INSIGHTS

In the world of luxury branding, heritage speaks volumes. We’ve written previously about how many of today’s leading luxury brands - such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes, and Prada - were established more than a century ago and have, over time, developed their own memorable legends and legacies. But what if your brand has been launched more recently, or perhaps is a startup due for launch in the coming months and has therefore not yet earned the passing of time in which to develop a long history?

This month saw the launch of a new Business of Fashion report: ‘Gen-Z and Fashion in the Age of Realism’.
It has all the hallmarks of an insightful, well-researched report that highlights the huge purchasing power of the huge 12 to 25 age group, the significance of fashion to them, and the impact of having been digitally native for as long as they can remember.

Let’s face it, luxury comes with a high price tag and is therefore by its nature, exclusive.

At the same time, you want your brand to be open to a fully diverse audience of consumers, irrespective of their gender, race, sexual orientation, physical abilities, age, or nationality. In this sense you want it to be inclusive.

Luxury is changing, and one key trend is the growing prevalence of artisanal craft from some unexpected places. To understand the context for this recent evolution we first need to cast our minds way back; more than a hundred years.

In its role as Kōraru’s brand guardian, SUM was involved in numerous aspects of the launch of circular swimwear brand, from strategy to brand identity, and website design to campaign shoot.

As the project progressed, one of the most involving and exciting aspects became the creation of a range of new sustainable packaging formats, using new sources of 100% recyclable materials.

In celebration of Pokémon’s 25th year anniversary, Baccarat has released 25 Pikachu Fragment figurines by Japanese artist Hiroshi Fujiwara for $25k, as well as a smaller crystal Pikachu character and Poké Ball.

In an era focused on digital performance marketing and conversion rates, it’s easy to forget that not so long ago a luxury purchase tended to be accompanied by a high level of bespoke human service, with the retail store forming the stage on which that interaction invariably played out.

Before 2020, we were already seeing digital transformation, moves towards sustainable solutions, to ethical manufacturing, and the growth of eCommerce. But now, almost a year and a half since the start of the pandemic, those changes have accelerated, in some cases beyond all recognition.

Balenciaga, Chanel, Gucci, and Prada. Each lies at the pinnacle of luxury fashion, as highly-aspirational brands for their style-aware audiences.

In recent years, each has announced activities aimed at improving corporate sustainability by reducing the environmental impact of their manufacturing and distribution.

Having been initially appointed to handle Social Media and Digital Marketing for the UK team based in Wigmore Street, SUM has now been awarded a similar brief for the brand’s global HQ based in Herford, Germany.

It has now been over a year of global coronavirus-enforced social distancing restrictions, event cancellations, and temporary museum closures, all of which have contributed to a digital-first acceleration. Yet, notably, as fashion weeks have been forced online for the Fall ‘21 season, some leading luxury brands have streamed their virtual runways from within the closed doors of museums, theaters and galleries, allowing cultural institutions to retain their presence in public consciousness.

Not to put too fine a point on it, we have all been in a kind of solitary confinement for the last year.

In many ways this has led to a feeling of sensory deprivation. And as soon as the pandemic is over, we predict a new consumer mindset that craves immersive interactive experiences.

Let’s face it, we’ve had our fix of digital, and how nice it will be to once again have to have a physical meeting with a friend, a client, and indeed a brand.

Across the globe, luxury has been synonymous with status. Whether a person was wearing a Cartier bracelet, a pair of Balenciaga shoes, or holding a Gucci bag, they were announcing to those around them that they were part of a tribe. They were making a statement.

In BoF’s article ‘How Covid Is Catalysing a New Era of Luxury’, some encouraging projections for the return of the luxury consumer were made, specifically within the booming Ecommerce sector.

More recently the BBC has posed the question here , and Vogue Business has been redefining Sustainability for 2021 here.

These are just three of many thought-provoking pieces that look forward to a future of post-Covid consumerism, and one can conclude from them that your brand will need to own many or all of the traits covered in the title of this post.

London based startup Shaku is an emerging brand best known for its highly detailed botanical drawings on scarfs and accessories. The Shaku brand produces luxury accessories, homewares, candles and scarfs, all born from the love of drawing and nature.

There are two opposing schools of thought.

The first: You must be crazy. These days the consumer is not spending on fashion or luxury, and nobody really knows how things will shape-up in the future.

The second: There has rarely been a better time to plan the launch of a new luxury of fashion brand.

In recent years the luxury and fashion sectors have increasingly been placing sustainability, materials regeneration, renewable energy, and slow fashion on their agendas. And in representing different sides of the same square, the various aspects are gradually becoming aligned under the singular vision of a Circular Economy.

The idea of staging runway shows during global COVID-19-related lockdowns might seem impossible, but instead of giving up hope, the fashion industry is envisioning new ways to communicate in a time of crisis.

From its London offices, SUM. collaborates with its clients to develop, build, and grow their global brands. We have worked with international fashion and luxury brands including Jimmy Choo, La Perla, Âme diamond jewellery, and Victoria Beckham , as well as with London- centric brands such as Allsaints, Bloomsbury, Boujis, and Hackney Walk.