America, and I ended up joining the LVMH group for seven years. Under my management, we developed the brand across 14 markets, and I finished as President of the operation in Brazil. Later, the Brazilian government invited me to lead the country’s first-ever project aimed at initiating a dialogue among Brazilian brands across various sectors—furniture, fashion, footwear, accessories, jewellery. It was a success, and I became the Strategic Thinking partner to the Brazilian government for several terms. Along that journey, I realised there was an opportunity, and the world began to look at Latin America as a luxury market through the work I have been developing with MCF, the only consultancy structured around luxury thinking business, also operating in Portugal, Mozambique, Angola and South Africa.
You often speak about the “Intelligence of Luxury Management.” Is it still about exclusivity, or has it become more of an emotional experience?
The intelligence of luxury management is a set of stimuli and perceptions in which exclusivity is a fundamental element. There is no luxury without exclusivity, without the perception that we are facing something truly special. When we talk about luxury, we are talking about an emotional consumption decision, whether in a product or a service.
What do you believe Brazil has taught the world about consumption and relationships with luxury brands? And where do you see Portugal positioned within this international landscape?
That is, in fact, one of the most interesting questions I have received in recent years. It is very pertinent, and throughout my journey I have observed that, first of all, it is not only about luxury. Portugal is a country of just 10 million people, where domestic consumption is small, which brings many challenges. For a long time, it was seen merely as a transit country, but suddenly someone “switched on the light.” In a world that has become more sombre, anxious and dark, Portugal has emerged as an escape route that offers light, sun and life. It has entered global curiosity and attracted high-end clients to tourism, hospitality, restaurants and, more recently, real estate. To me, Portugal has become a global school in terms of silent luxury, particularly in boutique hospitality with identity. Brazil, on the other hand, is a universe of its own: 200 million people with a very strong domestic market. Fifteen years ago, Americans had not yet discovered Brazil, and it required a strategy to demonstrate how to engage this type of client continuously—especially since Brazilians demand a high level of service and value connection.
Where do you see true innovation in luxury today: in the product, the experience or the purpose?
Carla, I have never considered product to be the primary source of innovation in luxury. Where I see the true intelligence of luxury management making a difference is in how it constructs an entire ecosystem of possibilities that creates experiential harmony. Luxury, for me, is a school of emotional dialogue, of exceptionally well- told stories, of storytelling, of creating a sense of exceptionalism through products and services that reach very high standards. It is about extreme attention to detail—an obsession with refinement.
As someone who values authentic and long-lasting relationships, do you believe networking has lost depth in an era shaped by social media?
Without a doubt. We are dealing with a more anxious and restless consumer, addicted to speed, which is why I see luxury as an alternative that slows people down, producing the opposite effect. Luxury offers an alternative: amid countless options, it delivers something curated, more personalised, and that makes a difference— almost as a contradiction to the current pace.
What still sparks your curiosity and has the power to surprise you?
One of the main characteristics I am known for is curiosity. I am very restless and obsessed with information. I constantly seek out destinations that are not obvious and maintain a consistent effort to understand, through people, their consumption behaviours—their interests, what they do, what they read, what they eat and consume. I look for any destination that offers this possibility of personal and intellectual enrichment.
What legacy would you like to leave in the luxury market?
That is a very good question, because legacy is what defines my life, Carla. I do not believe that everyone must work in luxury, but I do believe that every brand can draw inspiration from it— through excellence, history, legacy, tradition and exceptionalism. Luxury is a school of inspiration that can be applied to any segment. That has been my discipline over the past 30 years.
By Carla Branco