Opinion: Luxury is a Scam
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In episode 2 of RHONY, the girls are going out in the Hamptons and Jenna Lyons says to Jessel – you have too many labels on – you need to take one off – you should know better you’re in the fashion industry.
Why did Jenna say that Jessel was basically committing a fashion crime? Because wearing too many brands is considered “tacky” even though she was wearing Balenciaga and Alexander Wang.
What are we defining as luxury today if these are the standards we follow?
In comes this book – Why Luxury has Lost it’s Luster by Dana Thomas – great read by the way - and it really got me thinking… are we being fooled into thinking we know what true luxury fashion is, and we’re buying into a story that has quite frankly…. Lost it’s luster?
It makes me think of what Sophia Richie has reminded us all… there is quite luxury (the way she dresses) and there is loud luxury (the way Kylie Jenner dresses). The quiet luxury has really been grabbing people’s attention lately.
We’ve been sold on the idea that the more labels the better, the more logos the better, the louder you can shout your social status the better…. But girls…. We’re being tricked by a couple of fashion groups (LVMH, GUCCI GROUP, etc) that control all of the marketing, the story, the price and the trends.
Let’s remember, something is only truly luxurious when it’s limited and there’s only a small group of people that have it or have access to it. There’s a reason why people say if you’re truly rich you don’t need to wear clothes with logos on it. Once the masses take over – the elite abandon it. Luxury fashion has become too mainstream where not only does everyone have it, but we have multiples of it and we all wear it at the same time – now it’s excess.
And excess isn’t luxurious. And if the luxurious item is being sold in excess – than how could it have maintained it’s status anyway? If you don’t know – now you know – Fashion houses have been shipping their production to China since the 1980s Only a handful of items are being handmade, and a lot of labels that say “Made in Italy” or “Made in France” has really been made in China but then there is one little finishing touch done in Italy so they can put that label on it. And if the item is being sold in a competitive marketplace where the masses have access to it – then the price is being compromised – and companies will bring down price by bringing down quality. Quality of goods, quality of labor and they are STILL STICKING A HEFTY PRICETAG ON IT – is that luxury to you???
Listen – as humans and consumers – we spend our hard-earned dollars on things that make us feel good. And I’m just feeling like us as consumers – we’ve lost. We’ve lost control and we’re paying for something that is marketing as luxury but it’s just not what it used to be.
And I know it’s hard because – I’m the first to jump at Dior or Chanel – but I’ve realized I need to start seeing Luxury in a different light.
How do we as consumers, humans, artists and designers break through and dismantle the conglomerate that is “luxury fashion today?”
