‘New trade in luxuries [in eighteenth century] was to stimulate innovation in technologies, products, marketing strategies and commercial and financial institutions’ these factors incorporate within trade today more than ever.
Today it isn’t unusual to find ‘luxury’ related within fashion and trends, within the aesthetics, comfort, enjoyment or marketing of the product. Everyone dresses to impress, and first impressions count more than ever. We are becoming ever increasingly obsessed with image, whether that is in fashion, photography or film. It’s not uncommon nowadays to be within a group of strangers, and individually be awarded honour and status merely according to the clothes you are wearing.
Today, luxury can be linked with beauty, as opposed to abnormality which is not considered idealistic in today’s society. Beauty, style and fashion can also be inter-linked, just take a look at the models dressed in the clothing and posing in advertisements. ‘People identify strongly with cultural icons and often rely on these symbols in their everyday lives’ using nationally known models like David Beckham, and Kate Moss provides customers with satisfaction and assurance in the product.
Luxury trends can include everything, and a variety of designers, patterns and styles. Purchasing a dress from the designer brand Chanel for example, would be sure to ooze luxuriousness with Chanel’s huge world renowned superiority and status; it would come with guaranteed excellence, but also expense.
A luxury brands status is a major triumph, as recent reports show Christian Dior’s Fashion house in France have sacked John Galliano, the haute couture house’s creative director of over fifteen years. He was accused of numerous racist drunken comments, and is now facing possible jail terms. The company, Dior, have a massive reputation to retain, and confirmed they have ‘zero tolerance for anti-Semitism’.
Luxury retailers have only recently given in to the internet as ‘the majority of luxury companies were initially reluctant to adopt the internet until they realised that the wealthy segment of the consumer population was mostly online.’ This is most likely because luxury is down to refinement, and rarity. ‘On a medium such as the internet, which thrives on mass access and mass appeal, is logically paradoxical.’ Luxury products are supposedly unique, and ‘most luxury companies were built on the foundations of skill and craftsmanship,’ the internet seemed to contradict their brand values and name. A ricochet of thoughts ‘we don’t need the internet, the internet is not a luxury’ took place, but upon reflection, most brands proved the internet a success within their company.
‘Luxury businesses are small; but they are respected and have impressive reputation. Dior Fashion has annual sales of approximately $800 million, while the Peugeot Group [unbelievably] has annual sales of $56 billion.’
Working as a style advisor part-time for the UK’s largest privately owned clothing retailer ‘Arcadia Group Limited’ whom own over 2,500 of the high street’s best known fashion outlets, including Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Evans, it is easy to become aware of passing trends and popular fashions which we as individuals possess. The matching and grouping of clothing, accessories, colour and style name promotes retail of over one item per transaction, therefore providing the company with more sales and increased ATV (average transaction value). The future AW13 trends are now appearing in the major fashion stores throughout the world. These clothing designs and fashion crazes are also being plastered graphically in the pages of admired style magazines like Vogue.
Vogue advertises fashion and promotes fashion awareness. Vogue expresses by means of print all significant shapes, form, pattern and colour which have came from the ‘catwalk’ which are expected to be popular in the coming season. Nowadays by wearing the latest fashion, your image fundamentally expresses recognition of charisma and charm. Just the appeal of shopping for, as well as purchasing fashion products can be thought of as luxurious.
Most fashion is mass-produced abroad, but it is not rare to discover limited edition pieces and bespoke items from boutique sections or concessions in high street stores. It is not unusual to purchase from the ‘boutique’ section because of its higher status – the clothing is usually limited edition and therefore it is unlikely for anyone else to wear the same item, making it more exclusive to whoever purchases a ‘boutique’ item.
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