Insights

Luxury can be good

Dorothy Mackenzie is Chairman of international brand agency Dragon Rouge. In this article she discusses the ways successful companies can combine the ideals of luxury and sustainable design.

Luxury and sustainability aren’t thought of as obvious bedfellows when it comes to brand. After all, luxury surely represents the antithesis of green? What counts, according to conventional wisdom, is the best and rarest raw materials, the most meticulous production, and the ultimate in extravagant packaging – whatever the cost. But at the heart of really desirable high-end brands there has always been more than just bling. The challenge of bringing deeper, more constructive, values to the fore is becoming a prerequisite if luxury suppliers are to build a connection with a new cohort of informed, aware and discerning consumers.

A strong part of the appeal of true luxury brands has always been timelessness, authenticity and longevity. These are not disposable fashion items and they’re not just the ultimate symbol of success. They’re about taste - made to savour and to treasure, built to last and to pass on to the next generation – and the principle is the same whether we’re talking about a tangible heirloom, an allegiance to a particular fragrance house or a love for a particular food, wine or whisky. At a time when high fashion is so easily copied by mainstream brands, luxury brands need to satisfy a desire for deeper meaning.

Concepts of luxury have moved on from the 19th Century obsession with possessing the last and the only. Aspirations have changed and that’s a global shift, not confined to western economies. The WWF noted back in 2007 that, contrary to conventional wisdom, affluent consumers in Asia and Latin America were increasingly concerned about social and environmental issues.

Yet in the luxury market today, relatively few young pretenders are making a stand.

Jewellery brand John Hardy describes its mission as creating objects of beauty in an environment of respect for people and nature. Designs are inspired by the traditions of the master goldsmiths to the Balinese court, and the company takes its responsibilities to its craftsmen and the community seriously. The brand is sold in luxury stores around the world, which are increasingly demanding evidence of responsible business practice, including compliance with the Kimberley Process on sourcing of diamonds.

Praised by WWF in its report, Deeper Luxury, John Hardy is committed to becoming ‘greener every day’ with the ambition to become carbon neutral, if not carbon negative. New collections are created using 60 per cent recycled silver, its Balinese workers lunch on organic food grown in the workshop grounds, which double as a farm. Its offices in Hong Kong were designed using natural, non-toxic materials and its print advertising is carbon offset by planting bamboo on the island of Nusa Penida.

Californian sports car manufacturer Tesla Motors is also demonstrating that sustainability doesn’t have to mean compromise when it comes to luxury. Its $109,000 all-electric roadster is billed as ‘performance with a clean conscience’ and, according to the claims, is faster than a Porsche and twice as energy-efficient as a Toyota Prius. The tyres and battery are recyclable and head- and taillights are energy-efficient LEDs. Even auto reviewers who admit to regarding electric cars with suspicion have drooled over its performance, and sales have defied the recession.

What makes the Tesla break the ‘worthy but wimpish’ electric car mould is that Tesla engineers have a passion for technology and design – and where it can take them. It’s about stretching possibility, not just addressing problems.

Having a strong story to tell about how the brand ensures that the beautiful and the precious will continue to be available in the future doesn’t detract from rarity or prestige. Value lies in the craftsmanship, the care and the pride with which the raw materials are sourced and the goods are made – and of course the creativity of the vision that conceived them. There can be no more demanding consumer than those of luxury brands and they’re starting to ask hard questions. So now’s the time to get the record clean and the story straight and redefine the concept of desirability.

www.dragonrouge.co.uk

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