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How Highsnobiety Defines The New Luxury

This article is more than 4 years old.

Throughout history, there have been many times when the most significant vestimentary changes were made in the luxury sector of fashion. In fact, the men of the Middle Ages most likely made the first impact to fashion luxury disruption. The men would travel, go to war, and adopt foreign styles from foreign lands. The 12th century knights required quilted clothing that was worn under their armor to keep comfortable. In their daily lives as well as on horseback, men suddenly began to wear new garments with tight fitting sleeves and rounded tops, which were both efficient, and stylish I might add. 

My point is that men were changing their appearance, increasingly differing from women in their dress. In fact, although we radically altered the body with the 19th century female corset, fashionable men in the Franco-Flemish court were the ones who modified their bodies to a tiny waist and an inverted triangular shape. Many saw this as a source of weakness or a decline whereas some interpreted it as a sign of joy after the highly feared Black Death. 

In short, luxury fashion is considered as a complex social practice in which challenges to reform appearances as a strategy of refusal or simply disinterest in the dominant culture that surround us. Some creative people are reformers who try and convince the populace that their model of dress will lead to better social relationships as well as adhere to modified lifestyle changes.

Luxury has not only transitioned but rather, it has outright changed. Everybody has his or her own way of cauterizing information, whether it is material in digital format or pinning picture tears on a foam board. The important part of the analytical process is to start developing the connecting points to start the creative process of ideas. As a trend forecaster, it is not only important to see what is fresh but also to understand how the purchasing power will move along with the trend.

Forecasting involves the multifaceted research of society and culture. Many societal changes trigger trends and push behavior in a certain direction. For example, the social acceptance of sportswear for almost all situations has influenced the direction of the most prominent luxury firms. Climate change, along with people traveling more frequently had influenced fashion by blurring traditional seasonal notions, such as fabric weight, color and construction. As a forecaster, you anticipate the direction the cultural and natural forces will take leading into the future.

If you are not familiar with Highsnobiety yet, allow me to brief you. In my opinion, the role of Highsnobiety is in trend forecasting and analysis. The brand has become a strategic partner as well as an educator, guiding clients in the right direction and hopefully inspiring them to incorporate trend storytelling into their business model. You see storytelling helps companies translate sometimes-difficult trend concepts into their corporate strategy. It is a catalyst in understanding the Zeitgeist of modern times, or the spirit of the times, by using their skills to create a reflection of luxury fashion today.

Highsnobiety has become the authoritative publication covering forthcoming trends and news in fashion, art, music, and culture. Highsnobiety has steadily built a strong brand in the online fashion and lifestyle world. The site and print magazine sit among the most visited global sources for inspiration. Innovation, progression, and always being several steps ahead of the curve, are just some of the core values of Highsnobiety. Their first book The Incomplete was published by gestalten in 2018.

Highsnobiety is a brand dedicated to today’s generation of style-conscious individuals. Their scope encompasses everything from fashion, to sneakers, to design, music, and entertainment. In a world where being culture-obsessed has become the rule (not the exception), their mission is to turn curious outsiders into cultivated insiders.

When the first iteration of the site went online in 2005, it read like a collection of love letters to obscure streetwear, rare kicks, and critically-acclaimed designers—always in search of a profound feeling of excitement that follows discovering new things. In the years that followed, their horizons expanded and their team grew; as did their ambition. The foundations laid by their founder and CEO David Fischer—from the days before Supreme and Virgil Abloh ever met Louis Vuitton—has continued to grow into a global business with offices in Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York, and our headquarters in Berlin.

gestalten is an international publishing house collaborating and engaging with creatives around the world to explore in the fields of architecture and interior design, design and fashion, escape and mobility, travel, food and beverage, as well as visual culture.  gestalten originated three decades ago with a focus on the aesthetic, particularly that of graphic design and, over the last two decades, the scope of both their content and expertise has widened extensively. They have become known for their ability to document and anticipate vital trends in visual culture. Exploring creativity in every form, they consistently reimagine and adapt their approach to storytelling and curating collections that continually expand with the evolving publishing world. Their interests and values have showcased their unique lens through print, digital, and visual mediums.

Highsnobiety, the publication geared at culturally-connected, style-savvy, forward-thinking young men, is seen as a gatekeeper to the growing intersection of music, fashion, and style. Their latest book seeks to define “New Luxury,“ a term that summarizes how streetwear and sneakers have not only infiltrated the upper tiers of fashion, but became it. 

The New Luxury isn’t just about what you wear, but also what you know. This book provides the foundational knowledge of how youth-driven culture and fashion trends start from the ground up. 

Robert Klanten: Founder and CEO of gestalten says

“Consumers are no more prepared to pay the extra buck for products coming from brands that are clearly not in line with their ideals and values. "The New Luxury” can do what neither regulations, governments, nor mainstream media were able to do: by creating aspiration, desire and a culture of inclusivity, the New Luxury can change consumer behaviour from top to mass markets and on a relevant scale.  I think that only in the process of editing the book Highsnobiety and gestalten teams truly realised that the lessons and rules learned in contemporary Street Fashion are relevant for most other sectors of the economy. What people often refer to as Digital Transformation is not about smart phones, it is about an essential change in consumer culture, people expect to be treated differently, brands that do not understand this have no future.”

I recently had the privilege of speaking with Jian DeLeon, Editorial Director for Highsnobiety (and co-editor of the book along with Robert Klanten for gestalten) about the concept of The New Luxury, how new luxury will affect or effect brands moving into the future!

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes about the concept of this book and your personal background in new luxury? 

Jian DeLeon: This book seeks to define “New Luxury,” a term that summarizes how streetwear and sneakers have not only infiltrated the upper tiers of fashion, but became it. We first explored this topic in our whitepaper, which I also helped spearhead, but go even further in this book. Working with our publisher gestalten, my job was to turn our great whitepaper into a more cohesive narrative that fully fleshes out what the universe of “The New Luxury” looks like. Having co-edited our previous book, The Incomplete Highsnobiety Guide to Fashion and Street Culture, it made it a bit easier to approach this project which has a narrower scope.It’s also a very natural ground for Highsnobiety as a brand to explore. For example, our founder David Fischer always goes back to the example of Supreme making a New Era baseball cap from Loro Piana wool cashmere- there’s no practical reason for a simple ballcap to be made from a material that luxurious, but it works! And it predates Gucci’s officially-licensed New York Yankees collaboration by years.

Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what is new luxury and who decides who is new? 

Jian DeLeon: The “New Luxury” isn’t about what’s new, it’s about what matters. From the Highsnobiety perspective, things that are being treated as “new” or “novel” like the drop model and manufactured scarcity commonly associated with streetwear, mixing high and low, and cultivating a strong brand with clear ideals have always been a part of who we are both as a publication and discerning consumers. Mainly what we’re seeing is a redefinition of value. New Luxury isn’t about price, it’s about culture, community, the values we share, and aligning ourselves with brands who can help enhance that worldview.

The New Luxury is also about a paradigm shift acknowledging the power of subculture. Highsnobiety comes from a world where most of its prominent figures are people of color or have otherwise been marginalized, and predominantly black movements like hip-hop. The soft power these movements have been accruing for decades has finally come to a head and the old guard is taking notice. The smart ones have adapted early, and done so through engaging with these communities in a real way — by understanding that it’s about building relationships and empowering self-expression, not ephemeral partnerships that can easily be seen through.

For younger consumers especially, relationships with brands and labels have evolved beyond the transactional. It’s not about what they’re buying, but what they’re buying into. In the same way the Mark Zuckerbergs and Steve Jobs of the world disrupted “power dressing,” authentic self-expression has become much more attractive than the traditional paradigm that old luxury offered—it’s no longer something you age into. Consumers expect quality, purpose-driven products, and a degree of cultural credibility from their purchases. It’s why smart luxury brands like Louis Vuitton are tapping guys like Virgil Abloh, and why certain Nike sneakers can be as highly regarded on the aftermarket as a rare, editioned Rolex.  

Joseph DeAcetis: How will new luxury affect or effect brands moving into the future. 

Jian DeLeon: Now more than ever, what constitutes “the best” is changing and with it so is the definition of “luxury.” Once strictly tethered to price, craftsmanship, and traditional notions of status and wealth, luxury today is more complicated and dynamic than acquiring rare and expensive items that denote traditional notions of “success.” 

The paradigm is shifting from exclusivity to inclusivity. Simply put, luxury is no longer a concrete form of elitism, but more about recontextualization. It’s how Patagonia fleeces have become a uniform for the young and stylish and simultaneously high-earning day traders. The notion of new luxury also affects “non-luxury” brands with this halo effect of unintended coolness, following trends like “normcore” and “dad style” turning an ironic fashion statement into an earnest appreciation for labels like Patagonia and Dickies. Similar to old-school social clubs, the jetsetters of today operate with a system of coded messages and a lingua franca that we humorously call “the influencer jetstream.” 

Loosely, it surmises that industries like travel also benefit from the flattening of culture, as global destinations evolve from nightclubs to dive bars, and the artisanal touches once associated with luxury now create cultural appeal and credibility for items as trivial as water bottles—which Prada recently made as part of its outdoor-themed installation at Selfridges.

Joseph DeAcetis: How did you select the brands to be chosen for the book? 

Jian DeLeon: Ten of them came directly from the whitepaper, where we ranked what the Highsnobiety audience viewed as today’s most relevant luxury brands. In addition to labels like Gucci, Balenciaga, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, they also listed Nike, Supreme, YEEZY, and Stone Island as brands that are relevant. The rest of the brands profiled reflect this mix, largely rooted in the idea that what a Nike and Louis Vuitton have in common are verystrong brands built on provenance earned through being consistently exceptional.

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to my viewers about what High Snobiety is and sets out to accomplish in the modified world. 

Jian DeLeon: From day one, Highsnobiety, a company founded by David Fischer in 2004, has been at the forefront of contemporary movements, from the explosion of sneaker culture to streetwear’s infiltration of luxury. Street culture has become mainstream and Highsnobiety’s community has grown organically in line with this development. 

Today, Highsnobiety has grown to become a global source of inspiration for style conscious young men, covering forthcoming trends and news in fashion, sneakers, music, art, and culture — anchored largely in the deep connection we have developed with our global audience — a community of young, affluent consumers with high cultural influence.  Knowledge, amongst this demographic, is the flex. We as a publisher, provide the context and depth or information around brands that they covet. 

Joseph DeAcetis: Highsnobiety seem to have its finger on the pulse; What is the purpose of this book? 

Jian DeLeon: It’s a look at the brands, designers, collectors, and tastemakers defining today's zeitgeist, filtered through the lens of someone who understands where the dots connect but at the same time can explain the bigger picture and its effects on the wider industry and culture.

Joseph DeAcetis: Who is the competition for Highsnobiety? 

Jian DeLeon: I like to think we operate more from a spirit of community than competition. The challenge isn’t so much about how to do better than everyone else in our space, but what we can do as responsible stewards of this collective culture to help elevate it in the realest way possible.In a traditional sense, our competitors are consultants, marketing and creative agencies, and of course other publishers and media companies. 

Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what are consumers seeking today in New Luxury?

Jian DeLeon: The younger consumer wants to buy things to feel validated. That hasn’t changed. What’s different is they increasingly realize the power they possess as tastemakers in their own right. More and more, brands and designers aren’t the dominant dictators of what’s relevant, but have become entities that provide the tools for individual self-expression. Additionally, this consumer also wants to feel a sense of belonging with shared ‘insider knowledge.’  

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes in detail about the book project and what work was entailed to product it from start to finish? 

Jian DeLeon: We first explored this topic in our whitepaper, but go even further in this book. We’ve put together several exclusive interviews with artists like Daniel Arsham, acclaimed designers like Kim Jones, and relevant opinion leaders in our world like Aleali May to really cover the width and breadth of what the new luxury mindset is.

Joseph DeAcetis: If you could choose one celebrity that showcases what new luxury is; which would it be and why? 

Jian DeLeon: I don’t think younger audiences get a lot from traditional celebrities and that’s why we wanted to highlight people in our world who truly influence this group  and some of the most celebrated people in our space.That’s why my favorite profile in the book is about Michael Camargo, better known as “Upscale Vandal. ” Michael is a creative consultant, former sales director for Pharrell’s Billionaire Boys Club Label, and currently works with Pusha T and reggaeton sensation J Balvin. Camargo, like myself, grew up in poor economic conditions and hustled his way to the top. To me that’s the essence of the new luxury consumer—someone who understands what it’s like to be poor and therefore can truly appreciate living a rich lifestyle, not just financially, but culturally.

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes about how technology has changed the standards in new luxury of Highsnobiety.

Jian DeLeon: Anything that is interesting or cool is no longer limited to physical proximity. I’m doing this interview from Tokyo, one of the world’s foremost shopping destinations, and I find myself less attracted to the stuff I’ve seen on Instagram and more about the local gems co-signed by friends who live in the city. Technology is great for helping build awareness and exposure for brands, but it’s no substitute for actual cultural participation. One thing we say a lot here is that “brands are the new bands,” and I’ve always been one to appreciate a group that can really pack out a small venue than later on when they blow up and do stadium shows. Technology also used to be an amazing differentiator but now everyone has great tech. The only true source of differentiation is product and creativity 

Joseph DeAcetis: What are your day-to-day responsibilities at Highsnobiety?

Jian DeLeon: I’ve been fortunate to work on many special projects at Highsnobiety, including both of our book projects and our magazine. In addition I work on several of our podcasts, including the weekly Dropcast show with my co-host Noah Thomas — essentially a cultural news roundup but with way more sneaker and streetwear references — and Why It’s Cool, our podcast series diving deeper into the labels, pieces, and trends informing culture today.

Joseph DeAcetis: You have the floor: Talk to my viewers about why you believe  this book will be of interest to them? 

Jian DeLeon: Two years ago I interviewed Dapper Danand he told me: “Old money doesn’t need culture.” What he meant by that is when you grow up always being fed, you never get hungry enough to learn how to hunt. The new luxury is fueled by a mindset created by those who are steadfast in their pursuit of what’s novel, what’s thought-provoking, and enriching.

Joseph DeAcetis: What are you future projections and growth strategy for the next few years at Highsnobiety?

Jian DeLeon: I’ll keep that in my back pocket for now. After all — it could make for an interesting book.












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