'Quiet luxury' trend continues its ascent

According to a data survey by digital wholesale platform Joor, the minimalist trend ‘quiet luxury’ and a general growth in logo-free fashion is here to stay. While luxury pieces with at times very visible or even all-over logos have been en vogue for years, this trend now seems to be satiated in some markets.

Instead, there is a move towards more discreet fashion, which seems to be an extension of changing consumer shopping behaviours towards more environmentally friendly fashion and more deliberate rather than compulsive shopping.

Joor noticed that online searches for terms like ‘quiet luxury,’ ‘stealth wealth,’ and ‘old money style’ have “skyrocketed” and compared retailers’ purchases in the period of 1st January to 15th May 2023 with the same period during the previous year.

“Joor’s latest data confirms the ‘succession-effect’ of ‘quiet luxury’ replacing logos, in particular amongst North American and European based retailers. While the logo isn’t dead, it is taking a back seat to a luxurious, unbranded look that is subtle, understated, and more about the wearer. The significant growth in orders and wholesale transaction volume on Joor by some of the world’s finest ‘quiet luxury’ brands reaffirms the trend,” commented Joor CEO Kristin Savilia in a statement.

Retailers purchasing fewer logo products

The findings are clear: In 2023, retailers purchased 22 percent fewer units of products bearing a logo than during the same time period last year, despite the fact that the volume of logo products offered by brands increased by 32 percent.

“This shift in buying patterns has been most notable in North America, where retailers recorded a huge 43 percent decrease in logo product orders, followed by EMEA where retailers recorded a drop of 16 percent,” found Joor.

The digital wholesale platform also noted that the global trend has not yet impacted APAC-based retailers to the same degree: “In this region, the appetite for logo products has continued with APAC-based retailers purchasing 8 percent more units than last year—demonstrating that products with logos are currently resonating in APAC more than other regions.”

Joor analysed the logo-free trend further and looked at the growth of brands that are emblematic for the ‘quiet luxury’ aesthetic. “Orders from a representative set of 15 luxury brands on Joor, including The Row, Lemaire, John Lobb, Sease, Valextra and Johnstons of Elgin, saw an increase in 2023 of 6 percent in number of orders and 22 percent in wholesale transaction volume versus last year,” was the conclusion.