BRAND POINT OF VIEW – The power of the trends
Analysing the macro-environmental pressures on the luxury industry and how this developed during of the time. Radical changes happen because of the trends, the impact being on customers behaviour and expectations. I will bring out the brand point of view, talking more about how this changes and trends can influence even a strong brand which is on the market for more than 100 years with a strong image and a very well know heritage and designs. Will be out line the brand reply to the customers needs and requirements, guided by the mono and multiculturalism global trends.
Monoculturalism= The policy or process of supporting, advocating, or allowing the expression of the culture of a single social or ethnic group.
Multiculturalism= The presence of, or support for the presence of, several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society.
Globalisation= The process by which businesses or other organisations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.
Globalisation is represented by the free movement throughout the world of information, goods, capital, people, services and technology and It also involves the potentially integration of very different countries through the adoption of similar world views and cultural aspects.
Tourism continually proves to be a thriving worldwide phenomenon having a big impact on the globalisation process evident with the fact that its reach permeates through society, politics, culture and the economy.
A very important moment was represented by the The Grand Tour in 18 century. Which became a trend when people started to travel around Europe by steam trains and ships. By experiencing new places, people and cultures, they developed a deeper level of understanding giving them a more fulfilled sense of what it is to truly be a citizen of the world. Travelling with this mindset was rewarding in itself and in a key element in peoples reasons for travel. Time away from home allows opportunities for reflection and resetting.
The Grand Tour was a great opportunity to discover foreign lands and seas. Young gentlemen from well-to-do families were a frequent sight on these kinds of trips, from the middle part of 17th century, through to the end of the 18th century, until the war came.
Typically these ‘tours’ lasted approximately three years, and this included six months of travelling and three years of living abroad. Ample opportunity to absorb and experience these cultures, and environments, whilst also improving their language skills.
France was the most common destination as French was a commonly spoken second language. Geographically, France was an easy place to reach. From Paris, travellers could spread out in many different directions, such as, towards the Alps, and further towards Rome, Venice, Athens and other notable destinations include Spain, Portugal, Germany, The Balkans, and The Baltic.
As Paris represent one of the most important destination and looking back on the luggage used to travel and the existing demand on the market, the French trunk makers got an amazing opportunity to entry on the market with their products . At the time it was a pride to travel with big various wooden trunks, the opposite of our days. And this is how one of the most popular luxury brands from our days start having their first ateliers like Goyard (EST 1853) and Louis Vuitton(EST 1859) , having today a revenue of € 38.4 billion in the first nine months of 2019.
Louis Vuitton, before creating a world famous luxury brand, had humble beginnings as a layetier in Paris, packing trunks for rich clientele. With grand designs and ideas of opening his own trunk making firm.
Goyard another luxury maker of trunks, travel bags, and leather goods originally started as a packing service for fragile objects, such as hats and gowns. What we know now as Goyard trunks have been designed and built for esteemed celebrities and famous people alike, including Pablo Picasso, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and other kings & queens.
Golden Age of Air Travel started together with new ideas and concepts of travel in middle of the 19th century. The Grand Tour had seen its last days.
The moment when also those famous luxury brands, after almost 100 years of activity, got a big problem to face, changing trends. Together with the commercial aviation the concept of travel suffered major changes from a new way of travel to a new targeted market. The opportunity of travel not being anymore just for aristocrats, the prices became more affordable . In this way the business was facing a big number of people interested and the way of travel changes for ever. Becoming very similar with the way we travel in our days using soft and compact luggage as a limitation of the big demand.
Is very interesting to see how a trend could influence and change forever this well-known brands, even if they been very powerful and having a strong influence, the customers are changing and as a brand you have to follow their needs.
Both brands manage to survive to the change, but they reinvented the whole concept of their brand. Keeping more the name and the heritage and focusing the production in a very different area. In our days they are producing a very few pieces of trunks comparing with the quantity of hand bags and soft duffle bags which their main focus is in this very moment.
References:
Monoculturalism and Multiculturalism, online Oxford dictionary :https://www.lexico.com/
The Grand Tour by Rachel Knowles, April 30,2013: https://www.regencyhistory.net/2013/04/the-grand-tour.html
I Was a Flight Attendant During the Golden Age of Travel by Mark Ellwood, June 6, 2019 :
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/i-was-a-flight-attendant-during-the-golden-age-of-travel
Goyard website: https://www.goyard.com/en/story#origin
Travel by Sarha Yunker, January 14, 2016:
http://blog.flyjetclass.com/2016/01/travel-trend-steamer-trunks/
Louis Vuitton website:
The History of Tourism : Structure on the Path to Modernity by Ueli Gyr, December 3, 2010:
http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/europe-on-the-road/the-history-of-tourism#TourismasaGlobalisedSystem