A contributor of The Every Girl once said that anything deemed as a luxury “denotes something that is enjoyed by a certain people and not by others. It speaks of the privilege and exclusivity enjoyed by an elite and unattainable few.” Although fashion was never meant to be a divisive concept that would exclude lower tax brackets from the prestige of certain brands, luxury labels thrive on longevity and the status that comes with the products they sell. Over the last few years, famously expensive brands have left the slow lane of the industry and have fallen under the ‘fast fashion’ category, which have left some industry leaders on a rather distasteful note.
In recent interview with Bloomberg, former Gucci designer Tom Ford slated the traditional see-now, buy later model as an outdated practice that no longer is relevant to fashion. Following the quote, Tom Ford and Burberry announced that their collections would be made available to the masses almost immediately after their runway shows. London Fashion Week was the last time that Burberry would host a ‘traditional’ show, according to This is Money.
While more labels seem to fast-tracking their way into the market, Gucci is definitely at odds with the actions of the supposed luxury goods companies. Gucci owner and chief executive of Kering SA Francois-Henri Pinault sees the move to fast fashion as an insult, something that negates the dream of luxury. As the international fashion retailer Lyst explains, Gucci has been a leading brand since it initially launched back in 1921 as a leather goods manufacturer and continues to meet the demands of the fashion-conscious high-end shopper. Customers can wait up to six months before a Gucci collection is available in stores, and is done strategically to create desire, a desire which drives quarterly sales growth that Burberry has struggled to keep up with.
Luxury fashion emerged and soared for reasons of investment and stature. It was never built on passing fads and current trends that will be irrelevant several seasons from now, and in the midst of brands selling clothing and accessory lines fresh off the runways, Gucci remains faithful to traditional luxury concepts and revels in delivering quality over quantity.
