Ah, the art of the tease. The first glimpse, just a flash of something amazing, with the promise of more to come. But not just yet. Wonders to be imagined and dreamed of, perhaps someday to become real. Anticipation can be delicious, in luxury purchasing as well as in love.
With Asia forecast to have 1 billion affluent consumers within the next decade, it’s a rather pressing issue to understand the nuances of what passes for luxury there. In the first quarter of this year, LVMH reported that 37% of its global revenue came from Asia. The region is huge and its cultures varied, so it’s foolhardy to make broad statements about the nature of Asian luxury. That said, taking a look at Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and Shanghai versus New York, London, Paris and Milan, some interesting themes emerge. Here are a few things I’ve observed in my travels:
In the midst of the usual Monday doom and gloom news reports, as we yawned from staying up too late to watch the Olympics, one headline in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal caught our attention here at Dandelion Chandelier. According to the consultants at Wealth-X, who are experts on people with net worth of $30 million or more, there are officially 2,473 billionaires in the world. That’s up by 6.4% from the prior year. In the world of luxury, that counts as important breaking news.
Like any great relationship, our feelings about our favorite luxury brands usually start out in a blaze of passion, excitement and positive feelings. The first time I could afford a pair of Manolo Blanik shoes, I was almost as giddy as I was the day I met my best friend in college. The shoes were black patent leather high-heeled pumps, and they were so much fun, and so chic, that they made me feel that I was my best “me” whenever I put them on. Yes, shoe love can run deep.
Our friends in Silicon Valley have given us a glimpse of the future of luxury, with the advent of “smart.” There is a smart version of almost everything on the market right now: watches, bikes, desks, suitcases – and, of course, cars.
