Flightsof Fancy

LUXURY CLIENTS ARE ON A SPENDING SPREE AGAIN, AND HERITAGE BRANDS ARE LAUNCHING EVER MORE CREATIVE INNOVATIONS AND EXCITING CAMPAIGNS TO ENTICE THEM

WORDS CHRISTINE VAN DEEMTER

WHEN THE MET GALA OPENS its gilded doors for the select few on the first Monday in May, it will again enthral the world with glamour and ostentation. This year’s theme will celebrate one of fashion’s most extraordinary icons: the late Karl Lagerfeld. While the event will honour the legacy of the once-in-a-generation talent, it’s also a multifaceted way to get people talking about Chanel and Fendi, the luxury brands he served for decades as creative director. And while talking about brands helps move product, in 2023, innovation is needed. “Most countries have made it through the pandemic and, as such, sentiment is starting to look up,” says Giselle Hon, director of luxury communications and PR firm, Hon. Gone are the days of getting attention through some blatant shock campaigning. A United Colors of Benetton billboard would barely raise an eyebrow today, nor would a Gucci logo shaved into pubic hair excite more than a few tut-tuts from the grey-haired establishment. In a world filled with choice and more luxury than ever before, brands must take advantage of their reservoirs of talent to get customers to open their wallets.

Today, creative directors no longer shun collaborations, tapping into the genius of artists, streetwear labels and off-kilter creatives. Dior x Birkenstock, Adidas x Gucci and Stüssy x Dries van Noten are but some of the left-field collaborations released in the last few years, while Louis Vuitton’s reunion with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is expected to break sales records. The brand’s recent appointment of Pharrell Williams as men’s creative director is another indication that they see the value in bringing an A-lister on board. Pharrell isn’t new to the fashion world. In 2015, Lagerfeld brought him on board as one of Chanel’s only male ambassadors. The relationship flourished and spawned the Chanel x Pharrell capsule collection and a sneaker collaboration with Adidas. Pharrell also urged Lagerfeld to consider Africa as a destination for the brand. This culminated in December last year when Chanel showed its 2023 Métiers d’Art collection in Dakar, Senegal. Heritage purveyors of luxury are at the vanguard of innovative ideas to keep customers engaged, from bringing retro trailers filled with product to your door (Louis Vuitton) to tapping into social issues (Nordstrom curating a dedicated shop by and for Black brands). And while luxury label Hermès has never needed to chase eyeballs, its whimsical Instagram campaigns have become must-follows. People are hungry for experiences and something rare, new or outrageous… or preferably all three. Just witness Dior’s 3D-printed derby shoes and boots, a feat of cutting-edge technology. Created from durable thermoplastic polyurethane, the shoes were meticulously crafted and designed – and are only available in black. Says the brand, “The aim was to produce footwear that was wearable and comfortable, while maintaining the ideal balance between new technology and traditional craftsmanship.”

OPPOSITE: Stüssy x Dries van Noten collab

LEFT & BELOW LEFT: Adidas x Gucci collab

BELOW: Dior 3D printed shoe

Around the world, luxury brands are hoping for a resurgence in post-pandemic shopping by means of some innovative connections. Louis Vuitton has opened its first restaurant in China – a 60-seater in Chengdu – helmed by Michelin-star French chef Olivier Elzer. The maison announced its restaurant with further inter-genre fanfare by commissioning a song from local rapper MaSiWei and launching a game on WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app. The restaurant launch followed the opening of a Louis Vuitton flagship store across the way a few months earlier, which was heralded by a giant tiger’s tail curling through the building in honor of the Year of the Tiger. Closer to home, Giselle cites the Zeitz MOCAA Gala + Dinner, which was held in Cape Town and supported by Gucci, as “unforgettable.”

It’s not just luxury fashion getting in on the action. Iconic shopping destinations such as Selfridges and Liberty in London have avoided the fate of so many other stale department stores by being creative and out-of-the-shoppingbag. Selfridges created a self-care event called Superself which featured stressreducing, multisensory pods that people could step into to awaken their senses by means of temperature, airflow, sound, light and smell. Liberty launched online craft

LEFT: Chanel x Pharrell Williams

BELOW LEFT: Dior x Birkenstock

INSERTS: Tiffany & Co. x Nike Air Force 1 Low 1837; Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama shoe workshops where customers could learn to sew dresses (in Liberty fabrics, naturally). The London store also hosts tours of its Grade II* listed heritage building, which are sold out months in advance.

While an unexpected collab or extravagant gimmicks can move the social media dial to viral, the audience sometimes bites back. Such was the case of the Chanel advent calendar created in celebration of the brand’s centenary. The $825 advent calendar was pilloried online for containing items such as stickers and flimsy tree ornaments, resulting in Chanel’s president of fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky, defusing the backlash by saying, “In future, we will certainly be more cautious.”

Tiffany & Co. also stung from the feedback to its Nike collaboration – the plain black Tiffany & Co. x Nike Air Force 1 Low 1837 shoes featured no real design chops and a single Nike swoosh in Tiffany blue. Sneakerheads were savage online, calling it out as a cynical marketing ploy with no authentic synergy. Yet it got people talking and will no doubt have a stellar second life on the cult resale market. As Hon points out, a triumphant campaign is ultimately one that is both “memorable and surprising to clients – but also translates into commercial success.” ■