Has Quiet Luxury’s Whisper Become a Scream?

By Maura Carlin, Editor

Has Quiet Luxury’s Whisper Become a Scream?

Quiet luxury was the fashion buzzword in 2023 and remains so in 2024, particularly when it comes to handbags. Free of logos and high on quality, quiet luxury fashion is wealth that whispers rather than screams. Not the “look at me I’m rich” way of the Kardashians, for example. Forget double CCs or GGs or anything overtly branded. More of a coded rich, the item is top quality and if you have to ask the price you can’t afford it. Think Gwyneth Paltrow at the ski accident trial clad and accessorized with brands like Celine and The Row. Maybe even rich b*tch. Other labels often tagged as quiet luxury include Hermès, Loro Piana, and Brunello Cucinelli. IYKYK.

Image courtesy: @modedamour

Except, nowadays, many people seem to know. Hermès’ hallmark Birkins and Kellys are familiar to the proverbial masses – whether seen in real life or not – through film, television, and, of course, social media. Pictures and videos of Kylie and Kim’s handbag closets are fodder for mainstream media – and the Kardashian television shows – displaying the rows of Hermès bags in a rainbow of colors. Of course, it’s not just the Kar-Jenner clan but influencers and handbag fans everywhere – on all platforms – displaying purchases (or hauls) and dream closets, or hawking the bags to fund another.

Even mainstream financial media has its eyes (and Excel spreadsheets) peeled for the latest news of the fashion fortunes and failures of Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. Dissecting the investment aspect of Hermès Birkins is not typical fare for CNBC viewers, but it happens. The Wall Street Journal ran several articles about the Birkin including discussions of PurseBop’s Birkin Premium, where its pricing is compared to the Chanel Classic Flap. Luxury handbags now are big business and wide swaths of the public are paying attention.

Image courtesy: @masha_lobanovaa

Consider all of the media focus on The Row’s Margaux handbag, wondering if it could be the next Birkin. The Row’s reputation is for high-quality materials with little evidence of the brand, and no doubt the Margaux fits that bill. Except . . . the Margaux is now instantly recognizable, sold-out due to limited supply, and replicated for sale on Amazon and other sites. Yet, that’s likely not enough to rival a Birkin, so – it’s probably not the next Birkin.

But, the real question is: if everyone can identify your luxury handbag, is it really “quiet”? Or, when we refer to quiet luxury, do we really mean something different? Perhaps, the true test of quiet luxury is whether it is not readily accessible. In other words, absent exclusivity, the lack of obvious branding doesn’t matter.

Image courtesy: @modedamour

Exclusivity, by the way, is not just a matter of limited production. And (alleged) gatekeeping. Handbags can be unavailable due to price – just too high for all but a few to pay. And in quiet luxury, exclusivity seems to include a combination of high price and limited supply. And maybe something else more ambiguous.

Again, let’s look at The Row and its handbags. Expensive, with high quality leather, minimal hardware, no logos, and, unless you look closely, there is little to identify its provenance. If that were sufficient to sit on the altar of quiet luxury, all of the brand’s bags would be hailed. Yet, few speak of the Samia (it’s a great bag) or Sofia as the pinnacle of luxe. It’s only the Margaux, which seemingly had limited production, making it impossible to find. In other words, The Row made it seem exclusive. And it enters the discussion as one of the ultimate handbags in quiet luxury (beyond Hermès’ products).

The Row, Samia

The Row, Sofia

A very similar design by Prada, however, doesn’t seem to have the same caché. Yes, it was released after the Margaux’s success, and is subject to copy-cat criticisms, even though there is little unique about the style of either The Row or Prada bag. Both bags are expensive, roughly $5k. But, the Prada Large Leather Tote with buckles hasn’t received the same acclaim. It is also available for purchase. Unlike The Row’s Margaux which has attracted non-Row fans, it’s not evident that Prada is drawing new clientele with this style, despite it fitting the quiet luxe trend.

Prada Large Leather Tote. Image courtesy: Prada

Another entry to the quiet luxury contest is the Rodeo bag by Balenciaga, a brand not typically associated with that trend. The attractive style is clean and simple, no doubt functional and presumably well-made. But, apparently, Balenciaga didn’t think that was sufficient to market the Rodeo. Instead, unlike its other products, the Rodeo is only available for pre-order. Perhaps hard-to-get is the secret formula for ‘it’ bags.

Except hard-to-get isn’t necessarily enough. Phoebe Philo, formerly of Celine, was known for her quiet-luxury style designs, especially handbags. Under Philo, Celine issued iconic bags like the Box, Luggage, Cabas, Trapeze, Trio, to name a few. With a cadre of die-hard fans, her next move was anxiously anticipated. After years away from the industry, she launched her own brand, online only with limited drops at high prices. In other words, act fast and get the few available. Do they sell? It appears so (though hard to know), but many long-time Philo fans feel priced out. And Philo products are slowly moving to department stores like Bergdorf Goodman.

Phoebe Philo’s Celine Era vs the A1 Collection | phoebe philo bag | celine bag

Image courtesy: Phoebe Philo

Until recently, the 100 year old brand Loro Piana was largely unknown to all but the wealthiest of consumers. Famous for subtle designs, with the finest cashmeres and leathers, Loro Piana was a brand that truly whispered. Sold at few US outlets, beyond its own boutiques, a common response to hearing the name was “Loro who?” But as Silicon Valley discovered its products, a fascination spread, and LP (as those in the know call it) leaned into its popularity, it’s no longer as much of a secret. And its products can be purchased by anyone with an ample wallet. LP expanded its quiet luxury pouch series of bags – which truly were under the radar when carried by Yolanda Hadid on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – and now we all know (whether or not we can or want to afford them). As described in New York Magazine, LP is now a bit less quiet, and its chief executive rejects that label. For the last ten years, LP also has been under the LVMH corporate umbrella, and may be pushed to grow revenues and profits.

Image courtesy: @dressmervup

For Hermès, it is the combination of extreme high pricing and elusiveness that propels its handbags to the top of the charts. A recently filed California antitrust lawsuit complains about the difficulty of purchasing a Birkin or Kelly – that these handbags are not readily available. Supply never seems to meet the growing demand. But that’s not the same as being quiet luxury. If quiet luxury requires that the brand be subtle or unknown, Birkins and Kellys arguably don’t qualify. Everything about these bags are immediately identifiable as Hermès. They don’t shout Hermès with logos and obvious branding, but you still know their name. Even if you cannot buy them.

Comments

1 Responses to “Has Quiet Luxury’s Whisper Become a Scream?”

Anonymous says:

June 24, 2024 at 4:26 am

Logos are so tacky and obnoxious like we get it you wanna feel seen because it took you forever to afford a bag that you’ll probably end up selling because you couldn’t afford it in the first place