Apart from current trends such as the "Barbie Core", there is another fashion phenomenon that is making the industry sit up and take notice: quiet luxury. According to the motto: "Money talks, wealth whispers", the restrained and classic elegance is in the foreground here. Thanks to the HBO series "Succession" and Gwyneth Paltrow's court fashion, the trend is currently picking up steam again.
The basis is the fetishization of wealth and the longstanding American obsession with the old-money nobility. The trend is nothing new in US culture, especially in fashion. After all, American designers like Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, and Perry Ellis have built their entire brands around the image of a coveted life of luxury.
What is Quite Luxury?
The key feature of Quiet Luxury: neutrally colored pieces with high-quality, restrained aesthetics that convey a calm yet sophisticated attitude to life. Like Gwyneth Paltrow, who wore and was hyped for wearing beige, logoless pieces from brands like Loro Piana and The Row at her recent court appearances.
Likewise the inconspicuous wardrobe of the HBO series "Succession". The seemingly simple clothing is carefully disassembled on the Monday after it is broadcast on Twitter and the New York Times. Vogue speaks of the style as the "biggest trend of the year". After all, it is "less strict than minimalism, but more sophisticated than normcore".
Source & Copyright by Brunello Cucinelli
Cancel Culture versus Old Money Aesthetic
True to the "cancel culture" of Generation Z, a counter-movement wants to label the style as boring and dull. However, the TikTok hashtag #OldMoneyAesthetic already has 2 billion hits. As a response, streetwear luxury with bright colors and eye-catching logos are the focus. Opponents continue to accuse Quiet Luxury that the affluent 1% are simply too boring to wear anything individually and make real statements. It is anything but simple, but just another form of conspicuous consumption.
Market still reacts to Quiet Luxury: end of the logo mania?
And of course fashion labels can keep up with the style. At the forefront, for example, is the simple Spring/Summer collection by Mathieu Blazy for Bottega Veneta or the elegant line by Max Mara. After logo mania and extravagant maximalism, Gucci also wants to switch in a similarly calm direction under new management.
And the mass market is also reacting: the ultra-fast fashion giant "Shein" is offering a "Quiet Luxury" section in its shop. While the few-dollar Shein pieces definitely have nothing to do with luxury or sustainability, they play on the trend that real luxury has nothing to do with logos.
However, connoisseurs would immediately be able to distinguish polyester satin from silk - and this is precisely the secret of Quiet-Luxury: With it, clothing is increasingly seen as an investment that you wear for years and that solidifies your own image. Quiet Luxury is timeless and not wasteful, at least according to the zeitgeist.
