Friday Fashion.
In the wake of Succession, the stealth-wealth phenomenon only continues to grow. According to Robb Report, fashion retailer Karen Millen analysed a trove of Google data to reveal that it was the year of “old-money style,” a search term that grew 568 per cent. Quasi-synonymous phrases such as “quiet luxury” (373 per cent) and “stealth wealth” (334 per cent) saw an equally dramatic spike in interest among the trillion-plus annual searches.
As men bequeathed with a sense of high fashion and high currency stocked up on legacy luxury brands, sales among the top-drawer designers were on a steady upwards incline, affected by neither politics nor pandemic. At the time of writing, LVMH earnings in the second quarter of 2023 reveal that “Asia held up the market” with a 34 per cent increase in the region, outperforming Europe and the US, and the company saw “double-digit sales growth,” according to Forbes.
Under the influence of refined taste, not influencers, heir and grace have always bent at the knee for the pride and privilege of being draped and dressed in exalted knits (Zegna and Loro Piana), exquisite craftsmanship (Hermès and Loewe), bespoke excellence (Ascot Chang), gear that can be passed on through many generations (Saint Laurent), and, of course, all things Italian (Prada, Armani, Stefano Ricci, Brunello Cucinelli, and even the quite quirky Moschino). Heck, an all-Italian menswear edition is not that far off course for all things haute and homme.
Although it’s the trend now, Robb Report has been featuring menswear in sombre shades and muted tones since memory serves, eschewing editorials on celebrity powered fads for paeans on fabric and construction. We study the sourcing of cashmere, vicuña, camel hair, and mulberry silk in legacy brands, and hold up a loupe to the artisans who embroider, stitch, and weave by hand the magnificent threads that outlive the seasons.
At the top of the fashion food chain this year, it’s a heady mix-and-match of the usual heavy hitters and the slow burn of the urban sophisticate, here to disrupt long-standing regimes of debonair menswear. Miu Miu, Loewe, and Prada jostled for the honour of “hottest brand of the year,” according to the quarterly Lyst Index, with Loewe coming out of left field to dominate Q2. Several notable brands made headlines, some even history, as the powers that be in the most valuable fashion companies in the world spent big money to showcase their wares. It was a gentleman’s agreement for the maisons to go all out for menswear (theatrics usually reserved for the gowns and glory of womenswear): the shows in the fashion capitals were splendid, be it in New York (Ralph Lauren’s grand return to New York Fashion Week), London (Burberry saw Daniel Lee debut and dazzle with the brand), Paris (Louis Vuitton with Pharrell Williams and all the stars of the firmament), and Milan (Prada showed it takes two—Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons—to tango), while Tom Ford went digital for his final parting shot, bidding his eponymous brand goodbye after selling it to Estée Lauder in 2022.
A special chapter in this edition of Best of the Best honours Ralph Lauren for a saga that continues to entrance the world, followed by a shoot featuring autumn winter looks and Lauren’s enviable collection of classic cars, harkening back to how Robb Report originally began—as a newsletter shared to classic car collectors and members of the Rolls-Royce Owners Club. It all comes full circle.
More at Robb Report Hong Kong.
