The team at The Dovetail Agency are sticklers for trend watching and the experts in luxury travel and lifestyle. As the landscape of luxury changes, they’ve noticed a shift in what’s capturing the imagination of their high net worth client audiences and it’s not always what you expect.
Here Vicky Norman of the Dovetail Agency identifies the top four luxury lifestyle trends that are being maximised by their early adopter clients:
1. I want it, and I want it NOW
The one-touch, delivered-on-demand service was revolutionised by the likes of UBER and has been taken to new luxury levels. Now you can buy a supercar in seconds from a vending machine in Japan, enjoy Michelin star street food in Singapore and replace your ride to work with a standby helicopter.
In a world where time is money and thoughts can be shared instantly, the expectation of immediate delivery and gratification is growing. Black Label, Dovetail’s elite mobile personal styling client, promises they will be on hand one hour from placing your booking. They recognise the need for speed yet continue to deliver the level of quality styling expected from a luxury audience.
2. It’s not what I have, but who I am
Gone are the days of displaying wealth and personal value with a flash car and branded handbags. As labels have gone mainstream, and luxury brands have opened to the masses, adorning yourself with the big names no longer sets you apart. As a personal observation (I’m getting married in October), even wedding dresses have taken to the high street, making the handmade, individual and bespoke seem all the more appealing.
Social media channels, particularly Instagram, have had a significant impact on the way people present themselves to the world. The super-wealthy no longer see status in expensive goods, they need every purchase to be a life-enriching journey in some way. Displaying knowledge, fitness and extraordinary experiences is the new cool. Whether it’s wildlife trekking in the wilderness or fitness training with an elite sports star, these once-in-a-lifetime experiences require status-seekers to go bigger, further and push for the genuinely unique; if it can all be documented on Instagram, then all the better.
3. Become truly bespoke – No one can know you better than you know yourself…or can they?
A number of brands are now claiming to know you better than you know yourself and aim to capitalise on the journey of self-discovery. The ultimate bespoke offering is 100% designed to suit. If that tailoring process can reveal something unique about the participant, then it’s even more desirable. This new level of artificial intelligence is both exciting and rather scary!
A new travel company has combined DNA testing with packaging travel itineraries to discover a client’s genetic roots. Meanwhile, Singapore Tourism has piloted a bespoke travel guide based on brain waves to highlight what subconsciously makes the participant happy. New travel company, Zero Zero One Travel, has been designed for the intelligent traveller and combines a concierge background with a love of travel and complete understanding of its customer. No journey is like any other and is fully tailored to the traveller. They’ve yet to stretch to DNA testing, however, their personable approach, and ‘can do anything’ attitude is designed to extract the information they need and create the ultimate travel experience.
4. A disruption of demographics
Edgy and luxurious come together in this new trend with some wacky and unexpected partnerships and results. The idea of luxury has been turned on its head as street style is taken to a new level.
Louis Vuitton has partnered with skateboard brand, Supreme, and it’s now possible for backpackers to stay in a shared bunkroom in a 5* hotel. The premium British accessories brand, Gladstone London, fuses contemporary aesthetic with beautiful hand-crafted designs of the 1920’s era. Previous partnerships include renowned Brighton graffiti artists, The Glimmer Twins, and this season they will launch a limited-edition graphic that takes inspiration from industrial London and ‘The Big Smoke’ of the 1950s. This disruption of demographics and partnering of the unusual creates something entirely new.
As the idea of luxury becomes more accessible, brands will continue to create ways to deliver the distinguished, niche and unique experiences that their audience demand.
For more information on The Dovetail Agency visit: www.dovetail-agency.co.uk