LUXURY BRAND BUILDING: ALTERING THE MYTHS & MEANING
Luxury Brand Building
Article by Tamisha Ford
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #22
Recently, when browsing Pinterest (one of my favorite things to do), I saw a pin that said something to the tune of "I'd rather have simplicity than luxury."
To be honest, it bothered me. Why can't we have both? I'm a paradox girl, so saying "either/or" to me is dangerous. I'll figure out a way to have both.
Ever since I saw that pin, I've wanted to put my two cents out there about the statement, because I do think it's a misconception that luxury and simplicity are mutually exclusive.
So what is the myth? The myth is that luxury = complicated. That luxury is somehow bad or that only difficult, high-maintenance people like luxury – that it’s only effective or influential if it’s overly diverse.
All myths.
To me, luxury is simplicity, so I don't understand the connotation. If we look at luxury brands, what do they and every one of their websites do best? They're clean, usually black and white, and have an extremely simple menu of options to navigate. What is more simple than two colors, 5-8 parent categories to navigate, and the most recent lookbooks or collections they have to offer?
Nada in my books. Luxurious branding is simple branding. Chandeliers are exquisite and intricate, yet hover gracefully in one spot.
So what does this myth mean for our businesses now that we know this? I put together a couple of things I've learned:
1 :: You can be extremely influential with a simple business model.
Anyone who knows Angel Quintana knows that she does things just a cut outside the mainstream. Signature System™ anyone? This was an attractive concept to me, because I had always been one of those entrepreneurs who bought into the 25-different-coaching-packages-and-services-model. Maybe you can relate. It's utterly overwhelming when you're starting out to try to follow that business model. It's like we set ourselves up to fail before we even start!
I'm not saying this method doesn't still work for a whole lot of people - I believe it does. I'm just saying that, if we believe luxury doesn't equal complication, then we can be okay with being unconventional and not having to do 25 coaching packages and maybe even enjoy our work that much more.
2 :: You can intensely influence the niche you’re creating by embracing the "both and" of paradox instead of the tyranny of "either/or".
To clarify, I'm merely suggesting that I believe entrepreneurs should start honoring themselves and the way they work as much as their clients - to start asking "how do I want to work with my clients and this business" instead of leaving yourself out of the equation. What's more luxurious and simple than building sustainably