Luxury retail has always been at the heart of the fashion industry. Its presence has captured the opulence which the fashion industry has created over the years. Recently, however, there has been a shift in the tactics of the luxury retail industry. For many labels and houses, they have turned their focus to tradition and philosophy rather than visualization and branding. Many labels are now choosing to re-brand and re-define themselves and their aesthetics to conform to our rapidly changing society; wanting to appear inviting to a younger audience. The question of the culture of luxury lies within the battle between the two retail strategies of visual culture and possessing their own distinct voice within the luxury industry as well as the battle between quality over quantity.
Similarly, another brand, famous for its logo, the double C’s, Chanel, is highly involved in implementing their logo on all products that they produce except for one. Their fine jewelry line is the only line that has never used the logo. Chanel is a perfect example of a brand that balances its powerful visual culture with the advertisement of its heritage. The No. 5 perfume, Camellia flower, and tweed suits are just a small part of Chanel’s recognition of its heritage and founder Coco Chanel. Many of the Les Exclusifs perfumes reference anecdotes or events within Coco Chanel’s life. Their selling point is very much focused on the history behind Chanel as well as the famous double C logo.
Balenciaga too, since the reign of Alexander Wang, has also changed the typeface of the brand ever-so-slightly, and Dior has refreshed its font in an extremely subtle way too. These small, but significant changes to any brand is a sign of the importance of visual culture in the luxury industry.
Even so, the culture of visualization within the luxury industry may be short-lived within the coming years. As many brands have chosen to reject their monogrammed past and typeface as well as some having re-branded, it begs the question as to why so many brands are now shifting their focus away from visuals.
Nowadays the strategy of visual culture in the luxury retail industry has been heavily integrated into many brands. Our society’s obsession with instant gratification has been recognized through platforms such as Instagram which allow users to upload and share photos within seconds. It is perhaps social media which is now forcing brands to re-strategize and prioritize brand heritage and philosophy over visualization. The culture of luxury has always been heavily dependent on this idea of ‘exclusivity’ and so whilst platforms such as Instagram allow users to form a community that may be seen as publicizing the brand, the notion of ‘exclusivity’ within luxury should not be confused with the notion of ‘expense’.
Chanel has over 10 million likes on Facebook and shares many of the brand’s developments across its social media platforms, yet, Chanel S.A. is one of the few privately held companies within the fashion industry and still produces an haute couture line every year. The mass publication is not cheapening the luxury industry nor does it have anything to do with the exclusivity of the luxury retail industry. Instead, a brand such as Chanel needs a mass outreach. Why? Many companies such as Chanel, Dior, Comme des Garçons, and even Maison Martin Margiela produce lines of perfumes, beauty, accessories, and diffusion lines.
These lines are all priced at entry-levels, allowing anyone to buy into the notion of the ‘exclusivity’ which captivates many consumers of the luxury industry. Mass publicity and followings on social media platforms allow for the brand to create a sense of hysteria and hype surrounding not only the brand itself but also these entry-level goods aimed at those wishing to claim their part of the prize that is the culture of luxury.
As a result, more than often these two strategies of visual culture and heritage interlace as many companies use visual culture to portray a representation of their heritage and the philosophy of their brand. They are not completely two separate entities but are unified to produce the best possible representation of the luxury industry.
In the past, affluence would have governed the culture of luxury. Nowadays the culture of luxury is becoming ever-so irreverent towards affluence as the existence of luxury in our world today is dependent on a mass following and mass awareness.
In a world dictated by media, publicity reigns superiority over exclusivity.
