And no Hermès: what luxury is today

“What is luxury today?” – is a question that has been asked for several years now by many people who work in, or at least write about, the luxury industry. Twenty years ago, it was easy to explain what luxury was: it was things and services created with much more care and skill and of much higher quality than most others – or rare, hard to find, exclusive.

Yes, the power and prestige of the brand already had some influence, but it existed primarily as an endorsement of excellent quality. Louis Vuitton was synonymous with travel trunks, Balenciaga with haute couture ateliers, and Gucci with belts and loafers. All this was knowledge for a narrow elite circle of people whose capital allowed them to buy only the best.

Then came the Internet, thanks to which every phone owner got virtual access not only to any fashion show or gala dinner – quite quickly these events were specifically made so that as many people as possible watched them online.

Fashion houses turned into concerns – huge machines that had to be fed by constant sales growth. Many people began to reach for the status symbols of the elite world – and these many people could touch it by buying, if not a custom chest with a logo, then at least a key chain or sneakers.

The luxury industry fanned the flames of desire with million-dollar marketing budgets, contracts with stars, advertising and content in all tapes. Luxury became mass-produced and mainstream. Which means it stopped truly being luxury. It’s like a big box of chocolate truffles: at first it’s very good, by the end it’s nauseating.

Fashion houses have not ignored this fact either, and in accordance with Andy Warhol’s precept – “waiting makes everything more desirable” – some luxury retailers have started to create shortages. Some, like Hermès, are making their bags hard to find even for money. Their changing rules, waiting lists, lotteries and contacts of who can get their hands on the coveted color are legendary.

By the way, they say that accessories from Mathieu Blazy’s first collection for Chanel were not enough for everyone either. Even prominent fashion-influencers called boutiques in different cities and raised connections to be able to get the coveted shoes in time for the show. Was it a clever strategy or a really unexpectedly brisk demand?

Quality that does not equal price

Dior has raised prices so much that 1% of the population will now be able to afford most of their clothes and accessories again. However, it is worth admitting: Jonathan Anderson made a collection so that you understand what you are paying for in terms of design and quality. His new variation on the Bar jacket will be sold with its own crinoline, which of course will be hard to copy in an economy version for the mass-market.

At the same time, the cost is not always equal to the feeling of luxury. You can buy a total-look Jonathan Anderson from the catwalk – and everyone around will admire the girl who, having much less money (but more individuality and sense of style), bought a vintage Dior lingerie dress from the John Galliano era at the resale.

It’s worth noting that as the prices in luxury have risen, the quality of the products has not only not increased, but has also deteriorated. I was lucky enough to have a few Gianfranco Ferré, Jil Sander and Versace suits from the 90s in my closet that still look amazing thirty years later – and I haven’t seen the attention to detail with which they are made in any boutique for a very long time.

More and more people are beginning to think about what they are paying money for, and realize that sometimes half of the price has nothing to do with the cost of production and raw materials – but goes to the fact that the brand can arrange grandiose shows, to cover cities with advertising and take Influencers on press tours.

Contempt in the past

The excessive display of wealth is beginning to look increasingly inappropriate and cringe-worthy, while it is no longer possible to ignore the rapidly growing gap between the incomes of different social strata. Meanwhile, oligarchs and capitalists are turning from role models into objects of hatred.

In many elite circles, ostentatious wealth will make you the object of negative attention and ridicule. For example, in Catalonia, where I live and where people have lived through and reflected on dictatorship and repression, even among the wealthiest families it is not customary to flaunt one’s wealth.

And while in expensive neighborhoods you might find an elegant lady with a Loewe bag from before Jonathan Anderson, locals signal wealth in other ways. Like bicycling. Spending weekends on the mountain trails is local golf, especially since good equipment and gadgets for cyclists cost tens of thousands of dollars.

And the story of artificial inaccessibility ceases to seem tempting. The queues at the doors of boutiques, which brands began to deliberately create after Covida (having noticed that they attract more customers), in my opinion are not only annoying, but also kill the desire to buy something. If I want to please myself with things for a few thousand dollars, I expect the service to be appropriate. And standing in line and talking to an arrogant employee with an iPad at the entrance does not fit into this picture.

Emotions instead of consumerism

As for Hermès, journalist Noémie LeClercq recently revealed that her sources who authenticate Hermès handbags claim that even in Paris, 80% of the birkins on the street are fakes. And it’s also increasingly difficult for even seasoned experts to identify fakes, because the quality is almost identical. Good fakes from Turkey are made of the same leather as the originals, masters who previously worked in Hermès, and cost the appropriate 6-8 thousand dollars. People simply do not want to wait.

In general, very expensive bags and outfits are losing their status. People with money, especially those who are younger, increasingly want to spend more on wellness, impressions and self-development. Luxury in the classic sense of consumerism and rare exotic leathers is no longer desirable and interesting. The mood and values in society have simply changed towards physical and mental health, vivid impressions, education and, alas, safety.

Even fashion industry professionals echo them. In a recent “What’s Luxury” survey conducted by The Washington Post, the majority named intangible things – primarily free time and time spent offline.

Freedom to live at one’s own pace is a luxury available to very few people today. And what kind of freedom is there in a private jet when the skies over half the world are closed due to geopolitics?

For me personally, luxury – whether it’s a bag or a luxurious view from a mountain only available to those who have puffed on a bike for an hour – is always about genuine, heartfelt joy.

And it seems that in luxury goods it is the latter that is becoming more and more important than the external status they are meant to create. Perhaps this is part of the success of Blasi’s first collection for Chanel, where the pathos of his predecessors was replaced by lightness and joy – two emotions that are worth more than any money in these difficult times.