In an evolving landscape, luxury brands are shifting their focus from solely promoting their own products to embracing a broader cultural narrative. By collaborating with diverse designers and local businesses, these brands are not just selling items; they are cultivating community connections and reinforcing shared values that resonate deeply with consumers.
By Daphne Bennett
February 2025
Luxury Brands Embrace Cultural Curation
In today’s landscape, luxury has evolved into a cultural phenomenon. Major luxury brands are now promoting other labels as a strategy to foster innovation, engage audiences, align with shared values, and position themselves as cultural curators. The focus has shifted from merely selling their own products to creating platforms that enhance their brand identity within the broader cultural context.
Creative partnerships are emerging across the industry, exemplified by collaborations like Alexander McQueen’s sub-label McQ and the reimagined John Paul Gaultier, which features seasonal designs influenced by various external creatives instead of relying on a single creative director. Similarly, Gucci and Balenciaga have joined forces for collections over the past two seasons, showcasing each other’s signature styles in their runway shows.
Experts suggest that these collaborations aim to build prestige by establishing shared values and experiences that transcend individual brands. This approach allows luxury labels to organically integrate into the cultural zeitgeist, according to Paul Greenwood, head of research and insights at We Are Social, a creative agency working with brands ranging from Adidas to Netflix.
To cultivate a loyal customer base, brands must adopt a unique philosophy that goes beyond a singular aesthetic, asserts Thomaï Serdari, a luxury marketing professor at New York University. By showcasing and promoting other designers, luxury brands can craft compelling narratives and collections. “Luxury brands recognize that relying solely on one type of value proposition is riskier. By diversifying their curatorial offerings, they position themselves as a go-to destination for a variety of customer needs,” she explains. This shift has led to creative directors being recognized more for their idea generation than their couture skills.
While there is a risk of dilution, Greenwood emphasizes the importance of maintaining a strong creative vision and achieving the right product mix. Collaborations on brand platforms are particularly advantageous in an era where wholesale partnerships are dwindling and direct-to-consumer relationships are gaining prominence, as noted by Barbara E Kahn, a marketing professor at The Wharton School. This transition is significant because “once a brand establishes a direct relationship with consumers, it becomes a trusted entity, making its recommendations to other brands more credible.”
Prioritizing Customers Over Products
When Stella McCartney reopened its flagship store in London, it transformed the space into a hub for local businesses, showcasing a different partner each week. This initiative aims to convert stores worldwide into community centers for consumers and local enterprises.
Marc Jacobs’s Heaven, which recently opened its first location in Los Angeles, also features products from other brands, a practice Jacobs has embraced since 2010 in his Bookmarc stores, which curate a variety of cultural items. The Heaven store is part of Jacobs’s plan to launch 15 retail locations across the U.S. this year.
A notable trend in luxury retail is the emphasis on customer relationships rather than just products. Brands are increasingly focusing on customer loyalty, acquisition, and retention, shifting their media spending accordingly, according to Kahn. Brands like Stella McCartney succeed in curation due to their holistic approach and clear philosophies. “[The designer] embodies numerous principles beyond just fashion,” Kahn adds. Similarly, Saint Laurent has built its brand identity around lifestyle products, appealing to youth and pop culture.
Different brands are employing diverse strategies to achieve this. The jewelry brand Astrid & Miyu, with stores throughout the UK, offers mentorship to featured brands, selecting partners based on shared vision and purpose. “Size doesn’t matter,” says founder Connie Nam, who prefers brands that prioritize community and have a loyal following. “These partnerships are beneficial as they connect us with emerging brands and expose us to new audiences with minimal risk.”
Since 2019, lifestyle label Toast has featured products from selected creatives through its “new makers” program, providing year-long mentorship and donating full profits back to the brands. Meanwhile, Saint Laurent collaborates with external brands on products before they are displayed in stores, allowing for greater creative synergy. Creative director Anthony Vaccarello often curates experiences beyond products, as demonstrated by a recent installation with artist Doug Aitken, designed to serve as a backdrop for the menswear Spring/Summer 2022 show in Venice.
Strategic Brand Expansion
Historically, brands dictated their narratives to consumers without fostering meaningful connections. However, consumer expectations have evolved, as noted by David Kim, director of customer experience at Gentle Monster, which recently launched a flagship store in Seoul that features products from various other brands alongside its eyewear. “Our flagship has quickly become a local influencer hotspot, with sales from Nudake [the in-store dessert] at full capacity. We aimed to create an inspiring environment, and we believe we’ve achieved that,” Kim explains.
Gentle Monster also maintains a rotating concept space in one of its stores, showcasing brands that align with its creative vision. “Customers appreciate curated selections from a trusted brand, akin to relying on a friend’s taste. The alignment is crucial when choosing collaborators,” Kim states.
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