Luxury: To Shout or to Whisper?

The Lure of Quiet Luxury…

If there is one thing I know with certainty, it’s that every fashion lover aspires to one day be able to afford luxury. So, what happens when the market is oversaturated? The word “luxury” loses its true meaning. Introducing the new key aesthetic: understated luxury. 

         Understated luxury also known as coded luxury is an aesthetic that champions a quieter approach to fashion, away from loud logos and fast-moving trends. My interest in Quiet Luxury peaked with my favorite show, ‘Succession’. The simplicity of the character’s styles was fascinating to me. Especially that of Kendall Roy’s who always look impeccable in Maison Margiela tees. 

The more I watched shows about upper middle-class and the wealthy, the more I noticed I rarely ever see logos, if not at all. Looking back on all my years working in luxury retail, Louis Vuitton, Gucci charges much more for handbags and accessories without any obvious branding. Usually, these non-branded items are located in the back of the store reserved for their wealthiest clients. 

       We are slowly seeing brands such as Prada, Versace and even Balenciaga doubling down on Logos, opting for quality items with a simple signature item on their garments. Personally, what makes 'quiet luxury' appealing is that they are usually designed to almost serve as a capsule wardrobe. A such, guaranteed to go the distance within your own wardrobe.

          With the rise of quiet luxury on TikTok from the likes of Charles Gross and myself, backlash was inevitable. Understandably so, since Logo-mania was made popular by black culture & pioneered by the incomparable Mr. Dapper Dan. Needless to say, logo-mania is a result of our obsession with wealth and status, something that wasn’t always attainable to us as a community. With that said, I'd like to ask permission for some of us to simply opt out of this part of the culture. After all, fashion is art, and art should be interpreted by the individual as they please. Whilst most of us want to be ostentatious, the rest of us prefer to be inconspicuous with timeless fashion. 

        On TikTok, I have created a tiny community of people who have an aversion to logo mania. Thinking this is something only I prefer, we’ve grown to a little over 100k in the last month. I’m incredibly excited to see where our tiny community grows in the near future. 

          So, here is to be anonymously chic, and stay fabulous.