May 9, 2024 |
“Looking rich” has never been so hot. Of course, how you flex (or anti-flex) your wealth depends on both your means and social pedigree. What might come across as understated, if not a little dull, in one scenario can land as the pinnacle of chic in another. Partly, it’s a class thing, tacitly revealing how much of your wealth was inherited or earned through graft. In short, if you started from the bottom, any clumsy attempts at stealth wealth will come off as nouveau riche at best.
Granted, the stealth-wealther can be imitated, but he cannot be duplicated. Fashion’s most successful billionaire, Bernard Arnault, the founder of LVMH, is a best-in-class example, playing down his high-profile credentials and bank balance through the perennial navy suit and Dior tie. Dubbed the “wolf in cashmere” by his peers, Arnault sits at complete stylistic odds to his prized employee Pharrell Williams, who, only three collections into his tenure as Louis Vuitton men’s creative director, is laying claim to the flashiest interpretation of the age-old malletier yet. Williams himself has never been one for less-is-more dress, moving from his Bape-splashed Noughties to the Chanel costume jewellery, ripped denim and fedora of the 2010s before finally settling on today’s repertoire of LV-monogrammed biker jackets and diamond-encrusted Tiffany shades. Opulence, embodied.
Together, the two men present both extremes of contemporary luxury. On one hand, it’s a whispered sense of finery that is felt by the wearer themself and recognised by those in the know. On the other, it’s outright decadence, announcing itself as just that. However, between them, there’s a lot of wriggle room, as LVMH’s brand portfolio evidences – it spans quiet luxury OGs Berluti and Loro Piana, the happy medium that is Loewe, and household names like Louis Vuitton and Dior. Beyond LVMH, competing conglomerate Kering also offers a rich roster of labels to align yourself with, counting an approachable Alexander McQueen line, a newly quietened Gucci and a very ritzy Saint Laurent, not to mention quiet luxury 101: Bottega Veneta. Other menswear heavyweights like Tom Ford strike a fine balance of gaudy and understated, while Thom Browne makes classic prep camp. Indeed, if womenswear has long been about creative directors speaking to a specific woman, then menswear is really no different. Or so it seems.
Arango in Versace by David Lock, 2020
Scratch a little deeper and it’s a different story. Remember, designers professing to speak to a specific man and his ideal of luxury are relying on stereotypes. Speaking from my own experience working on the creative content team at Harrods, I know that the quiet luxurian figure so often characterised as anti-fashion is equally at home in fashion-coded labels such as Louis Vuitton; he just opts for – you guessed it – the quieter pieces. In fact, according to brand strategist Hynam Kendall, “The brands themselves aren’t thinking in the same binary terms as the consumers. They’re far less concerned with the aesthetic tropes and tribes, and far more concerned with whether the shopper will see the price point and see [the product] as luxury.” In his eyes, there are two conversations: one going on in the boardroom and one on TikTok where quiet luxury can be “duped” via fast fashion or high street alternatives.This wasn’t always the case, though. “I remember conversations with my clients like Brioni over a decade ago. It was almost like a new era of aesthetic was entering the luxury conversation and creative directors, founders and CEOs were sat with the board saying, ‘How do we feel about putting a non-formal shoe with tailoring?’”
While such considerations sound laughable now, once upon a time fashion brands were acutely focused on a singular image and a tightened story. Whether it’s down to the modern-day fashion brand’s insatiable need for growth or simply the entrance of a new consumer, such as the “new luxury” millennials and Gen Zs chasing Supreme and Corteiz alike, the playing field has shifted irreversibly. That said, for content strategist Steve Salter, this dichotomy of ostentatious and quiet luxury is forever, their intersection intriguing. “Even in the changing of the creative guard at Gucci, with Alessandro Michele’s mosaics of maximalism replaced with Sabato De Sarno’s minimalist precision, collections exist within the spectrum of both.” He points to the Louis Vuitton pre-AW24 show as a case in point. “Pharrell pushed house codes in each direction and explored different traveller archetypes, from the polished prep of sailor-inspired varsity jackets and relaxed tailoring through to sequinned florals and nautical-themed monogram motifs.” In fact, the AW24 collection also served a pick-and-mix of quiet and loud, from monogram-logoed leathers to understated western work jackets. And it’s working! Vuitton’s continued global success shows plainly how broad its man is.
Certainly, a step back from industry chatter can help in seeing the wood from the trees. Yes, the fash pack and trade magazines help to define consumers’ conversations, and the breathlessly concocted *insert*-cores do trickle down, but they are, ultimately, only one of many currents, not the sum of fashion. “Stealth wealth”, or “bore-core” as it’s less kindly known, is symptomatic of this. Summoning up images of Succession’s Roman Roy in his dove grey, intrecciato Bottega Veneta belt, or his brother Logan in a Loro Piana cashmere hat, it’s been front of mind for anyone on Planet Mode for the past year. Yet, for a select few, it’s less a trend and simply their uniform. Yes, since the early 2000s, any given art fair across the globe would be awash with Roy family carbon copies: we just didn’t know what to call their look. Mimma Viglezio, a creative consultant who previously worked at LVMH and Gucci Group (now Kering) is clear in stating that “men, especially European men, have been wearing expensive cashmere and bespoke dark grey suits for decades”, referencing old Italian tailors like Brioni and Canali, as well as knitwear doyens Zegna and Brunello Cucinelli. Viglezio, however, does note that the aesthetics of quiet luxury might be used as a commercial strategy in more directional houses. “Sabato De Sarno was installed at Gucci with, I believe, a very clear brief,” she says. Again, though, this is just one shift. Just as many wealthy European men have prioritised provenance and fabrication over bold visual appeal, large upper-middle-class consumer groups in Asian territories, such as China and South Korea, will continue in their longstanding love for louder luxury.
Perhaps, we might concede, commercial incentives to buy quiet are being felt on the shopfloor more so than usual. “The ‘quiet luxury’ trend has always existed but has definitely become more important due to current economic climate,” says Damien Paul, the head of menswear at Matches. He finds that customers are increasingly drawn to “investment pieces” over “novelty”, putting their money towards shoes, bags and coats in particular. “Of course, we have our purist customer who has forever worn Brunello Cucinelli, but now, other clients are definitely looking for the ultimate versatility, investing in quality and longevity,” he adds. It makes sense, too. Amid the cost-of-living crisis, the appetite for just-launched, newly concocted it-pieces has decreased and we instead think long-term. Hence, conservativism in the wardrobe.
But – and this is the crux – look at the bigger picture:classic staples don’t just encompass the cashmeres, but also the visibly branded designs we know and love. Fendi’s Double-F insignia or Vuitton’s SS24 Damier print, recently reimagined in camo as the “Damouflage”, are going nowhere fast, encapsulating the very essence of investment shopping. Cloaking ourselves in Zegna’s cosy and traceable viçuna woollens (the rarest you’ll find) sourced especially from South America might look indulgent and signify sartorial cachet to a select group, but to an equally cash-rich audience, Speedy bags, Fendi Peekaboos and the remains of Michele’s Gucci are just as eternally relevant. Equally, we might point to the growing taste for bold and splashy menswear that’s not just about already-legendary bags, sneakers and ingenious branding, but also the wrought, beaded and couture-level embellishments we’re seeing chez Valentino and Dior, whose Dior menswear uses the same atelier as Dior couture. As such, to some, your bedazzled bouclé cardigan care of Kim Jones is a little extra, but to a number of men, it’s luxury’s peak.
Conversely, maybe there’s also a dichotomy at play between the increasingly high-octane runway sets – now closer in style to stadium concerts than the old salons or trade shows of 20th-century Paris and Milan – and much of the clothes that end up in the stores. As far as fashion consultant Cozette McCreery is concerned, quiet luxury makes up the majority of the menswear today. In fact, she argues that only a small number of designers are offering louder pieces. These, she says, are “often designs or styling seen on the catwalk and then picked up by stylists for famous clients”. It’s quite a stark opinion, but with all the ongoing talks of a “return to reduction” or “just making clothes”, you can see why one might hold this view. Prada, almost always the vanguard, might still be experimental, but virtually every men’s collection presented since Raf Simons joined the house alongside Mrs P. has been resolutely pared back. Heck, SS24 found its departure point in the humble medium of shirting, and for AW24, in office dress, is worlds away from AW18’s flame graphic shirts doing the rounds on Jeff Goldblum, Pusha T et al.
What does the future of luxury menswear hold? And indeed, is there actually an answer to that million-pound question anymore? Not only are industry insiders conflicted in their opinions, but so too are the press and a growing generation of DIY pundits leading the discussion on Discord channels and X (formally Twitter). Luxury is increasingly subjective among men, and, man, it’s got range. Maybe, from somewhere in that chaos, we can confirm one thing: an unequivocal sense of choice and possibility. Yes, the question of quiet versus loud luxury still leads the conversation among shoppers and those concerned with keeping up appearances, but really, they are just the goalposts. Between them, what counts as luxury, what makes someone look or feel like a million bucks, remains up for grabs.
Artwork by David Lock. “The New Wealth Gap,” taken from Issue 59 of 10 Men – PRECISION, CRAFT, LUXURY – out NOW. Order your copy here.
