purchases based on the trust we have that the consistent promises of a brand
will be delivered. Now take this trust for basic consumer goods to the higher
level of luxury fashion and you’ll find that you have even greater brand
promises and more reinforcement that they will be delivered. This increases
your level of trust. And when your expectations are met and exceeded, what
do you think will be the result? Of course you’ll be hooked. If you can place
your trust in a toilet paper or detergent manufacturing company every time
you spend two dollars on their product, then what level of trust do you think
you’ll have for a high fashion brand that contributes to shaping your lifestyle
and defining your identity? It is likely to be enormous. And this is what
luxury is all about.
Fashion is not only a matter of clothes and accessories but is also highly
influential in structuring society’s culture, identity and lifestyle. Luxury fash-
ion even goes further to reinforce the evolution and voice of society. In this
generation where image underlies every aspect of our lives, luxury brands
have gained more prominence and are affecting the daily lives of both
consumers and non-consumers on a greater level.
An intelligent, pragmatic and highly educated friend once told me that she
would rather not wear sunglasses than wear ones that are not made by Gucci.
She has been a loyal Gucci sunglasses devotee from the day she bought her
first Gucci sunglasses many years ago. She also wears prescription glasses
and the first time she went for her eyeglass fitting in London, the optician was
out of stock of her desired Gucci frames. She didn’t mind waiting for one
month for the frames to arrive, in the meantime straining her eyes daily and
risking her vision, such was her level of love and loyalty to Gucci. Of course
she knew that she wouldn’t become blind but she was ready to jeopardize her
faltering vision for the love of a luxury brand. When I raised this point, she
simply said that I might not understand the intense contentment she feels each
time she wore her Gucci glasses. This emotional core that the Gucci brand
touched in my friend is the impact luxury brands have on consumers on a
daily basis all over the world. When a consumer wants a luxury brand, there
is no substitute. Such is the mind-game that ‘high branding’ plays with
consumers. Again, this is luxury.So what is luxury fashion branding all about?
First, let’s look at the concept of branding. Brands are powerful and symbolic
elements that have the potential of influencing cultures, societies and gener-
ations. They play a daily role in our lives from the product decisions and
choices we make to the people we choose to speak to or associate with. They
are also wealth-creators and a source of a steady income stream for the
companies that own them. These statements will become clearer as you read
further.8
luxury fashion branding