design:retail - June 2017 - 52

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with strong discretionary spending power who prefer to buy fewer, more high-quality objects that signal
to those in-the-know but exclude others. This is a
form of soft power that is less ostentatious and a clear
departure from the splashy signaling of our past.

HUMAN OVER BRAND
There is a rising backlash happening with luxury, where consumers
are questioning the validity of the
fantasy worlds luxury brands have
perpetuated for decades. Images
of "Zoolander"-type faces in exotic
yacht-ridden destinations are not as aspirational as
the images we see attached to new more disruptive
luxury brands populating Instagram and Snapchat.
Newer brands like Glossier center on stories that
are more real, human, even gritty. They celebrate
the individual and make real people the true north
of their marketing, helping to grow their tribe
quickly through selfies and authentic lifestyle imagery, versus fake luxury clichés.

LEGACY OVER HERITAGE
"A lot of what has been
sold under the luxury ticket
isn't luxury at all," says Dilys
Williams, director and professor of Fashion Design
for Sustainability at the London College of Fashion.
"What you are buying has been made in China and
made quickly. The heritage stuff is fake authenticity." As a result, the go-to positioning of heritage is
now coming into question.
There needs to be a clear departure from relying
on heritage-only communication to incorporating
values and behavior that leave a lasting legacy. A
big part of this shift is recognizing that sustainability is a must, not a lust, for Generations X, Y and D.
"Whole System Thinking"-the notion of creating
a closed-loop positive ecosystem-is an imperative
for the luxury brands of tomorrow.
Kering, for instance, recently collaborated
with Parsons School of Design on a new app
called My EP&L, which promotes sustainability
awareness among new fashion designers crafting
tomorrow's luxury brands. By working with students today, they help enact sustainable luxury
behaviors tomorrow.

THE NEW VALUE SYSTEM
There are many choices luxury retailers can
make to tap into the new consumer value system.
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After all, while online shopping
is growing, about two-thirds of
consumers still prefer to shop
in physical stores, according to
Euclid Analytics. Humans want
to "see, touch, feel and try out
new items," especially Generation Z and Millennials, who, contrary to popular belief, actually
prefer to shop in brick and mortar. Retail is the
strongest tool that luxury brands have to retain
value and build desire. With attention spans getting shorter and shorter, the immediacy of retail
can't be beat.

SEAMLESS TOTAL RETAIL

Give demanding luxury consumers a smooth
cross-channel shopping experience that transcends the transaction. Consumers today
demand the ability to seamlessly switch from
home computer to smartphone to store with
little to no stress. With this being more reflective
of the fluid way consumers move between the
digital and physical worlds on their path to purchase, it is imperative that retailers mirror this
modern behavior.
"E-commerce and digital strategies are important focuses, including how to interpret and
implement in the boutiques to further support
sales staff and enhance client servicing," says
Diana Bernal, store planning and construction director, Richemont North America Inc.
"The immense and rapid access to information
and increase in technology have changed retail;
however, I don't think it has changed the perception of luxury. Luxury continues to include the
expectation of high-quality products, engaging
shopping environments and exceptional client
services. These elements enable sales associates
to have better conversations and create customized experiences."
We are seeing more online stores opening
brick-and-mortar locations that learn from their
digital experience, mimicking the speed and
ease of online shopping in-store. For instance,
Amazon sells books in their retail locations with
the front of the book facing the consumer, not
the spine.

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London beauty store Fabled by Marie Claire
stocks the content on Marie Claire's beauty website
in a physical store. The design is "phygital," meaning it combines both physical and digital, allowing
people to experience the products in-store and
simultaneously research them through digital
means. According to Amanda Scott, managing
director of Fabled by Marie Claire, "We wanted to
create a standalone beauty boutique that broke
the mold of the traditional beauty retailing model"
through experimenting with lots of test and play
and digital integration.

BREAK CATEGORY
CONVENTIONS
Unlock new consumption
models by driving exploration
and subsequent re-appraisal.
Tommy Hilfiger changed the game by leveraging
a "see now buy now" approach with his runway
shows in both New York and Venice Beach, Calif.
This sense of immediacy is exciting and demands
action from consumers enticed by the world of fashion luxury.
For 2017's New York Fashion week, designers
such as Tom Ford and Rachel Zoe staged their own
customer-led shows in their own locales, free from
the restraints of the fashion calendar.

UNEXPECTED
COLLABORATIONS
This is a wonderful way
to surprise and delight
consumers who have a
high level of expectation
from their retail experiences. Neiman Marcus
opened an in-store Rent the Runway boutique in
its San Francisco flagship, while Nordstrom's popup Hermès boutique makes their iconic scarves,
normally encased behind glass, available to touch
and experience. "We wanted the customers to be
able to try things on without the intimidation of
them having to be unlocked or completely serviced," says Olivia Kim, vice president of special
projects, Nordstrom.

CULTURE AS THE NEW CACHET
To break through, building cultural capital is key to creating a new form of value for
tomorrow's luxury consumers. This is best done
by deepening cultural relevance through activations and communications that reflect a brand's

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