SALA's purpose is to encourage interaction and collective thinking within the region's luxury industry, something we hope to accomplish by providing fresh industry intelligence while creating regular opportunities for informed debate, networking and collaboration between our members through a series of events. SALA has recently worked with Luxury Branding to publish a report, 'South Africa: a New Frontier for Luxury Brands', with the aim of providing SALA members with valuable strategic insight into an otherwise neglected market segment. This research project was initiated by one of SALA's co-founders, Piers Schmidt, who is also the chairman of Luxury Branding. Schmidt worked with his fellow associates Cliff Nichols, Matt Morley and Darius Meadon to create an informative industry think-piece. The research was informed by 100 in-depth interviews with industry representatives, commentators and consumers, both at home and abroad, carried out between May and August 2009 by their team and myself. Members receive a copy of the South African research segment for free with their membership. We look forward to working more closely with you and if you have any queries do not hesitate to contact us. Silvana Bottega CEO