https://www.scmp.com/rss/326261/feed Saisangeeth Daswani Head of Advisory - Fashion, Beauty & APAC Saisangeeth writes on behalf of STYLUS. She has experience translating future trends and applying them as business solutions in marketing, retail, product and design strategies. She has worked across fashion, luxury and branding in the US, Asia and Australia. Previously, Saisangeeth was a trend director at Stylesight and WGSN, working with leading international brands to inspire and inform their creative endeavours through seasonal... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Saisangeeth Daswani Saisangeeth Daswani The year 2020 was a momentous one for us all, and that goes for luxury fashion, too. Amid the global pandemic, the industry faced a moment of reckoning with its digital dimension. As brands reshaped their offering to embrace the online world, their approach to influence and engagement had to change in step. Enter a new generation of unreal influencers, with computer-generated humans, AI-created personas and digital iterations of celebrities among a growing list of virtual idols taking over the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3153210/luxury-brands-are-ditching-kols-virtual-influencers-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3153210/luxury-brands-are-ditching-kols-virtual-influencers-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Oct 2021 13:48:20 +0000 Once upon a time, extravagance, exuberance and exorbitance ruled the luxury landscape. Fashion fanatics would sport their latest luxury acquisitions featuring the most exotic leathers and skins as a form of status. And then 2020 happened. Stymied by lockdowns and paused social lives, homebound consumers came face-to-face with overstuffed wardrobes and had little use for their most prized accessories. While eco-sentiments were already on the rise, Covid-19 has, along with unwelcome fear and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3148302/fashion-really-entering-sustainability-decade-farfetch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3148302/fashion-really-entering-sustainability-decade-farfetch?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Sep 2021 00:00:30 +0000 Spaced apart and masked up, eager shoppers lined up in front of glittering luxury stores in Paris as the city eased its lockdown restrictions. Similar scenes occurred across fashion capitals, including Shanghai and Seoul, as luxury fans fervently sought their next investment piece. As we move towards a post-Covid-19 world, where luxury consumers are undoubtedly purchasing with a more discerning eye, brands are racing to re-establish relevance and enhance value, most notably through... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3095832/gucci-louis-vuitton-and-sergio-rossi-use-made-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3095832/gucci-louis-vuitton-and-sergio-rossi-use-made-order?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Aug 2020 07:00:07 +0000 One evening at the beginning of February, British television and radio presenter Maya Jama graced the 73rd British Academy Film Awards red carpet in what looked like a floor-length, powder blue gown. To the naked eye, the Richard Malone-designed look draped across her body with a nod to Grecian style and flair. Minutes later, as Jama appeared on the big screen, onlookers realised that it was, in fact, the world’s first 5G-powered augmented reality dress, which came alive and transformed into a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3085685/5g-meets-high-fashion-why-luxury-designers-are-rethinking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3085685/5g-meets-high-fashion-why-luxury-designers-are-rethinking?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2020 19:00:15 +0000 Fashion’s reckoning over the lack of diversity has reached a tipping point, it seems. This year alone, top-tier fashion houses including Prada, Gucci, Chanel and Burberry have all made massive headway in moving their diversity and inclusion agendas forward. And rightly so, considering recent luxury headlines. A growing number of brands have found themselves in the hot seat following unfortunate racial or cultural missteps. Did you know that Gucci is entirely carbon-neutral? From Dolce &... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3036766/dolce-gabbanas-pizza-chopsticks-pradas-blackface-monkeys-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3036766/dolce-gabbanas-pizza-chopsticks-pradas-blackface-monkeys-how?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Nov 2019 18:00:17 +0000 Luxury campaigns have come a long way since they relied solely on traditional print advertising, and digital has become a fundamental piece of the brand narrative puzzle. Today’s tech advancements allow brands to showcase their offerings in alternate realities: virtual and augmented. Flexible yet instant, these tools are sliding into chat apps and social platforms. Fluid yet experiential, they appeal to the experience-hungry, high-flying crowd. Despite the innovation, the human approach still... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3026893/how-luxury-brands-are-using-cgi-models-ar-and-vr-attract?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3026893/how-luxury-brands-are-using-cgi-models-ar-and-vr-attract?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Sep 2019 04:00:14 +0000 Saisangeeth Daswani Saisangeeth Daswani Once known to be part exclusivity, part status and part high price, the definition of luxury continues to evolve and its currency is shaped by new markers in the form of authenticity, access, expertise and experience. But the luxury tide is moving east, too. Feeling the freedom to express themselves, Asian millennials are increasingly showing an affinity for customisation and they look to luxury brands to hunt down the latest “make it mine” items   Nearly 60 per cent of the world’s millennials... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3022130/social-media-self-gifting-heres-how-luxury-brands-cleverly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3022130/social-media-self-gifting-heres-how-luxury-brands-cleverly?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Aug 2019 02:00:12 +0000 Worldwide, a segment of middle-class millennial Muslim consumers, called Generation M, is growing fast. Expected to triple to 900 million consumers by 2030, according to Reuters, this cohort is driving social change and demanding products and services that reflect their faith and modernity. This new wave of trendsetters is welcoming innovation and coming together to change the narrative around Muslim women globally and, ultimately, the face of modesty. Savvy brands are connecting with this... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/3010917/why-millennial-muslim-women-find-gen-m-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/3010917/why-millennial-muslim-women-find-gen-m-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2019 06:00:16 +0000 Saisangeeth Daswani Saisangeeth Daswani Once upon a time, aspiration, grandeur, exclusivity and perfection were the defining markers of luxury. Yet as a notoriously passionate and outspoken generation comes of age, luxury is witnessing a definitive shift, with power moving from brands to consumers, who are in favour of democratising luxury’s perfection-driven aesthetic with a chance to make it their own. STYLE Edit: Gucci’s designer Alessandro Michele pays tribute to France in Paris The result? An industry that’s celebrating a more... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2180353/gucci-and-other-luxury-brands-are-shaking-their-old?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2180353/gucci-and-other-luxury-brands-are-shaking-their-old?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jan 2019 02:00:45 +0000 Retail stores with straight up transactions have become a thing of the past. As consumers continue to crave experiences, savvy brands are offering compelling activations to keep consumers coming back for more. But the first-wave of experiential retail – enhancing stores with tablets and technology of the sort – is no longer enough. The next frontier of retailers are taking cues from the likes of Sony and Nintendo, merging gaming’s recreational focus with brand experience and product knowledge.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2164222/how-luxury-retail-turning-gaming-drive-brand-consumer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2164222/how-luxury-retail-turning-gaming-drive-brand-consumer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Sep 2018 02:01:15 +0000 Gucci may have changed the course of accessories on the runway forever. Decked out in oversized proportions, maximal prints and metal mesh paired with wool, tweeds and velvet, the brand’s autumn/winter 2018 runway models turned heads – and not just because of their clothing.  The distinct absence of the favourable ‘it’ bag and adoption of severed heads, striped snakes and baby dragons sparked the wackiest season yet. And just like that, the internet went wild, too. Milan Fashion Week: Gucci... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/2138163/forget-it-bag-seasons-hottest-fashion-accessory-self?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/2138163/forget-it-bag-seasons-hottest-fashion-accessory-self?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Mar 2018 05:00:42 +0000 Italian fashion house Gucci has opened its first dining offering, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura – becoming the latest luxury fashion brand to dip its toe into the world of hospitality. However, to assume the new venture is simply about feeding fashionistas or only Gucci’s most loyal clientele would be misguided. Although a well ironed concept – Burberry, Dior, Versace, Ralph Lauren and Prada (to name a few), have all opened or bought eateries, there’s something more significant about Gucci... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2128676/how-gucci-garden-ushering-new-age-luxury-retail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2128676/how-gucci-garden-ushering-new-age-luxury-retail?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jan 2018 09:00:30 +0000