Insiders Talk: Dimer van Santen on Understanding Luxury at Every Level
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Regional eBusiness Director for Van Cleef & Arpels Europe, Dimer van Santen has over 15 years of experience working in the luxury industry. Sparked by an interest in watches and an eye for innovation, his career started when he was hired to help a jeweller manually digitise their product books. Quickly, van Santen was scouted and hired by Richemont to pilot their first e-commerce channel.
From working as an e-commerce manager, van Santen moved on to retail to gain insights and experience in the customer-facing side of sales. Working in Van Cleef & Arpels and Louis Vuitton, he developed a profound understanding of the bridge between digital and physical retail, and how to further the mediums’ symbiotic relationship.
Here are the key takes from this interview with Dimer van Santen.
What was your first job interview like?
“My first real job interview, I completely messed it up. I wasn’t prepared at all and was saying things that were not compliant. The interviewer was pointing out all the things I was doing wrong immediately. It did not go very well, and I did not get the job.”
“Something that I have learnt [from this is], after every interview now, I ask for feedback at the end, ‘So, what did you think about the interview? Do you have any feedback?’ And that always starts a very interesting conversation.”
What challenges have you faced and overcome?
“There are still some [challenges] that I am working through, but the one I have overcome and that is helping me in my career is to ask for what I want. In the beginning, I would never ask anything and take everything as it came. [Of course,] you have to do this in a respectful way, and you need to know when and who to ask… But I think it’s super important to stand up for yourself, because if you’re not doing it, who will?”
“After every interview now, I ask... ‘What did you think about the interview? Do you have any feedback?’ And that always starts a very interesting conversation.”
“And if somebody comes to me as their manager with something that could be super tricky to [talk] about, I admire that. A simple thing is salary, for example. Everybody is afraid to talk about salary [but] they should.”
What skills are required to work in fashion and luxury?
“You need to have a passion for it, a love for the product. It can be shoes, ready-to-wear or leather goods, jewellery, watches — it doesn't matter. It is so important to love what you do — however cliché it is to say.”
“You [also] need to be super flexible, specifically going into retail — it is one of the best things in the world, but you need to be prepared to sacrifice a lot, this is the mindset — especially in luxury.”
“When I was working in the boutique, I was working 24/7. The first [and] last thing I would do would be to check my phone to see if I had anything to take care of. You have to be ready for that. It’s a way of life, it’s a culture that you need to adapt to. So adaptability is incredibly important.”
What advice do have for candidates preparing for an interview in fashion and luxury?
“What I find incredibly important is preparation… For Van Cleef & Arpels, I always ask them what their favourite piece of jewellery is. Because you can be in the boutique, in the office or doing supply chain — you need to understand the Maison and you need to understand luxury.”
“Preparation is also a sign of respect. If you show your interviewer that you’ve done your homework, that you know what you are talking about and the company you are interviewing for, it shows that [you] have put effort into it, and to me, you score good points for that.”
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