Luxury used to be defined by a set of guidelines that were synonymous with rare, exclusive, excess and with great expense, but this has changed. COVID 19 has disrupted the luxury landscape from values around indulgence and excess to sustainability, community and self-growth. Wealthy consumers are increasingly more conscientious than ever, so as the luxury sector evolves to meet this responsible, socially minded and understated consumer mindset it is a test of agility in approach for luxury brands and a case of survival of the fittest for those who respond to these changing attitudes and behaviours.
For luxurians, luxury is increasingly about being in the know and experiencing things with like-minded people.New luxury is not about what you own, but about the experiences you can engage in, the social connections you can make and insider knowledge of betterment for themselves (health) and the planet. As such a sense of discovery lies ahead as people rethink how to consume luxury that resonates with these values. Brands now truly aware of the impact a lack of ethically minded practice could have on their reputation are now engaging their customers in the new tenets of luxury from fashion through to hospitality.
Hospitality, one of the hardest-hit industries due to this pandemic has a real opportunity to revive itself putting the onus on creating experiences for guests that connect with their values around these new tenets of luxury moving beyond indulgence and excess. Birch, (Handle.silk.comet) is one such new luxury destination that is positioning itself as a potential leader in this space.
Birch has many of the expected cues of luxury – an Instagram ‘must’ sweeping staircase and a destination restaurant overseen by renowned chef (Robin Gill) as well as private dining rooms and 3 bars, however, more attention has been given to the new tenets of ‘luxury’ sustainability and community vs white table cloths and roll-top baths. Rather than ripping out all the fixtures and fittings that don’t fit with more traditional notions of ‘luxury’ they have artfully taken a ‘make do and mend’ approach and aesthetic. The bedrooms have a stripped back look with exposed concrete floors and locally sourced rugs and simple headboards. Collaborating with local designers they have also challenged the notions of luxurious materials with furniture and fixtures and fittings made using recycled plastic for a neo take on marble a material synonymous with luxury. They have also repurposed bedroom furniture from the former hotel and the up-cycled bathrooms have not been ripped out in most parts but instead given a new lease of life with wallpapered feature walls and colourful over painted tiles.
Described as the new playground for grown-ups there is also a wide-ranging list of activities for guests to engage with including helping make the daily bread in the bakery or digging in the kitchen garden. Taking a DIY and ‘make do and mend’ approach, Birch is one of a few luxury hospitality brands hinting at the ways luxury brands can achieve more sustainable practices with less waste and more of a focus on the experiences and the emotional values of luxury.
Potato head in Bali is taking a similar approach whilst also educating and involving its guests in the process. The Potato Head club’s façade is made from salvaged window shutters and the bedrooms built from handmade bricks more commonly used to build the island’s Hindu temples. During their stay guests are invited to join workshops to learn about the biodiversity of Bali or eat in the farm to table restaurant sitting on furniture made from up-cycled plastic and waste materials from the likes of Studio Toogood and Max Lamb. In-room bed throws are made from beautifully crafted up-cycled textiles from the previous hotel and soap dispensers are made from bottles that have washed up on the shore. The luxury destination aims to redefine beach destination hospitality and sustainability through experience, engagement and learning.
And it’s not just the hospitality industry who are embracing this new DIY make do and mend mindset rooted in a drive for a more sustainably responsible luxury industry. Having been reluctantly slow to champion sustainability and the pre-loved, up-cycled market, the Luxury fashion industry is quickly driving change beyond their marketing around organic cotton and vegan leather.
Adopting a more circular mindset thanks to the influence of the likes of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation brands are designing for this more conscientious luxury consumer. Driven by these new values we are also seeing the fashion industry encouraging consumers to get creative with their fashion by offering DIY, repair, rental and pre-loved fashion over buying new items as well as influencing the aesthetic of what represents ‘Luxury’.
Christopher Raeburn, a forerunner in sustainable luxury fashion recently announced a collaboration with Depop to use dead stock to encourage consumers to create their own products. Part of the collection included a limited edition DIY bucket hat with fabric and trims left from previous collections not only encouraging the reduction of waste but also engaging brand fans in crafting their own products.
Taking a similar approach involving customers in the process Roland Mouret, best known for his celebrity-endorsed dresses has launched a Make-it-Yourself range inspired by this new shift in a more lux sustainable mindset and the rise in craft projects during lockdown. Offering eight designs with ‘how to guides’ he is teaching his fans to create their own scarf tops and sarong skirts. Similarly to Raebern the tutorials encourage a resourceful approach of reusing existing fabric and clothes perhaps gathering dust in their wardrobe rather than expecting consumers to go out and buy anything new.
But beyond these individual brands and businesses its the likes of the launch of Selfridges Project Earth this month (5 months later than originally planned due to COVID and 2 years in the making) that will really see the shift in this mindset and a rewriting of the rules on luxury and drive notable change. Forcing the brands that they stock to adhere to their pledge Selfridges are addressing issues around the materials used in the products it stocks as well as championing repair and resell models as part of its luxury offer.
This pandemic has fast tracked a renewed interest in craft and culture and brought into sharp focus issues around sustainability and as a result is shifting expectations of what luxury truly is empowering people to take sustainability and creativity into their own hands driving a new more sustainable aesthetic and reimagining new ways to serve the luxury market whilst empowering consumers to truly engage, learn, understand and change their habits.
Philippa has spent over 20 years in strategic trend forecasting, shaping the future of some of the world’s leading brands. She’s worked with a range of global clients across hospitality, apparel, food, and drink, retail and technology to include Gleneagles, The Hoxton, Diageo Loewe and Spotify. Philippa works with brands as a thought partner to turn insight into opportunity bringing new ideas to drive change in day to day operations as well as future-proofing their customers future needs. Balancing future trends and consumer insights with a strong commercial business understanding enables her to deliver both brand and business impact with the brands she works with. Connect with Philippa here.