Apple’s SVP of Design Jony Ive and ‘part-time’ employee Marc Newson will open Condé Naste’s ‘International Luxury Conference’ in April. The pair will be interviewed by Vogue’s international media editor Suzy Menkes. The set topic is the ’21st century definition of luxury and their collaborative work to date’.

The conference will run from April 22nd to 23rd, just before the Apple Watch is released to the general public. No doubt the Watch will be a key talking point at the conference, with both Ive and Newson playing crucial roles in its development. Although Newson was only confirmed to be working for Apple in September, it has transpired that he has been contributing to the Watch project for years.

The conference is being held in Florence for two days and will feature many famous names in fashion. Apple continues to force itself into the fashion industry and Ive’s appearance at this conference is yet another example.

The Apple Watch debuted on the cover of Vogue China and is now appearing in fashion magazines around the world. Apple paid an estimated $2 million for a multi-page spread advertisement in the US edition of Vogue last month.