In recent weeks, the luxury sector has experienced a series of significant upheavals. Between key appointments, social controversies, repositioning, and signs of recovery, major brands are redefining their priorities. This sequence of events illustrates the transition from luxury based on power to luxury based on consistency.
Luxury is no longer immune to turbulence. Long perceived as a bastion of stability, it is now undergoing a period of redefinition, with figures, faces, and values colliding. In recent weeks, several strong signals have confirmed a profound reshaping of the global landscape.
Kering: time for recovery
The French group is embarking on a phase of strategic restructuring under the leadership of Luca de Meo, recently appointed CEO. The appointment of Francesca Bellettini as head of Gucci marks a major turning point: the Italian fashion house, which has been losing momentum (-25% in the second quarter), needs to regain its desirability and stylistic consistency.
At the same time, Kering has signed a licensing agreement for the production of Valentino eyewear, favoring a cautious, partnership-based approach over an immediate acquisition. This strategy aims to restore profitability before expanding the empire. The markets welcomed this move: Kering’s share price reached its highest level of the year at the end of September.
LVMH: between vigilance and exemplarity
At LVMH, momentum remains strong, but vigilance is required. While the group continues to post robust performances, its subsidiary Loro Piana has been placed under judicial administration in Italy following accusations of exploitation in subcontracting. This wake-up call highlights a fundamental challenge for the industry: social transparency is becoming a strategic pillar, on a par with creativity and operating margins. Luxury can no longer ignore ESG requirements—it must embody them.
Between restructuring and reinvention
Beyond these emblematic cases, the trend is clear: major players are seeking to slow down in order to refocus. The excesses of the 2020s are giving way to more disciplined management, focused on value and loyalty. Consumers, for their part, are increasingly demanding quality, sustainability, and uniqueness.
As we reported, according to EY, 66% of French people cite quality as their primary criterion for luxury purchases, far ahead of status or rarity. Desire remains, but it is shifting—from external symbols to internal experiences.
But that’s not all. While we are also seeing a structural decline in airport spending for third consecutive year, despite an increase in air traffic, Kearney identifies five global dynamics that are having a particular impact on the travel retail industry: the geopolitical reshaping of the global landscape, macroeconomic fragmentation, consumer polarization, technological disruptions, and the erratic evolution of the climate issue. These are very tangible phenomena that have a direct impact on consumer behavior and the strategy of travel retail players.
Luxury under creative pressure
In the face of this change, artistic directors are playing a key role. Designers are now required to translate desirability into consistency, and no longer just into images. Recent collections show a return to essentials: clean cuts, natural materials, and understated palettes. At least, that’s what we’re seeing in the Spring/Summer 2026 Fashion Week collections this fall. Starting with the highly anticipated collection by Jonathan Anderson for Dior.
For his first women’s collection as creative director of the French fashion house, Anderson has clearly succeeded in restoring the image of a great couture house with sophisticated silhouettes and precious fabrics. All this is complemented by numerous tributes to the heritage of the house’s founder and nods to his Irish roots.
The time for excess is over, replaced by restraint—a luxury that is measured as much in impact as in emotion.
Towards a new paradigm
Between upheavals and weak signals, the last few weeks have summed up the transformation of contemporary luxury: less flamboyant, more conscious; less expansive, more introspective. The challenge is no longer just economic. It is one of identity. Because in a world saturated with products, true rarity may well return to what it has always been: that of meaning.
Read also > The Luxury Weekly: A pivotal week—between technological advances and commercial redeployments – Luxus Plus
Featured photos: © Luxus Plus
