lexicon of luxury

8/12/2019 Lexicon of Luxury

1/6

A Lexicon of Luxury


2/6

A Lexicon of Luxury

uxury Branding is an agency that provides

onsulting, Creative and Communications

rvices to the global luxury industry.


3/6

The purpose of this Lexicon of Luxury is to furnish people

working in the industry with a handy guide to the terms that

we use every day to define and describe luxury brands.

Inevitably, the rich concept of luxury is packed with multiplelayers of association and meaning. The more precise we can

be, therefore, when discussing individual luxury brands, the

easier it will become to understand what it is exactly that

makes them truly different and special.

To help promote a shared comprehension of key terms

within the luxury industry, in this first edition we have

presented a primary vocabulary that we developed during the

creation of The Paradigm Cut: a definitive model for luxury brands.

When we apply the Luxury Brand Grading System to assess

brands against each of the fifty-six Luxury Brand Facets, it is

the meanings set out in these definitions, to which we refer.

For each term, we provide a basic definition, followed by a

brief explanation of how this meaning relates to, or is applied,

in the context of luxury brands. Additionally, we have

illuminated each Luxury Brand Facetwith some carefully

selected brand exemplars.

Finally, we would invite our readers to submit suggestions

for inclusion in a future edition.

LEXICONThe vocabulary of a person,

language, or branch of knowledge

ORIGINearly 17th century:

modern Latin, from Greeklexikon (biblion) (book)

of words, from lexis word.

The search for the mot juste

is not a pedantic fad but a vital

necessity. Words are our precision

tools. Imprecision engenders ambiguity

and hours are wasted in removing

verbal misunderstandings before the

argument of substance can begin.

Anonymous Civil Servant


4/6

of the Alain Ducasse empire

of fine dining restaurants,

he moves constantly between

New York, Paris and London,

conceiving and maintaining

wine lists that must be, at

once, exemplary and unique.

Margeon concentrates on

prestigiousgrands vinswhere

his expertise is evidenced

through a rare command of

terroir and flavour. The skilful

pairing of food and wine is

thanks to his exceptionally high

level of expertise.

SalvatoreCalabreseis one of the

worlds most charismatic barmen

with an extensive sideline invintage cognacs, Cuban cigars

and the art of effortless small

talk. Having started work in

a bar on Italys Amalfi Coast as

a teenager, Salvatore now holds

sway over his own 25-foot bar

at Londons Fifty St. James club

with charm, style and a ruthless

attention to detail. His highly

original cocktail list includes

the infamous Spicy Fifty, an

invigorating creation that blends

vanilla vodka, lemon, honey

and fresh chilli.

Bastien Gonzalezis a trained

podiatrist who has carved a

niche in the luxury spa market

by combining the scientific

treatment of podiatric problems

with osteopathic massage and

the more traditional aesthetic

elements of a pedicure. By the

age of 26, Bastien had his own

studio in the Htel Costes in

Paris and a rolodex of A-List

contacts to fuel the launch of a

global chain of therapy rooms,

currently located within several

One&Only resorts, the Thermes

Marins de Monte-Carlo at

Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai.

HANDMADEluxury brand facet

Made by craftsmen rather

than machines and typically

of superior quality.

Many luxury brands retain

a tradition of making their

products by hand instead

of succumbing to the labour-

reducing benefits of automation.Although they may take longer

to produce, handmade goods

come with a promise of quality

and the tangible output of skills

that have been passed down

and refined over generations.

Such goods may display

minor idiosyncrasies or even

blemishes but this is merely

an unavoidable, and often

reassuring, side effect of the

production process.

Cubas Cohibacigars recently

launched the Behike, one of the

worlds most expensive cigars,

to celebrate the brands 40th

anniversary. Behikes are entirely

handmade, using only the finest

Vuelto Abajo tobacco plants

rolled by one expert torcedora

called Norma Fernandez.

A limited run of only 4,000cigars were sold in 100

boxes of 40, complete with

bespoke humidor.

Huntsmanhas been in the

business of handmade tailoring

from its base at 11 Saville

Row since 1919. Perhaps the

ultimate expression of the long-

serving staffs knowledge and

skill however, is the bespoke

suit option. Incorporating a

customers personal preferences,

tastes and practical demands,

the result is a one-off combination

of cut, material and finish. Three

or four fittings are needed to

ensure the perfect result and a

delivery time of at least 12 weeks

is standard.

HERITAGEluxury brand facet

Customs and culture

passed down from previous

generations.

For luxury brands, heritage is

about the knowledge, customs

and culture that were acquiredduring their past. Heritage

therefore encapsulates the life

story of the brand, a tradition

that imbues it with a sense of

community internally, while

adding to its perceived status

and appeal externally.

The art of English leather craft

is centuries old and, at its finest,

is a perfect marriage of form

and function, elegance and

finish, comfort and durability.

In saddlery, harnesses and

luggage, Tanner Krollehas been

at the heart of this tradition

since the mid 19th century and

has become intimately associated

with English leather.

Vacheron Constantinis the

oldest watchmaker in the world

and has been in continuous

production since its inception

12 - 13

EVOLUTIONluxury brand paradigm value

The gradual development of

something, especially from a

simple to a more complex form,

in order to better work in a

specific environment.

Luxury brands ought not to

remain static; instead they

must constantly update and

reinvigorate their business

to stay relevant to consumers

while retaining a clear sense

of their own identity and core

competencies. For luxury

brands, evolution can be

considered as progress that

balances innovation with thepreservation of heritage.

EXCELLENCEfacet type

A management philosophy in

which perfection is amongst

the primary goals of the

organisation.

Excellence in the milieu of

luxury brands is used to denote

a product or service perceived

to be of superlative quality and

demonstrably superior to others.

Luxury is an aspiration or

a dream to achieve perfection,

sophistication, self-refinement and

class through the ownership of luxury

products that are in their nature

perfect and sophisticated.

Virginie de Barnier, Irina Rodinaand Pierre Valette-Florence

EXCLUSIVITYfacet type

Restricted or limited to

the person, group or area

concerned.

Through the ages, exclusivity

has been the preserve of royalty,

positions of leadership, wealth

and social class. With the fall

of monarchies and the rise

of industrial fortunes in the

19th century, luxury became the

domain of old money aristocrats

and elite family dynasties.

This remained largely

unchanged until the era of

American meritocracy in the

1980s and the attendant rise in

economic and social mobility.

Since then, luxury is no longer

the preserve of the privileged

few but something to which the

middle classes can aspire and

indeed trade up. Despite this

tectonic shift, luxury brands

must fight to defend their image

of exclusivity or they may losetheir desirable mystique.

Over familiarity breeds the risk

of stripping luxury of its power

through banalisation.

Nick FoulkesNEWSWEEK, THE RETURN OF LUXURY,

MARCH 2009

Very few people had ever breathed

the pantry air of a house of a wom-

an who wore the kind of dress Vogue

used to show when I was young.

Diana VreelandVOGUEEDITOR

EXOTICISMluxury brand facet

Originating in or characteristic

of a distant or foreign country;

something strange and unusual.

Some luxury brands

differentiate themselves via

an exotic identity, materials or

heritage and actively leverage

this implicit rarity to create

desirability.

During the 1960s and 1970s the

Japanese chose to show their

wealth by dressing elaborately

in Western goods such as

luxury leathers, silk scarves,

furs and jewels. Louis Vuittons

continued dominance in Japan

is testament to the power of

exoticism since it is ultimately

the French heritage and cultural

ties that really pull at the

Japanese consumers emotional

purse strings.

EXPERTISEluxury brand facet

Expert skill or knowledge

in a specific field.

Many luxury brands have won

a place at the apex of their

respective sectors by becoming

masters of one specific craft,limiting production and

charging a premium over their

competitors in the process.

Rigby & Pelleris a family-run

business with a Royal Warrant

that prides itself on a tightly

focused product offering of

upscale lingerie. The Kentons

see exceptional underwear

as an essential foundation to

any outfit and, despite havingbeen in the trade for over

40 years, have resisted the urge

to stretch into other product

categories, preferring instead to

concentrate on maintaining their

world expert status in bespoke

lingerie fittings.

Grard Margeonis the

sommelier of sommeliers.

Working closely with and

responsible for the cellars

A L EXI CON OF LUX URY


5/6

Contributors

Piers Schmidt

Cliff Nichols

Matt Morley

Gemma Burdett

Darius Meadon

Dave Cooper

Sarah Lovemore

Creative direction and design by & SMITH

& SMITH is an independent graphic design

studio based in London. Passionate about

the craft and value of design, they work closely

with clients to achieve a full understanding

of their business. This enables them to produce

work - across a range of media, that both

engages and inspires the intended audience.

& SMITH can be found online at

www.andsmithdesign.com

Printed by

Gavin Martin

www.gavinmartin.co.uk

Luxury Branding 2009

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored

in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any

means, graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise, without prior permission

of Luxury Branding.

www.luxury-branding.com

Price: Euro 20

ISBN 978-1-85669-674-6


6/6

www.luxury-branding.com

lexicon of luxury

Documents