LVMH still 'old school' despite Apple hire

THE internet's been around for nearly two decades.

But Luxury brands are still suffering from a touch of technophobia.

French luxury group LVHM poached Apple's Ian Rogers last year to shake up management - so far with almost no visible impact.

"The internet is the opposite of what luxury world is about, its about transparency, accessibility, comparing prices. Luxury brands love the fact that there was segmentation and controlling prices. Basically luxury brands now don't have a choice but to build a presence on the internet"

A digitally savvy brand will have a slick easy-to-purchase website and most fashion houses have a big presence on Instagram.

Some makes buck the trend: Celine is LVMH's most successful brand doesn't sell a single product on the internet.

But other brands like Louis Vuitton and Sephora have reaped the benefits from their technological strides.

The challenge now is to build a bridge between old school luxury and the 21st century.

"Ian Rogers job is to make everyone understand how they need to embrace and have a smart digital strategy. If they want to talk to millennials and consumers of tomorrow it's a very tedious process to change mentalities and get all 70 LVMH brands to embrace the internet"

The lesson to be learnt: get on the internet - or risk being forgotten.

Ian Rodgers and LVMH still tucked away defining their digital strategy.

The fruits of their labour expected to be seen within the year - with the hope that technology isn't as fast as fashion.