The SCHIZOPHRENIA of LUXURY by Carmen Kervella

THE SCHIZOPHRENIA OF LUXURY THE SCHIZOPHRENIA OF LUXURY

Author

CARMEN KERVELLA [email protected]

Illustrator MARIANNE RATIER

marianneratier.blogspot.com www.marianneratier.com

Translation from French

FELICITY STANMORE

Published in French, Sept. 2012

INFLUENCIA MAGAZINE

© 2012 AHEADLAND, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Reconciling between incompatible

and contradictory values, this is the

major issue at stake in the luxury

sector of today and of tomorrow.

THE SCHIZOPHRENIA OF LUXURY THE SCHIZOPHRENIA OF LUXURY

© 2012 AHEADLAND, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED I l l u s t r a t i o n © M A R I A N N E R A T I E R

Schizophrenia is characterized ̶ amongst other things ̶ by a “split in personality”. To the observer, the luxury sector today is affected by multiple divisions of the mind. It oscillates between lust and virtue, craftsmanship and technology, globalization and localization, materialization and de-materialization, timelessness and instantaneousness, magnificence and austerity… these contradictions are endless.

THE SCHIZOPHRENIA OF LUXURY

The great paradoxes of luxury emerged in the 70’s, when luxury turned its back on the haute-couture to invest in prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear) and accessories. This was amplified in the 80’s and again in the 90’s, when European luxury expanded and democratized to reach a larger and more diversified audience. Luxury became a veritable industry, breaking off with its intrinsic values of selectivity and exclusivity. It started to aim at the greatest number of individuals, hence it became "accessible". Whilst this was the case, there was a fundamental need for luxury to continue to convey status and to distance itself from mass brands in order to sustain and heighten its desirability. Consequently, the luxury brands developed communications that conveyed idealized, exclusive, and unattainable worlds.


Today, luxury is facing serious problematics as is has to deal not only with its old dilemmas, but also with a phenomenal number of new paradoxes: On one hand, it must remain universal in an ever-changing world governed by conflicting values and visions (SLIDE 5)

On the other hand, it must arbitrate between its own intrinsic values (perennial) and the extrinsic values (rampant) of our modern and technological civilization (SLIDE 6)

I l l u s t r a t o r M A R I A N N E R A T I E R



T H E W E S T T H E E M E R G I N G

DILEMNA “The West” designates the historical territories of luxury, impacted by the crisis and the recession

WELL-BEING

Collective Values

FUTURE

Transmission

MEANING

STATUS

Individual Values

PRESENT

Enjoyment

SIGN

↓

INSTITUTION

↓

BRAND

“The Emerging” designates the Emerging Countries who are experiencing economic growth

PREDOMINANT VALUES, WESTERN v’s EMERGING COUNTRIES



I N T E R N A L VA L U E S EXTERNAL VALUES

DILEMNA

TIMELESNESS

Verticality

AUTHORITY

Distance

MYSTERY

Exception

IMMEDIACY

Horizontality

SHARING

Proximity

TRANSPARENCY

Replication

↓

BRAND

↓

INSTITUTION

INTERNAL VALUES OF LUXURY v’s TECHNOLOGICAL VALUES



If the “conflict” between luxury and modernity has always existed (it is not for that matter, correctly speaking a conflict! Most luxury houses have stemmed from the innovative vision of their creator, who often broke the consensus that were at the time prevalent), this situation has never been as exacerbated as it is today. The values that are currently propagated, namely those shared by the new generation resulting from globalization and digitalization, are profoundly fingerprinted from the technological values ̶ immediacy, transparency, sharing, horizontality, proximity, duplication…

And yet, luxury is intrinsically situated in opposition to these values. Luxury is by essence vertical and authoritative, while our society extols participation and sharing; Luxury is inscribed in the long term, even though we live in an era of immediacy, instantaneity and immanence (through these technologies); Luxury stems from mystery while we acclaim total transparency; Luxury promotes exceptionality, whilst we live in a "warholized" world which propagates replication. Ultimately, the game of luxury has always been about giving a privileged elite the means to distance themselves from the mass, yet today, proximity is praised.



The major strategic issue at stake today and tomorrow for luxury brands revolves in their ability to arbitrate between their proper values and the ever-changing values of the world in which they evolve. This exercise proves all the more difficult since luxury must evolve without effacing itself. It must find its right place in world where modernity is symbiotic with technology. Yet, it also must remain universal and coherent whilst considering the expectations, aspirations and values of their new clients, who today, have a colossal weight influencing the production, behavior and values of luxury houses. Therefore, the main challenge for luxury brands is to find, in each of its expressions, the right balance between the Institution it represents (i.e. their heritage, their vision and the perennial values of their creator) and their contemporary incarnation (i.e. the brand, subject to the contingencies of modernity and the business objectives of its managers).

I l l u s t r a t i o n © M A R I A N N E R A T I E R



The luxury sector cannot resolve this dilemma by consensus, by adopting halfway measures between extremes because luxury is, in itself and in its essence, extreme. It cannot succeed in saying everything at the same time: being simultaneously discrete and triumphant, ecological and extravagant, aristocratic and provocative tantalizing, without becoming totally schizophrenic and losing their consistency, their status and reputation ! In a world of contradictions, the most valuable thing for luxury is to be themselves, no matter how extreme, paroxysmal, and disruptive. Time has revealed that the true uniqueness of luxury resides in its innate ability to always assume who they are.

Carmen Kervella AHEADLAND

Brand Strategy expert Trends and Targets expert

www.aheadland.com [email protected]

@carmenkervella



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The SCHIZOPHRENIA of LUXURY by Carmen Kervella