From the royal courts to the street

From the royal courts to the street, from the legacy of excellence to the legacy of the street. Luxury was born in the royal courts, while hip hop was born in the street.

 

Hip hop culture and luxury are at first sight antagonistic cultures. Today luxury brands must

build a bridge between modernity and tradition. Streetwear then becomes the youthful elixir

of luxury. Hip hop and urban culture are vectors of expression and identification of the Gen

Z.

 

But isn’t there a link between luxury and hip-hop culture?

 

Both are social claimants; one is claiming superiority and leadership while the other one is

claiming social inequalities.

 

Hip-hop artists have long been interested in luxury by wearing strong pieces (Gucci, Louis

Vuitton) with a large logo. Recently the interest became reciprocal and luxury brands are

now interested in this social class with a greater purchasing power, which can therefore be

enjoyed. There is also a glamourization of hip-hop.

 

In the early 1980s, a young Harlem fashion designer by the name of Daniel Day began

making custom pieces using canvas and other leather scraps from luxury houses such as

Louis Vuitton in his 125th workshop. Daniel Day, better known as Dapper Dan, established

himself as a pioneer of luxury streetwear, drawing inspiration from both urban culture and

the world of haute couture. If the various players in the luxury industry are then mostly

reluctant to be associated with urban culture, some fashion houses, have already detected

the future importance of its influence. Thus, Chanel will parade its models with upside-down

caps as headgear during Parisian Fashion Week in 1991.

 

However, it will be necessary to wait until the years 2010 to notice a real impact of the codes

of urban culture in the logic of production and positioning of the luxury industry, in

particular, because of the increasing influence of young people.

 

New generations have also contributed significantly to the rise of new cultures and sub

cultures, creating new consumer profiles.

 

How could luxury, which constitutes the first expression of the ruling class and capitalism,

and which is specific to the consumption habits of the higher social classes, and represents

the elite, have appropriated the clothing codes of the lower social class?

 

Hit by the various economic crises and the need to find new growth levers in a sector that

has become very competitive, the luxury industry has become «democratized». By creating

de facto a customer dichotomy, one historical and traditional in search of pleasure and

another for whom luxury is a statutory social marker. From a craft culture of “houses” to an

industry under pressure from its shareholders, luxury brands have developed sophisticated

marketing and communication strategies that take advantage of the appropriation and

exploitation of counter-profits Cultures.

 

The new generations have also contributed strongly to the rise of new cultures and sub-

cultures creating new ones.

 

Luxury brands must now build a bridge between modernity and tradition, and streetwear is

emerging then as the youthful elixir of luxury.

 

Let’s take the example of the couple Beyonce – Jay-z, who are the new faces of the Tiffany

and Co brand. By staging a very glamorous advertising campaign with Beyonce wearing the

house’s famous 128.54-carat yellow diamond (worn by only 5 women in the world, and

Beyonce was the first Afro – American woman). In the background, we could spot the

painting of Jean Michel Basquiat. Here again, we have a perfect marriage between hip-hop

culture, luxury, and art.

 

We are witnessing here a real recovery of hip-hop culture by luxury brands. The industry

needs to identify challenges to adapt to new consumer profiles for growth.

 

In 2020, luxury homes want more than ever to communicate with Gen Z, the ultra-

connected generation. Let’s take the example of Balenciaga, which was initially a fashion

house. The luxury house has perfectly managed its 360° turn and knows how to

communicate with its target. By collaborating with Kanye West, who is himself widely

followed on social networks, he gathers fifty-nine thousand followers on the Instagram

social network.

 

But also with this masterstroke, the collaboration with the Simpsons, with a whole episode

on the fashion week, where the whole Simpson family parades for Balenciaga in Paris.

 

The mix of genres and culture is integral to Balenciaga’s winning strategy.

 

Finally, luxury is a social demand, as is hip hop. New millionaires and billionaires are not

yesterdays. For example, the rappers, followed by 18–24-year-olds, who come from very

disadvantaged backgrounds and become millionaires.

 

They intend to take revenge on life, they did not play tennis nor ride horses, but now dress

with brands of horses and tennis.

 

A$AP ROCK is the perfect example, which in its title «Fashion Killa» quotes about twenty

designers through Dior and Prada. In 2016, he will become the face of Dior.

 

The new luxury is anti-luxury!