The annual International Herald Tribune (IHT) Luxury Conference is being held in Rome with the doyens of fashion talking about the various aspects and prospects of luxury in current times.

 The day 1 saw Suzy Menkes, fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune setting fashion connection between Africa and Italy. With the discussion titled Empowering African Artisans Simone Capriani of Ethical Fashion Initiative and Ilaria Venturini Fendi speaking about how United Nation’s anti-poverty efforts is harnessing the creativity of African artisans to create true modern luxury touched by human hands.

 It stated that modern luxury comes from women in Kenya who work on traditional embroidery patterns inherited from Masai ancestors or intricate crochet work handed down from mother to daughter, creating luxury products from designers such as Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood.

 The day 2 saw founder of Diesel Renzo Rosso talking about desirable denim and role of Africa. He came to the conclusion conclusion that the gulf between rural, native craft and sophisticated high fashion is narrowing, as consumers look deeper into the meaning of luxury in the 21st century.