How Fashion And History Go Together For Luxury Brands – 12/3/10

In yesterday’s MO Down, we discussed the YSL retrospective being held in Paris. Now, we’d like to draw your attention to a Financial Times article, which makes some interesting points on YSL’s retrospective and current collection, and on the topic of now vs. the past.

The article’s opening paragraph raises an interesting argument, suggesting “Fashion and history are antagonistic bedfellows: on the one hand, fashion is predicated on refuting the past of only a season ago; on the other hand, it finds nothing quite so attractive as an archive – the older the better.”

What so often makes a luxury brand successful, apart from quality and rarity, is the history. Therefore, a new brand finds it difficult to become a 'luxury' brand even if they indulge in the same artisan craftsmanship, rare and exclusive fabrics and adornments. So at what point does a 'new' brand become a luxury brand? There are actually a few turning points, but the path is a difficult one…