After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul

by Tripp Mickle

Paul Deneve, the former Yves Saint Laurent chief executive, designed a sales and distribution plan that borrowed from luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès, which fostered a sense of scarcity and exclusivity to command higher prices and more prestige for their handbags and clothes. Deneve agreed with Ive that the watch could stand the test of time only if it was perceived as a personal accessory, instead of a computer on the wrist. To boost its desirability, Deneve sought to place the timepiece in high-end stores known for selling the world’s most coveted goods. He struck distribution deals to bring the watch to London’s Selfridges, Tokyo’s Isetan, and Paris’s Galeries Lafayette. In the weeks before the watch became widely available, the stainless-steel and gold models went on display in those stores alongside brands such as Cartier and Rolex, lending opulence to Apple’s everyday image.