Why High Luxury Women Are Leaving Big Brands for Designers and Artists
The “Old Luxury” Crisis: Why the 1% Are Quietly Leaving the Conglomerates for Artisans.
Hello loved one…
I couldn’t help but keep my eye out on the conversations for you this week that’s popping up all over social media. I’m seeing that many women are fed up of the lack of luxury alternatives in a world where the conglomerates rule.
In this article, I will do a deep dive on what I found high net worth women are saying and doing to take back control —
Of their wardrobe
Of their shopping habits
For their peace of mind…
Because who else can appreciate art and luxury
But the woman who experiences life to the fullest?
I hope you enjoy this week’s article— 💋LK
High Luxury Women Are Leaving Big Brands for Designers and Artists
Before fashion became an industry, it worked differently. Women didn’t shop brands. They worked directly with the local tailors, the artisans, the designers.
Designers crafted pieces specifically for them. Relationships formed that lasted years. It was a system built on artistry and trust. The word for it was patronage.
And quietly, it is returning again in the 21st century- after the fast-fashion boom of the early 80s.
There is a quiet, jagged rebellion happening in the upper echelons of the luxury world, and it isn’t starting on a Parisian runway.
Here are the 5 reasons… starting in the comment sections led by the wealthy.
In the upper echelons of luxury, the conversation is changing. It is moving away from the “games” of the department store floor and toward the intimacy of the personal artist. This shift is driven by a simple but profound epiphany regarding what we are actually paying for. Because of this, we now have the…
The Return of the High Luxury Woman
If you look closely at the social media watercoolers where the “heavy hitters” hang out, the tone has shifted from admiration of a heritage brand to a sharp, worthy cynicism.
One woman, a long-time devotee of the most storied orange-boxed house in France, recently admitted she hasn’t stepped foot in their boutiques for over eighteen months—not because she can’t afford it, but because she’s tired of “the games.”
Another was even more blunt: “These bags cost more than ever, yet the materials and craftsmanship feel cheaper.” To these women, what used to feel like a sacred piece to collect now feels fundamentally common.
The luxury bubble hasn’t just burst; it’s dissipating. Even Anna Wintour grew tired of the word ‘luxury’, as every market catapulted on creating luxury through the increased access to fast fashion via directly via manufacturers at the tip of a mouse button.
The art of luxury has been lost and the idea, oversold.
This is why the truly discerning are pivoting.
They aren’t looking for the next “It-bag” like in the early 2000s—they’re looking for something new at which they almost can’t put their finger on it, until they see it.
The high luxury woman used to do the same.
New drop.
New collection.
New “must-have.”
And so, the high luxury woman has begun moving differently.
You’ve seen her before. She walks into a room and something subtle happens. Other women begin studying what she’s carrying, what she’s wearing, how everything fits together so effortlessly.
You notice it immediately because something about her feels calm. Nothing about her looks frantic, trend-chasing, or overly styled.
Her bag doesn’t resemble the ones glowing behind glass on Madison Avenue.
It feels rarer than that.
Here’s Why: When heritage houses hop on the fast fashion trend in the mid 2010s
She noticed.
Now after a decade of trying to love what she used to love. She now sees that everything is the same. And the logos keep getting larger. Now she’s tired of it.
Luckily she has contacts to build her own Rolodex of renowned designers and artists to dress her and curate her lifestyle:
A handbag artist who bags graced the windows of Bergdorf Goodman
makes her next handbag.
A discreet shoe artist who has a patent on the most comfortable stiletto
creates her next heels.
A perfume artist who is from Harlem who has occasional pop ups with Nordstrom
orders her next perfume from.
(link to my contact for this perfume artist at bottom of article)
These artisans know her life well enough to design for it. They dress her the way painters immortalized their muse.
And once you see this, you begin to understand something important. The difference between her world and the one most women are still navigating.
Subscribe to read the following chapters:
1. The Price Secret No One Talks About
2. Personalization Is the New Luxury
3. The Quiet Fatigue with Conglomerates
4. What the High Luxury Woman Is Really Collecting
5. Why You Rarely See Her Custom Pieces on Resale Sites
and… The Return to Patronage
