PHILIPPE POURHASHEMI WHEN LUXURY CONNECTS ITSELF TO STORYTELLING, COMMUNITY AND HERITAGE
Philippe Pourhashemi defines himself as “fashion writer, editor at Large, image, artistic direction and communication coach, writer and communication consultant and creative coach” the sum of which is bigger than their parts. Pourhashemi discussed luxury as it stands today.
Philippe Pourhashemi defines himself as “fashion writer, editor at Large, image, artistic direction and communication coach, writer and communication consultant and creative coach” the sum of which is bigger than their parts. Pourhashemi is known for not mincing his words.
For Pourhashemi, “by definition, luxury is something that is rare, beautifully made and manages to stand the test of time. It is also the quality of something that has intrinsic value and a character of its own that makes it stand out.” More explicitly, he goes, “luxury does not always have to do with price, and what so-called ‘luxury brands’ offer now is far too generic and interchangeable to qualify as genuine luxury.” By way of example he stresses, “an important vintage piece, from let’s say a designer like Martin Margiela, is more expensive than most high-end designer clothes. Luxury is having something that is hard to get, and also objetcs having a story and context behind them.”
As to how clients come to experience luxury with him, Pourhashemi is quick to say, “I am not a designer so I don’t think this question applies to me. I work with high-end brands though, mostly as a copywriter and consultant. I actually dislike the word ‘luxury’ as it tends to be overused.”
When it comes to luxury dupes, Pourhashemi is underwhelmed, “there is nothing remotely attractive -or desirable- about owning luxury dupes.” Sighing deeply he goes at length: “Fake designer goods are used to fund organized crime, which makes them a no-go area for me. The idea of owning a fake is still about wanting to compete with others for whom the real thing is part of their lives.” He deadpans: “Real style is about finding one’s true personality and expressing it, instead of trying to imitate others.”
For Pourhashemi, the Gen Z puzzle of preferring experiences to ownership is real. He explains that “it is true that new generations are less interested in the notion of ownership, which must be challenging for many brands. Today, a brand that does not create its own community, while offering substantial values and smart storytelling, is bound to experience steady decline.”
As a concrete example “just look at Gucci and how the sudden departure of Alessandro Michele impacted the brand. Fashion is about sharing experiences and communicating them. I also believe that high-ends brands should educate and enlighten their audience in order to stay relevant.” (editor’s note, the article was done right after the departure of Sabato de Sarno, Michele’s successor)
But is luxury just a concept, for Pourhashemi, “there are trends and brands coming at you everywhere and clever marketing can momentarily make some of them desirable. Still, this won’t last as many more customers educate themselves on the intrinsic value of the goods they purchase.”
The sweatshop scandal which engulfed high-end luxury houses prompted Pourhashemi to say that “the notions of transparency and honesty will become more and more important when it comes to the consumption of luxury goods, and soon there will be rules and regulations in Europe forcing brands to sell products with certain traceability schemes and information.” He went on saying, “I do believe that sweatshop leaks online -which are the result of rigorous journalistic investigations- can be highly detrimental to brands, depending of course on how viral those scandals go.”
And for all those millions of aspirational shoppers lost after dramatically increasing the luxury goods, Pourhashemi goes: “I don’t think lowering your prices always works, and it also sends a confusing message to customers. Look at Burberry under Daniel Lee for instance. The price positioning was far too high for their clientele, and now they are doing a little better, not simply because of lowering certain prices, but also by reconnecting to what their clients really want from them, which is outerwear, scarves and signature prints. I also think that the growth of designer resale platforms allows more and more people to buy designer goods at affordable prices.”
As a concluding statement Pouhashemi actually goes, “in a bizarre way, high-end designer fashion is more accessible post-pandemic than it has ever been.”
