Not so long ago, luxury was synonymous with scarcity. To be considered fashionable and of a certain elevated status, one simply advertised their wealth with material objects that were out of reach for others. Enter the birth of luxury brands. For example, a designer handbag provides access to a certain class and signals that belonging. Today, that handbag passport is still in existence, but the tribe has grown to include almost everyone. In Japan, 1 in 3 women own a Louis Vuitton bag- hmm, doesn’t sound very scarce to me… 

Somewhere along the line there was shift in brand strategy. Scarcity was no longer the objective, obtainability was. Brands sought to offer their luxury label at all levels with various entry points. This formula may have worked for awhile, but the times they are a changing. Good thing too- that is what fashion is all about, CHANGE! Barney’s Fashion Director, Julie Gilhart gets it. “One of the things with big brands right now is that the customer is really reacting to them in a sense that they’re so over-marketed. Customers don’t want that anymore. They don’t want to see what they’re buying everywhere,” said Gilhart in an interview for Style.com.

Burberry is onboard too. They just released an exclusive Japan-Only Black Label range. This is a smart move. It is the re-designing of luxury. If you have to travel all the way to Tokyo to get one of the exclusive pieces from the new Burberry line, I think you can safely describe that as luxury. Other big brands would do well to pay attention to the insight Gilhart has to offer and catch up to Burberry’s forward action.