Fashion, art and luxury
Firstly, both art and luxury fashion target elite demographics, sharing a common user base. Also, art can bring luxury a much needed moral and aesthetic endorsement, non-commercial connotations and a paradoxical legitimization of its high prices.” Art lends luxury a crucial moral and aesthetic validation, devoid of commercial undertones, thus legitimizing its premium prices. “According to Oscar Wilde: ‘Life is short; art lasts.’ Art value grows with time (similar to the price of vintage Ferraris). It does so by being totally independent of function. A painting has no literal function, so it can endure the effects of time. Function creates temporality and a built-in obsolescence.
According to Oscar Wilde: ‘Life is short; art lasts.’ Just as art has done, luxury must de-correlate price and function. Although a handbag remains a bag, as a piece of art its price must be totally independent of its function. The distance between art and function enhances brand extensibility and entry into new categories.
Because art is the apex of human activity, associating luxury brands with it can help to sustain the gap between luxury brands and new competitors or brands that imitate the codes of luxury. Art reinforces their symbolic authority.
Artification enables a fashion brand Entering new countries. Hermès has developed a specific approach to be perceived as arriving ‘as a guest, not a conqueror’. It entered China by organizing a successful exhibition in the Forbidden City titled ‘Heavenly Horses’, which celebrated the ancient culture of horses in China. That Hermès began as a saddle maker and that its logo is a horse carriage helped to establish a link.
Art elicits the mental state of self-transcendence, educes consumers’ status-seeking motive and, in turn, their desire for luxury goods. There is an experiment indicate that visiting an art mall reduces interest in promotional material from luxury brands. The pursuit of luxury often stems from a self-centered motive, where individuals prioritize their own interests over others. This drive for status involves comparing one's social standing with others and striving to surpass them in society. However, engaging with art, which fosters a sense of self-transcendence and diminishes self-importance, tends to lessen the inclination towards self-centered status-seeking behaviors. Consequently, experiencing art is likely to reduce the desire for luxury goods.
Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge that numerous artists emerge from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, representing segments of society historically marginalized or underserved. Their creative endeavors often manifest as forms of resistance against established elite structures. This stands in contrast to the image luxury brands seek to portray, which typically revolves around notions of exclusivity and refinement. Consequently, the linkage between luxury goods and art may evoke dissatisfaction among artists and the broader populace, as it might be construed as an appropriation or dilution of the authentic essence of art for commercial purposes.
2024.2.22