Influencer-extraordinaire Lana Sahely, a fashion-show front-row mainstay, has spoken to Communicate about here visions of luxury.
Influencer-extraordinaire Lana Sahely, a fashion-show front-row mainstay, has spoken to Communicate. For Sahely, defining the word luxury, “in the global world we live today, luxury is much more than just goods. It’s the access to exclusive pieces, experiences, and services. Everything scarce, rare, and special is more exclusive.” Sahely is a whole world via her collaborations with many brands – be they small or international – infusing her flair of beauty and impeccable taste in every one of them.
The Chinese have reigned in their luxury spend between the youth unemployment and the real estate sector clash so much that now, the concept of “dupe” – or buying a less expensive alternative product which resembles one coming from a luxury brand – is everywhere. Asked if this is the meaning of the “new luxury”, Sahely disagrees saying that “I really do not believe this could ever replace the true meaning of luxury.” She goes on saying, “it does give a luxury feel to these clients but to VIP clients, it can never embrace the full meaning of luxury.”
When it comes to Gen Z preferring experiences over possessions, Sahely does agree on the idea, “I really believe it’s been a few years that we’ve seen this shift.” She details that “luxury being all about experiences, travels, exclusive spots to try. It can also mean special treatment.”
In a famous experiment in 2018, Payless sold its shoes as Palessi with a 1800% markup, and everyone fell for it, indicating that luxury is merely a concept. But it luxury just so? Sahely is not on board of the statement, “Luxury is also a concept, not merely a concept. All the feels we get from experiencing luxury moments or acquiring luxurious rare pieces are proof that it goes beyond being just a “concept”.”
However, it is the sweatshop labor that really gets Sahely going: “This is absolutely outrageous and unacceptable. While many brands are respectful of sweatshop labor, it is very disappointing that in 2025 this is still the case for many others.” For someone who knows her luxury pieces and how they are done, “handwork should be extremely valued by all means, these artisans and these little ateliers are what make those pieces so special.”
Sahely is not too worried about the 60 million aspirational shoppers lost in the post-pandemic world, for her “I personally believe that luxury houses have already found new tactics to lure back these shoppers through launching new categories of products.”
She even knows where these shoppers have went: “For most, it’s going into skincare, makeup or even sunglasses that is proving to be working.”
Entry-level luxury is still luxury.
