A splintering of luxury
What White Lotus, Glass Onion, and Triangle of Sadness imply about culture
How can luxury be aspirational in 2023?
Q: What do Triangle of Sadness, White Lotus, Squid Game, Glass Onion and Parasite all have in common?
A: A vibe shift against the rich.
2022 saw the release of the second season of White Lotus, a social satire about wealthy visitors of a fictional resort chain, Triangle of Sadness, a black-comedy satire about wealthy guests on a luxury cruise, and finally, Glass Onion, a murder mystery about an out of touch tech billionaire and his friends on a weekend getaway. None of these pieces are particularly kind to the rich. Despite the fabulous locales, all present being wealthy as a kind of prison of self-delusion, insecurity, and interpersonal competition with those supposedly closest to you.
As usual, Ana Andjelic nails the cultural moment in her piece âThe Other Vibe Shift:â
If the wealthy are so out-of-touch, morally corrupt and repulsive as the social satire represents them, who wants to be like them?
I had a similar conclusion while watching Neflixâs Glass Onion.
But, if being rich becomes a joke (or at least not as aspirational as it once was), what does that mean for luxury brands, which trade on financial exclusivity?
What the cultural vibe shift means for brands: A splintering of luxury.
Luxury is most often associated with the aspiration of wealth. I have this watch because I am part of an elite successful group who can afford it. But as the rich get richer, luxury becomes less about money, and more about access. You might be able to afford the watch, but that doesnât mean you can buy it.
Ferrari, Audemars Piguet, and HermĂšs have followed an access strategy for years.
Brands targeting the .01% will continue to get creative with how they allocate access at the top â to limited editions, to exclusive experiences, to other members of the Elite â because it is a way to separate the mere rich from the uber rich (and turn aspiration from one elite class to another into profit).
For the rest of us (aka the brands courting the top 2%, not the .01%), luxury is also undergoing a shift from financial exclusivity to something else.
What underpins the cultural shift is a loss of aspiration for the wealthy âeliteâ
âAspirationally, we already turned against the wealthy.â
- Ana Andjelic
The main characters in Triangle of Sadness, White Lotus, Glass Onion are revealed to be vapid, liars, and as imperfect as the rest of society. But the story has been playing out in the media over the past few years. Elon Muskâs rapid fall from green energy visionary to ruthless (and not necessarily successful) Twitter CEO represents a crack in the facade of the rich, successful, genius entrepreneur.
2022âs scandal-laden start-up implosions like cryptocurrency platform FTX, payments company Fast, and fintech Bolt, as well as general-easy come, easy-go venture capital money imply that wealth is less tied to hard work and genius, and more to connections and showmanship.
Where is aspiration headed?
I am not sure 100% (who is?) but I have some ideas. In general â whatâs aspirational will come from something more than being able to afford a product with a logo.
In a word: Substance
Aspiration is human; it wonât go away. But it will shift, or really, expand, from just money, to a display of something more.
Some trend-predictions for 2023:
1. Do the work as aspiration â
Aspirational brands will require you to show you canât just afford something. But you have done something. Maybe Patagonia only sells you a jacket if you have planted a tree or volunteered at their eco-center. Peloton launches a â#didtheworkâ line of outfits for those that show up 150 of the last 300 days. YETI makes a fishermanâs only line.
As mentioned earlier, limiting access has long been a super-luxury strategy. But I see it going to mainstream luxury in 2023 and beyond.
2. Creativity (and style) as aspirationâ
My favorite fashion item I bought this winter isnât a trendy piece that everyone else has. Itâs a bright multicolored jacket, and I am not sure of the brand. Itâs fun. Itâs weird. I donât think anyone I know has it. I hope they donât. I like it, because, in an admission of my own vanity, I think it shows a bit of originality. And I predict a bigger shift in this direction. Aspiration will flow to those with their own lookâ unique, but unlike me, seemingly effortless.
Retailers like CultMia, which emphasize globally-sourced, âconversation-startingâ pieces will replace standing in line for the Louis Vuitton bag everyone has, or following the current trend.
3. Mental peace (and lowkey 4-D chess) as aspiration â
Interestingly, the most aspirational character in White Lotus S2 was not necessarily the non-rich characters, which is what the vibe shift would suggest. It was Meghann Fahyâs Daphne Sullivan. At first, Daphne appears as vain and deluded as the rest of the cast.
Aubrey Plazaâs Harper character sees Daphneâs chirpy outlook as fake, and even mocks her. Yet, by the end of the season, Daphne is revealed to be the only wealthy character with a real handle on life, the ability to accept the good with the bad, and live life on her terms.
Per Esquire:
[Aubrey] Plaza has set her eye-rolls to stun in the role; sheâs suitably disgusted with the world, and even more turned off by how rich people can drown out those problems in nice hotels. That worldview has its limits, and you sense that Daphne has long let such delusions go. She likely never laboured under them to begin with. Instead, Daphne sees the world of The White Lotus, with all its five-star trappings, for what it is: gorgeous, limiting, and a really fun ride.
While other cast members go through personal breakdowns, substance abuse, and interpersonal conflict, Daphne is at peace. Even after experiencing a stunning betrayal of her own, Daphne manages to go through emotions of surprise, hurt, anger, acceptance, and plan suitable revenge⊠in about 15 seconds.
Her attitude has even become a 2023 resolution:
How does Daphne apply to luxury?
Luxury is often associated with a lack of emotion. Stoic store associates. Tense discussions behind closed doors only. I donât see that changing. I see it going further: control of your emotions and a Daphne-like attitude leads to an ability to live life for what it is and to enjoy every moment. To be present. And to take advantage of lifeâs one truly scarce resource: Time.
Those that spend their lives being jealous and vengeful are not aspirational. Aspirational people show no need to prove to everyone that they are smart or successful or even âabove it all.â Instead, the luxury muses will be like Daphne âhappy in the moment, confident in their choices (basic or not), and secretly more cunning than you initially give them credit for.
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