perspective it is ‘a distinguishable piece of intellectual property and an intan-
gible asset that secures future earnings.’
Having said this, let’s now look at luxury goods and their interesting posi-
tion in the whole branding set-up.The luxury and prestige fashion goods sector utilizes fierce brand develop-
ment strategies in its overall marketing strategy development, visibly in
communications. Luxury brands recognize that the art of product design,
innovation and aesthetic beauty can only be effectively portrayed through
creating strong brands that appeal to the psychology of consumers. Branding
is the lifeline of the luxury industry while design and creativity are its
bedrocks. Without branding, there would be no luxury goods.
Luxury fashion brands strive for innovation, differentiation and appeal.
This is because the fashion business is forward-thinking. Fashion always
incorporates the past and the future and is hardly preoccupied with the
present. It draws inspiration from the past in order to create the desire of the
future. The present is only a temporary phase because if fashion is here today,
it is already old-fashioned. This is where the role of branding is most promi-
nent because it fuels the continuous desire of luxury products despite the
constant changes of fashion.
Luxury brands set the fashion trends for every season during the fashion
weeks held in Paris, Milan, New York, London and other prominent cities. In
the past century, haute couture designers like Christian Dior and Valentino
decreed the colour of every fashion season and the cut of every jacket through
their designs. Presently, the scenario is gradually changing as a result of a
wider choice and variety in brand and product offering fuelled by branding.
However, luxury fashion designers are still considered like demi-gods in the
fashion business. They tell the consumer public what to wear and not to wear,
indirectly determining the tastes of the fashion society. If Marc Jacobs of
Louis Vuitton showcases white as the colour of a fashion season; behold the
world of fashion adopts white. If Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel decides that
wedges should be the must-have accessories for a fashion season, then
wedges it must be. If Jean-Paul Gaultier at Hermès rises in the morning and
is suddenly inspired by a dream he had of an African safari trip, he can decide
that zebra prints are the new season’s fashion flag and so it will be. The
consumer population awaits the judgements of these luxury fashion designers
and the mass fashion brands take the dictation of these trends to the mass-
production manufacturing factory.
But you may ask; who bestows the luxury fashion designers and their
brands with such powers? How can we trust their opinions without question
and how can the fashion population become like enthusiastic robots under
their control? The answer is simple: luxury brands have the power of
BRANDING! If you believe that brands like Dior or Gucci have the absolute
prerogative to determine the appearance of the entire global fashion consumer10
luxury fashion branding