Personas To Plan By
The luxury of the 80s began with exclusivity. As you gained wealth, you could attain its merits. And then an era of aspirationals was born, driving designers to capitalize on the emerging buying power by unraveling brands into licensed goods and bridge lines. Luxury brand names became ubiquitous, and a single standard of what was “in” or “out” evolved. Once a standard sets in, originality and exclusivity are lost. Think of all those Gen Yers growing up in McMansions. What we see now emerging as Gen Yers are maturing, are fractured expectations for luxury.
The Purists
The Purists are those who define luxury by exclusivity and the closeness of their relationship to the brand. They understand the process by which an object is crafted. They’ll wait for what they deem is perfection. They are respectful of the icons of traditional luxury, however they do seek more contemporary themes and ideas. Customization is key. Think, Ivanka Trump who continues her father’s preference for black Brioni suits, as well as her own penchant for Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta. For her, however, it’s less about the name than the fit.
Who’s targeting them already?
Last year the New York Times reported Celerie Kemble as one of the most visible of a new wave of interior designers, all women in their 30s with pedigrees, a talent for clothes and parties, and lists of glittering clients just as young and well-heeled as they are. While Sister Parish, still a touchstone of the society interior, presented the decorator as autocrat, or at least headmistress, these young women seem more like pals than stern domestic arbiters. For their clients, they are the fun, stylish alpha girls they went to school with who just happen to have Treos full of upholsterers, decorative painters and high-end carpenters, and maybe, as in Kemble's case, furniture lines of their own.
The Purists
The Guilted Lillies
The Passport Posse
Brand New Heavies
