The boundary between exclusivity and accessibility in the luxury brand market is complicated at best. images-6When online shopping became the accepted norm, luxury brands lagged behind, believing that their market wanted the experience of bricks and mortar. As they learned, even the wealthiest of customers expect their brands to have an online presence.

birkincrocstory“Hermès, for example, has never sold its iconic Birkin or Kelly bags online. Yet precious few fashion houses have been able to create e-commerce sites that truly match the brand experience they offer in their physical flagships, says Luca Solca, head of luxury goods at Exane BNP Paribas.”images

But Gucci and Louis Vuitton did not get to be the giants in the fashion market through exclusivity. images-1What is it that makes us want to own an outrageously expensive Chanel clutch? Perhaps its gives the appearance of a life of privilege and the sense that we own something exceptional, something others covet. Think of the full-page ads of handbags in exotic settings with extraordinary people as in Angelina Jolie in Africa with a Vuitton bag.

But our economic engine tells business to keep growing and expanding into emerging markets and to develop strategies to sell more product. And therein lies the conundrum:

http://www.businessoffashion.com/community/voices/discussions/has-luxury-gone-too-mass/the-luxury-brand-balancing-act