For something to be considered prestigious it must be of high quality, well reputed, and – perhaps most of all – hard to attain. After all, how impressive would a Harvard degree be if half of the U.S. population held one? Elite brands in fashion trade and media rely on this prestige quotient to stay above the fray and command high levels of respect and retail price. Yet as the fashion industry moves toward what many are calling a more “democratic” model, these brands are at a crossroads. They must adapt to increasing demands of accessibility, while maintaining a sense of exclusivity. To do so, new approaches to doing business are evolving daily.
For some retro is the new modern. Victoria Beckham, who showed her Spring 2011 collection during New York Fashion Week staged a quaint throwback to a time when ready-to-wear models carried number cards. The pop star turned fashion maven narrated her 26-piece show at a private venue on the Upper East Side – stories above the hoi polloi at Lincoln Center. A return to tradition has also shown up in campaigns from luxury leaders like Louis Vuitton, who in recent seasons have leaned on its long legacy. The message: enduring quality trumps the constant pursuit of what’s new.
If you don’t have 150 plus years of history to rest on, however, you’ve got to come up with something else. Interest in Tom Ford’s return to womenswear was stoked by a Spring 2011 presentation so private that the only cameras allowed were those from his own team, and the only celebrities invited were a select few who modeled clothes. Many labels dole out samples as soon as they come off of the runway, but Ford is withholding everything until December 2010. If there wasn’t already an air of exclusivity attached to the designer’s brand, there certainly is now.
Ford has been forthcoming about his strategy, noting that customers get bored with over-exposed clothes by the time they reach stores. Fast fashion chains that constantly stock their stores with new products create additional pressure. Savvy labels like Burberry Prorsum are mitigating the climate by offering select items for sale right after a runway show, which has been streamed live online for anyone who cares to watch. Few high-end brands have signed up for this model just yet, but the increasing number of designers that turn out collections for the “in-between” seasons of pre-fall and resort speaks to the degradation of the traditional two-season fashion calendar.
On the one hand, luxe labels are bucking the trend of ultra-accessibility; on the other, they are taking cues from brands that are far down market from them. They walk a fine line between tradition and technology in a world where there’s a high-speed connection and a blogger in every home. The landscape is changing rapidly and it’s not easy to keep up. Ultimately, though, that’s the name of the game in fashion.
Written by Guest Contributor, Mary Egbula
Photo Credits: Victoria Beckham Spring 2011 show, Associated Press
Edited by: Gina Conforti
