Redefining Luxury: From Excess to Stealth

Slide 1: Redefining Luxury: From Excess to Stealth

Slide 2: The Codes Have Evolved Luxury thrives in the midst of a wavering economy -- but not all of it. Take away the logo, the licensing and the hubris and ask yourself if you still have a compelling luxury product that will stand up to today’s consumers?

Slide 3: A move beyond badges The meaning and status of badges has been eroded by A shift from rank -----> the trend forces of discovery/knowledge the last twenty years Buying into luxury is more complex and has far more pluses and minuses that consumers consider A fracturing of views on the meaning of luxury

Slide 4: Excess of luxury fueled in the 80s The luxury that we’ve been living with was fueled during the 1980s. 21 Club totems Alan Flusser “Greed is Good.” --Gordon Gekko, Wall Street, 1987 codes & drivers excess exclusion reward

Slide 5: In rush the joneses of the 90s Once a standard sets in for aspirationals, exclusivity is lost. “You drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, I drove an eighty thousand dollar BMW.” McMansions --Blake, Glengarry Glen Ross, 1992 totems designer counterfeits codes & drivers status belonging

Slide 6: Now: It’s not what you got, it’s what you know Diane Von Furstenberg “Just because you can remove yourself enough to feel superior to everyone doesn't mean I can.” totems -- Christine, Friends with Money, 2006 blackberry codes & drivers design functionality

Slide 7: Luxury moves toward open source Luxury then becomes what you make of it. All factors--from couture to custom Couture doesn’t to manufactured-- fade away. It takes rise to the surface a new role amidst to play an equal open the democratization role in what luxury of luxury. is today. source luxury

Slide 8: The influence of open source Outside the Brooklyn museum, Louis Vuitton is setting up 10 New York- style street vendors—not to sell fakes, but rather authentic Louis Vuitton product and special Monogramouflage canvases that Murakami has created specifically for his current exhibition at the museum. Israeli-born designer Ronen Kadushin offers the plans for his Open Design home furnishings for download online. Under CreativeCommons, one is free to remix and adapt the work. codes & drivers authenticity adaptability innovation

Slide 9: The influence of art Lauren Kalman, Tongue Gilding, Bridge Art Fair. If the idea of couture or fine art implies muse and personal vision, a new definition implies a more personal consumer-driven relationship. Much like the democratization of art, luxury follows suit offering something for everyone. Murakami codes & drivers commentary remix

Slide 10: The influence of celebrity Madonna’s relationship with Jean Paul Gwen Stefani’s interpretation of Gautier. New reality of media via MTV Japanese Harajuku street fashion - Layering is important, as is the mix of seemingly disparate styles and colors. Vintage couture can be Celebrity as Uber-Model. mixed with traditional Japanese costumes, thrift-store classics, Lolita-esque flourishes and cyber- punk accessories. codes & drivers accessible omni-present

Slide 11: The influence of globalization As global economic growth has begun to slow in tandem with the U.S. economy's woes, there are some positive signs including China, India and other rising economic powers offering alternative poles of growth for the global economy. More than half of the growth in global demand for imports is now originating in developing countries, providing export opportunities for both developing and developed economies. codes & drivers inclusion rebalance delete “foreign” diversification

Slide 12: The influence of collective intelligence Social art form: Social Presencing Theater that stages media events and productions to connect different communities and their transformational stories by blending action research, theater, contemplative practices, intentional silence, generative dialogue and open space. Growth of the Internet and mobile telecom has also highlighted "swarming" or "rendezvous" technologies that enable meetings or even dates on demand - understand and improve collective learning and the creative process codes & drivers swarm dialogue & rendezvous

Slide 13: The influence of green Consider Dubai. With rapid development comes a need for environmentally conscious initiatives. Consider Green Drinks, an The plan to make ‘Dubai Green’ is no longer a international initiative of sorts luxury, but a necessity. Currently, the average that gets green-minded person in the Emirates puts more demand on the people together for drinks. global ecosystem than any other. The United States runs a close second. codes & drivers harmony renewal internationalism

Slide 14: The influence of politics The couture houses of Paris are being inundated with requests from France's Formally, the unspoken rule among France's political female politicians eager to look their elite was to remain classic and conservative with a best in the court of French President small "c". Sarkozy casts himself as a modernizer, Nicholas Sarkozy. breaking away from the traditional elite. codes & drivers change modernity

Slide 15: Four Luxury Personas Evolve Fractured expectations tie to four diverse luxury personas: The Purists The Guilted The Passport The Brand Lilies Posse New Heavies Old school Respect icons, Not content with Absorb culture, luxury, leisure, want brand lean toward conspicuous seek contemporary involvement. irreverence. consumption themes.

Slide 16: Persona 1: The Purists The Purists understand the process by which an object is crafted. They respect icons of luxury, yet they seek contemporary themes. Here is where couture thrives.

Slide 17: The Purists John Smedley’s redefined t-shirt satiates the Purist’s need for craftsmanship. Every aspect of its sourcing has been considered. codes & drivers nuance detail

Slide 18: The Purists Luxury innovators should be compelled to create a product that a consumer can build on Samsung’s smart phone partnership with Giorgio Armani codes & drivers smart pairings longevity

Slide 19: The Purists The NY Times reported Celerie Kemble as one of a new wave of interior designers: women in their 30s with pedigrees, a talent for clothes and parties, and lists of glittering clients just as young and well-heeled. codes & drivers collective intelligence orchestration

Slide 20: The Purists "Blood Diamond" heightened public awareness about conflict diamonds. At the same time, the diamond engagement ring has become a victim of its own success with brides-to-be checking out of the diamond race in favor of alternatives. codes & drivers evolution of icons

Slide 21: The Generational Divide of Purists Boomers Gen X Gen Y shorter span of icons have eschewed the long-span of icons of Boomers what seems old to them pure icons to may be new to Boomers pull from birth of the metrosexual don’t have the negative association with classic Boomer icons. Alan Flusser David Beckham Fonzworth Bentley key to synergy Looking at the roots of a brand.

Slide 22: Persona 2: The Guilted Lilies The Guilted Lilies are not content with their life of leisure. They want stories of involvement behind their brands.

Slide 23: The Guilted Lilies They like the eco story behind vintage American McCormick Distilling and its new eco product 360 Vodka. codes & drivers strive authenticity

Slide 24: The Guilted Lilies Designed for those who eschew paying money for a badge, Hyundai’s V8-powered luxury car, the Genesis starts below $30,000. It doesn’t hide from its parent brand, yet its power and performance belie its price. codes & drivers total disclosure honesty, not bravado

Slide 25: The Guilted Lilies 21st-century service in a bush-chic setting In 2002, billionaire Paul Tudor Jones embarked on an ambitious conservation project when he leased 340,000 acres of Tanzania’s western Serengeti. codes & drivers feeling connected zen

Slide 26: The Generational Divide of Lillies Boomers Gen X Gen Y the generation Seeking authenticity the me-too wanting to generation will change the jump in if world will be sanctioned by scrutinizing for Want to be recognized for peers authenticity their choice Stella McCartney key to synergy Brands that can stand up to deconstruction from all angles.

Slide 27: Persona 3: The Passport Posse Persona 3: Passport Posse The Passport Posse absorb cultures as they migrate from city to city, and abroad. For them, luxury is a hybrid of personal acquisitions and accomplishments. Think the process and use of pattern, print and color.

Slide 28: The Passport Posse Think the process and use of pattern, print and color which define UK-designer Matthew Williamson, and underscore his role as creative director at Pucci. codes & drivers play experimentation

Slide 29: The Passport Posse Think Schiaparelli’s shoe hat (here as interpreted by Takashima). This era of luxury is bringing back the artistes. Rumor has it that the house of Schiaparelli itself will soon return. codes & drivers elegance irreverence

Slide 30: The Passport Posse The more luxury grows, the more low-brow virtues will increase, as in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air x Puma collaboration. codes & drivers irony of consumption hi/lo synergy deluxe

Slide 31: The Passport Posse Italian jet-setter and Fiat heir Lapo Elkann's carbon fibre shades priced at over $1K are at the pinnacle of the market in designer shades. Each pair takes eight hours of handwork and 47 layers of carbon. Barneys New York acquired the line called Italia Independent. codes & drivers something to talk about a step ahead

Slide 32: The Generational Divide of Passport Posse Boomers Gen X Gen Y coming from a sees luxury from a pulls from a variety of wealth of origins, the sources to make generation when backpack travelers accessible travel luxury work for them to remote lands, rich was just kids squatting beginning. Take a more haves and have-not stand. MAC FAFI key to synergy Understanding that each generation has its prior reference.

Slide 33: Persona 4: The Brand New Heavies The Brand New Heavies are consumers with newfound wealth, the last bastions of conspicuous consumption. They are likely to be entrepreneurs fast emerging from BRIC economies.

Slide 34: The Brand New Heavies They buy into badges like Versace, (as in this chopper). codes & drivers buy to impress badges

Slide 35: The Brand New Heavies Yet legacy does not fly with name alone. Century-old German car manufacturer Maybach shifted gears to focus on the back seat, after recognizing that most owners are chauffeured. codes & drivers articulation of status legacy

Slide 36: The Brand New Heavies Think Vertu, a subsidiary of Nokia that produces luxury mobile phones. Its bejeweled phones with concierge service run upwards of $300,000. There’s also Geneva- based GoldVish known for its diamond encrusted mobile phones over one million dollars. codes & drivers bling plumage

Slide 37: The Generational Divide of Heavies Boomers Gen X Gen Y frivolity Appeal of Straddling “grown-up” the divide bling Mature choices provocative Serious against cultural norms key to synergy Brands that have impact and generate attention

Slide 38: The Future: Stealth Luxury Luxury becomes less tangible, less visible, more private, more personal and more elusive, only for the most elite confident consumers. codes & drivers invisibility privacy hoard for exclusivity

Slide 39: The Future: Stealth Luxury Think… fully loaded smart phones -- no one knows the power in your hand fully wired homes -- all the functionality is within the walls Nanotechnology -- its nascent discipline has the added attraction of being interdisciplinary by nature The goal: total empowerment

Slide 40: The Future: Stealth Luxury The new luxury will head in two tangible directions: Nano Retro Stealth Stealth Luxury Luxury

Slide 41: The Future: Nano Stealth Luxury spawn a level of less invisible me-too technology, ala the Heartbeat Tank with hidden rate sensors from Lululemon codes & drivers in the race being in-the-know need for confirmation

Slide 42: The Future: Retro Stealth Luxury return to old school non-tech offline luxury, ala Gathering offline in likeminded pursuit of offbeat collectibles, as in classic bikes like Norton. codes & drivers checking out of the race seeking knowledge solace in solidarity

Slide 43: Thank you