CYNTHIA CHAMAT-DEBBANÉ OF URBAN SENSE: LUXURY WITH AN IN-BUILT MISSION

Cynthia Chamat-Debbané, who heads Urban Sense and is responsible for Boutique Hub, defines luxury in today’s world as “tailor-made products, personalized one-on-one service, smart multifunctional design.” Succinct but very straight to the point indeed.

Yet, when it comes to who her client is, and how they experience luxury with her brand, here too she is very clear about their profile saying, “my typical client is someone who has reached a certain level of self-confidence not to seek a brand style with trending references that would promise them validation from others.”

She explains that Urban Sense is “a semi ready-to-wear clothing line where the garments I imagine are finished on the end-wearer. They are top-notch quality, smartly designed to serve their wearer, throughout their activities and engagement, morning to evening time. They are timeless, unique yet humble in the sense they do not overpower their wearer but rather complement their personality.” Before pointing out clearly, that “I, as the designer, am personally involved in the fitting of those garments on their end wearer.” It is the combination of all of these factors that for Chamat-Debbané “is what makes my brand experience luxurious.”

As for the “dupe trend”, Chamat-Debbané is quite lucid, “this is actually the opposite of luxury. Because like everything else today, it is fake, and provides a sense of luxury that is not real. It will always be an experience that ‘resembles’ the real deal. And will never be the actual real deal.”

She also agrees about the Gen Z ethos that experiences are more important than possessions, answering with an assured, “yes definitely.” Before elaborating, “but from my personal experience, I do not believe that Gen Z is ready for actual clothing experiencing per se as an experience demands patience, investment in time and money whereas all they’ve known is remote accessibility, at their fingertips, and a whole lot of fast fashion. Much more than millennials for example.”

Chamat-Debbané concedes, that luxury is indeed a concept, “unfortunately.” Before again, explaining further that “at least that is how it is measured. By extravagant markups. In my book it is not. I still believe in quality of materials, high-end make, personalized service and ethical profit. And my pricing reflects this balance between all four.”

Chamat-Debbané, when it comes to using sweatshop labor for luxury goods, is very outspoken, “I have been very vocal about this for years and was one of 6 global ambassadors for Fashion Revolution in 2018 for this reason, specifically. Without proper labor, brands are nothing. Whichever business owner does not understand that is very shortsighted.” She takes a breath, goes further saying, “in the way I conduct my own business and manage my own brand, my tailors are my top priority. Their well-being and feeling of safety including financial one always come first. Because this is what secures brand consistency and continuity in time.”

With regards to all the price-hiking luxury brands used in the post-pandemic world, Chamat-Debbané goes, “I don’t think it’s only post-pandemic tactics that have resulted in losing such a big consuming segment. It is also the fact that consumers today are much more aware of how the industry works and how many controversies it raises on so many levels, be it ecological, societal, etc.” But she is very hopeful on this point, “happily consumers are less and less dupe and looking for alternatives that are much more sustainable, there’s a big emerging demand for vintage and second-hand, there is also a big surge in local designers all around the world.”

Chamat-Debbané is only too aware of the market, she elaborates, “privileged consumers are more and more aware of how much power they hold and therefore are willing to spend money where it counts, which is locally, supporting local artisans and labor, contributing significantly to their local economies.” Before obviously deadpanning, “personally, I am all for that. I wouldn’t worry much about how to lure back 60 million consumers into a market I have fundamental ethical issues with.” And the economical angle is not lost on her either, concluding, “profit margins definitely need to shrink. Markups have become absolutely absurd, and luxury has become everything but luxury.”