The Rise of Novelty (and Semi-Impractical) Accessories
When it comes to luxury fashion, much of what is on the market aims to be aspiration, display impeccable craftsmanship, and uniquely blend art and commerce. Sometimes this leads to very interesting creations and trends that to many not familiar with the fashion sphere may describe as ridiculous. This blog post really came to be after I became super excited about the new Dior FW19 AirPods case. I think these little things are so amazing and I totally want one! But after getting a bunch of “What the Hell, $350 dollars for a case…” and “you’re kidding right” comments, I started thinking about all of the semi-impractical pieces that are so trendy in fashion right now.
My business side was also thinking “what’s the strategy behind making pieces like this?” After a minute I realized it’s kind of genius. Let’s take the AirPods case for example. By making these pieces that are culturally relevant and provocative, while also very novelty and unique, the brand gets a little bit of free press. Also, some may think it is a ridiculous price for what it is, but the $350 price point is relatively low for Dior products. This price point gives someone interested in starting a luxury collection the opportunity to buy from the brand without completely breaking the bank. On the other end of the spectrum, brand lovers get to have super unique pieces that allow them a nice refreshing shift from their more classic pieces in their collections.
Many brands have followed suit in this novelty $200-$500 item trend and it has been working really well for them. One of my personal favorite designers, Jacquemus, has really blown up in the fashion world with his Le Chiquito bags which fall right into this novelty accessories trend. Other brands dipping into the space include Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Hermés.
Items such as these which may seem impractical, are in fact really great for someone wanting to dip their toes into the luxury world with an item a bit more exciting than a card case, or those with extensive classic collection and looking for something more fun and unique.