Where clothing becomes culture and fashion becomes a conversation.
Pamela Cunha, Founder
Cultural Intelligence for Global Brands – Cultural risk analysis, campaign storytelling strategy, market adaptation insights.
The Business of Fashion and McKinsey have been tracking global economic dislocations, shifting consumer preferences and changes to the fashion system in The State of Fashion reports for 10 years now.
More True, Less Aspirational Luxury Brands Must Regain Their Soul
“Luxury’s focus on accessibility fueled growth but alienated top spenders. As the luxury brand market approaches a slowdown, brands should focus on quality and personalized experiences for high-value clients, rather than mass appeal, to regain their “soul” (Danziger, 2025).
“The luxury brands that will win in the years ahead will be those that center their strategy on delivering excellence to the clients who define what true luxury means,” said BCG senior partner Filippo Bianchi in the latest BCG and Altagamma “True-Luxury Global Consumer Insights” report (Danziger, 2025).
Luxury brands must return to what has always made luxury exceptional: personal relationships and recognition, special client experiences and ultimate quality.
Bianchi concluded: “To meet and retain top-tier clients, brands must focus their attention on precision and intimacy. In doing so, they’ll take a crucial step toward building a strong luxury industry by returning to what made it exceptional in the first place.” “What they value is not outreach, but tailored interaction – built around their personal context, taste and lifestyle,” BCG advises. The call is for more person-to-person clienteling, which can be aided by AI, yet AI is no substitute for the personal connection (Bianchi et. al., 2025).
Bianchi, F., Ricci, G., Casagranda, L., Lemucchi, B., Boger, S., & Lazzaroni, S. (2025, July 8). The way forward for luxury starts at the core: Re-center on top-tier clients and on its fundamentals. Boston Consulting Group.
Danziger, P. N. (2025, July 14). More “true,” less aspirational luxury is the next priority for luxury brands. Forbes.
Designer Focus
John Galliano
@jgalliano is back at work, and teaming with @zara on an unconventional collaboration that will see the maverick couturier “re-author” the brand’s archives and create seasonal collections over the next two years. https://www.zara.com/ca/
Galliano and Zara have described their new project as a “creative partnership” where the designer will be working directly with clothes from Zara’s past seasons, “deconstructing and reconfiguring them into new seasonal expressions and creations,” a joint statement said.
Real World Dialogue 