Clare Schifano is global marketing director at Vispring “Off the Cuff” is a Q&A series from Luxury Daily exploring the career paths, current projects and next steps of those shaping the world’s best luxury brands.
The interviews feature a Proust-style twist, allowing readers to get to know industry leaders on a personal level. This edition features Clare Schifano, global marketing director for British luxury bed and mattress brand Vispring.
In this Q&A, Ms. Schifano discusses minding your manners, the importance of quality sleep for overall wellness and the excitement of a full brand refresh.
Here is the dialogue:
What was your first job ever? What did it teach you?
My first ever job was work experience at a British publication called Harpers & Queen, now know as Harper’s Bazaar.
It was here I found my love for media and the world of luxury. It also taught me the benefits of working you way up from the bottom of the team.
This two-week work placement turned into a six-month job until I returned to do my final year at university to complete my degree. It was how I started my career in media at Condé Nast once I graduated a year later.
Which skills have been critical to your success? Did you gain these skills within or outside of the workplace?
My people and communication skills, together with creativity. Creativity was a result of my design degree, but my people and communication skills were from the workplace.
I am lucky to have worked with some amazing people in my career, two of which I now count as my best friends, and I have countless ex-colleagues and clients who I call friends. They have all helped shape my career and I hope I have done the same for many of my team over the years.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Always say thank you. Manners really do make the man.
I am always very proud when I am complimented on my children’s manners; it is so important to me, and people always remember when you make the effort to say thank you.
How has your field changed since you started out in luxury, and what do you think your industry will look like in a decade?
Two years ago, I pivoted from 24 years as a publisher in luxury media to be global marketing director at Vispring, so my field itself has changed.
Publishing has changed beyond recognition from the Condé Nast I joined, but print has not died out as was predicted.
For Vispring and the world of luxury beds, we are in a great position for the next decade and beyond. As wellness becomes the center of everything we do, sleep being a huge part of wellness, we are wonderfully positioned to not only deliver a truly restorative night’s sleep, but a quality product that will last you for 30 years, made with natural materials, by hand and with love.
These values are the cornerstone of everything we do and what is becoming more important in the world we live in.
What recent projects have ignited your passion for working in luxury?
In April this year, I delivered a brand refresh for Vispring which we launched at Salone del Mobile in Milan. Working with the wonderful team at Publicis Luxe in Paris, we delivered a new look, feel and message for the brand and have just launched a new Vispring.com which embodies all these new elements.
Alongside this, we have launched two new standalone Vispring stores in the U.S., one in New York and one in Dallas, and a flagship in Melbourne, Australia. These were amazing projects to work on and are stunning stores. The U.S. has more to come in 2025 with Denver, Washington and San Diego slated for this autumn.
Who, in any industry or sphere, would you most like to share a long lunch with and where would you take them?
Tom Ford at The Wolseley in London. I was at Goldsmiths’ College in London studying design when he was at the helm of Gucci, which was such a moment for fashion. I have been going for breakfast at The Wolseley since it opened and it is still one of my favorite places in London.
How do you get into the right mindset before a big meeting or presentation?
During my 22 years at Condé Nast and two years at Vispring, I have had many big meetings and presentations and I always feel a sense of apprehension beforehand. Preparation is key; if I know I have prepared and have done the very best I can, I quietly run through before and go in feeling confident and trying to relax.
On your days off, what can you be found doing to relax or have some fun?
I am lucky enough to be a mother of two boys and my days off are always spent with them. We love the theater, cinema, but most of all travel. I travel the world with my job, but planning holidays and travels with my children are my favorite things.
What does luxury mean to you?
Time, service, quality and craftsmanship.
Time, as life is so busy, to have time to stop and enjoy the moment is a real luxury. Service, be it in a store, at a hotel or in a restaurant, good service makes the difference. Quality, as there was nothing truer said than you get what you pay for; this is true in pretty much everything in life, be it my Hermes sandals, Poggenpohl kitchen or my Vispring bed. Craftsmanship goes hand in hand with quality.
Whether a product or service/experience, what is your favorite luxury indulgence?
Luxury travel, especially with my children who love an adventure and a lovely hotel.