Skip to main content
Log in

The anatomy of the luxury fashion brand

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Brand Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the critical dimensions necessary to create and maintain the success of a luxury fashion brand. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a qualitative approach in the form of case studies of 12 international fashion retailers. This involved semi-structured interviews with management to explore their knowledge and experiences, supported by secondary research such as internal documents and media reports. Findings: Identifies nine interrelated key luxury fashion brand attributes that are crucial in the creation and maintenance of the brand proposition. The management of the luxury fashion brand is complex, and requires a consistent and coherent approach. Originality/value: An empirical understanding of the luxury fashion brand's critical dimensions will assist in effective and efficient luxury fashion brand management.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Luxury Briefing. (2006) November, http://www.luxury-briefing.com/content/?m=200611.

  • Okonkwo, U. (2007) Luxury Fashion Branding. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Euromonitor. (2001) Luxury goods service, www.euromonitor.com.

  • Twitchell, J. B. (2002) Living it Up: Our Love Affair with Luxury. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Vickers, J. S. and Renand, F. (2003) The marketing of luxury goods. The Marketing Review 3: 459–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooke, S. (2004) Luxuries ain’t what they used to be. Now the high street is full of designers labels and glittering prices, does anything count as exclusive. The Daily Telegraph, London: 17 January, p. 4.

  • Jackson, T. B. (2004) International Retail Marketing. Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chevalier, M. and Mazzalovo, G. (2008) Luxury Brand Management: A World of Privilege. Singapore: Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mintel Report. (2004) Luxury goods retailing, http://report.mintel.com/sinatra/mintel/new/report/repcode=0364&anchor=a20/print, accessed on 1 September 2002.

  • (The) Economist. (2002) Special Report: Luxury Goods. 23 March, pp. 61–63.

  • Bain. (2007) Global luxury goods market growing at 9% per year despite uncertain signals; according to Bain & Company's 6th annual ‘Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study’, www.bain.com/bainweb/publications, 14 November 2007 accessed on 17 June 2008.

  • Moore, C. M. and Birtwistle, G. (2005) The Burberry business model: Creating an international luxury fashion brand. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 32 (8): 412–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruce, M. and Kratz, C. (2007) Competitive Marketing Strategies in Luxury Fashion Companies. In: T. Hines and M. Bruce (eds.) Fashion Marketing: Contemporary Issues, 2nd edn., New York: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Financial Times Weekend Magazine. (2005) I’m the kind of person who cuts out the labels on things. Issue 137, March, pp. 8–15.

  • Jackson, T. and Shaw, D. (2004) The Fashion Handbook. Oxon: Routledge Taylor Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beverland, M. (2004) Uncovering “the theories-in-use”: Building luxury wine brands. European Journal of Marketing 38 (3/4): 446–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vigneron, F. and Johnson, L. W. (1999) Review and a conceptual framework of prestige-seeking consumer behavior. Academy of Marketing Science Review 1, http://www.amsreview.org/articles/vigneron01-1999.pdf.

  • Gutsatz, M. (1996) Le Luxe Représentations et Compétences. Décisions Marketing 9: 25–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubois, B., Laurent, G. and Czellar, S. (2001) Consumer Rapport to Luxury: Analyzing Complex and Ambivalent Attitudes. Working Paper 736, HEC School of Management, Jouy-en-Josas.

  • Nia, A. and Zaichkowsky, J. L. (2000) Do counterfeit devalue the ownership of luxury brands? Journal of Product and Brand Management 9 (7): 485–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, T. (2001) International Herald Tribune Fashion 2001 – a conference review. The Journal of Fashion Marketing 6 (4).

  • Alleres. (2003) cited in Bruce, M. and Kratz, C. (2007) Competitive Marketing Strategies in Luxury Fashion Companies. In: T. Hines and M. Bruce (eds.) Fashion Marketing: Contemporary Issues, 2nd edn., New York: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann.

  • Nueno, J. L. and Quelch, J. A. (1998) The mass marketing of luxury. Business Horizons 41 (6): 61–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danziger, P. (2005) Let them Eat Cake: Marketing to the Masses – as Well as the Classes. Chicago: Dearborn Trade.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chadha, R. and Husband, P. (2006) The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair with Luxury. Finland: WS Bookwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer, J. N. (2008) The New Strategic Brand Management: Creating and Sustaining Brand Equity Long Term, 4th edn., London: Kogan Page Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radon, A. (2002) The Paradoxical Relationship Between the Exclusiveness of Luxury Goods and Profit Maximization. Working Paper School of Business, Stockholm University, March 25.

  • Phau, I. and Prendergast, G. (2000) Consuming luxury brands: The relevance of the ‘Rarity Principle’. Journal of Brand Management 8 (2): 122–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, G. M. and Shapiro, C. (1998) Foreign counterfeiting of status goods. The Quarterly of Economics, February, pp. 79–100.

  • O’Cass, A. and Frost, H. (2002) Status brands: Examining the effects of non-product related brand associations on status and conspicuous consumption. Journal of Product and Brand Management 11 (2): 67–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nobbs, K., Birtwistle, G. and Fiorito, S. (2004) Burberry; the accessible luxury brand. 8th European Association for Education and Research in Consumer Distribution (EAERCD) Conference, London 30 June to 2 July.

  • Silverstein, M. J., Fiske, N. and Butman, J. (2003) Trading up: The new American luxury. Harvard Business Review 81 (4): 48–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, I. and Owens, M. (2000) Trademark rights in gray markets. International Marketing Review 17 (3): 272–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, S. (1994) Retail brand and the threat of identity. International Journal of Retail and Distributive Management 26 (4): 140–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elsmore, M. J. (2000) The Implications of intellectual property law for the auditing protection of national and international brands: Part 1. Management Auditing Journal 15 (3): 116–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, G. and Roberts, C. (1994) Product piracy: The problem that will not go away. Journal of Product and Brand Management 3 (4): 55–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, K. J. and Liu, C. M. (2004) Positive brand extension trial and choice of parent brand. Journal of Product and Brand Management 13 (1): 25–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dias, S. and Ryab, L. (2002) Options theory and options thinking in valuing returns on brand investments and brand extensions. Journal of Product and Brand Management 11 (2): 115–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glynn, M. S. and Brodie, R. J. (1998) The importance of brand-specific associations in brand extension: Further empirical results. Journal of Product and Brand Management 7 (6): 509–518.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kent, C., Macdonald, S. and Deex, M. (2002) Morgan Dean Stanley Witter, Luxury status, achieving and exploiting it, cited in: Jackson, T.B. (2004) International Retail Marketing, Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.

  • Wetlaufer, S. (2004) The perfect paradox of star brands: An interview with Bernard Arnault of LVMH. Harvard Business Review 79 (9): 117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubois, B. and Laurent, G. (1994) Attitudes towards the concept of luxury: An exploratory analysis. Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research 1: 273–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, G. M. and Johansson, J. K. (1985) The role of price in multi-attribute product evaluations. The Journal of Consumer Research 12 (2): 195–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubois, B. and Duguesne, P. (1993) Polarization maps a new approach to identifying and assessing competitive position- the case of luxury brands. Marketing and Research Today 21 (May): 115–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubois, B. and Paternault, C. (1995) Understanding the world of international luxury brand: The ‘dream formula’. Journal of Advertising Research 35 (4): 69–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Groth, J. C. and McDaniel, S. W. (1993) The exclusive value principle: The basis for prestige pricing. Journal of Consumer Marketing, Winter, 10 (1): 10–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goff, C. (2004) Vanity publishing. Financial Times, London: 6 January, p. 5.

  • Berry, C. J. (1994) The Idea of Luxury: A Conceptual and Historical Investigation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hanna, J. (2004) Luxury isn’t what it used to be. Harvard Business School Bulletin 80 (2), June, http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4321.html.

  • Broughton, C. (2002) Fashion: Personal services; luxury fashion is in a flap. The Independent on Sunday, London: 29 September, pp. 43–44.

  • Fraser, R. (2003) Are you being served? Guardian, 24 October, p. 32.

  • Zola, E. (1863) Au Bonheur des Damnes.

  • Moore, C. M., Fernie, J. and Burt, S. (2000) Brands without boundaries – The internationalisation of the designer retailer's brand. European Journal of Marketing 34 (8): 919–937.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, C. M. (2003) Fast Fashion: From Prada to EatmyhandbagBitch. In: M. Saren (ed.) Marketing Graffiti. London: Dryden Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Naughton, K. and Vlasic, B. (1998) The Nostalgia Boom. Business Week, 23 March, pp. 58–64.

  • Ramaswamy, K., Ostermiller, M. and Kendis, P. A. (2003) Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy: In Search of Synergies in the Global Industry. Thunderbird, a09-03-011.

  • Pickton, D. and Broderick, A. (2001) Integrated Marketing Communications. Pearson Education Ltd.: Essex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, P. (1990) Building successful brands: The strategic options. The Journal of Consumer Marketing 7 (2): 5–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tosti, D. T. and Stotz, R. D. (2001) Brand: Building your brand from the inside out. Marketing Management 10 (2): 28–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Till, B. D. (2003) Using Celebrity endorsers effectively: Lessons from associative trainings. Journal of Product and Brand Management 7 (5): 400–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, L. M. (1996) Added value: Marketing basics? Journal of Marketing Management 12: 735–755.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J. and de Chernatony, L. (2004) The power of emotion: Brand communication in business-to-business markets. Journal of Brand Management 11 (5): 403–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989) Building theories from case study research. The Academy of Management Review 14 (4): 532–550.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. (1998) Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory, 2nd edn., London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. K. (1994) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 2nd edn., London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doherty, A. M. (1999) Explaining international retailers’ market entry mode strategy: Internationalisation theory, agency theory and the importance of information asymmetry. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research 9 (4): 379–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, C. (1998) Processes of a case study methodology for postgraduate students. European Journal of Marketing 32 (9/10): 785–798.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gronhaug, K. and Olson, O. (1999) Action research and knowledge creation; merits and challenges. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal 2 (1): 6–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tellis, W. (1997) Introduction to case study. The Qualitative Report 3 (2), July, (http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR3-2/tellis1.html ).

  • Mahoney, J. (2000) Path dependence in historical sociology. Theory and Science 29: 507–548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. K. (2003) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 3rd edn., London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riege, A. M. (2003) Validity and reliability tests in case study research: A literature review with ‘hands-on’ applications for each research phase. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal 6 (2): 75–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parkhe, A. (1993) ’Messy’ research, methodological predispositions and theory development in international joint ventures. Academy of Management Review 18 (2): 227–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walpole. www.walpole.com, accessed on April 2008.

  • Nachmias, C. and Nachmias, D. (1982) Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Alternate 2nd without Statistics. London, England: E. Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flick, U. (1992) Triangulation revisited: Strategy of validation or alternative? Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour 22: 175–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perakyla, A. (1997) Reliability and Validity in Research Based on Tapes and Transcript. In: D. Silverman (eds.) Qualitative Research: Theory, Method and Practice. London: Sage (77) Miles et al 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirschman, E. C. (1986) Humanistic inquiry in marketing research: Philosophy, method, and criteria. Journal of Marketing Research 23: 237–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y. S. and Guba, E. G. (1985) Naturalistic Inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huberman, A. M. and Miles, M. B. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, 2nd edn., Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • LeCompte, M. D. and Goetz, J. P. (1982) Ethnographic data collection and analysis in evaluation research. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Fall: 387–400.

  • Raymond, N. (1954) Harvard University (CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts). Graduate School of Business Administration, In: Malcolm P. McNair … with the assistance of Anita C. Hersum (eds.) 1954, The Case Method at the Harvard Business School. Papers by present and past members of the faculty and staff. New York, pp. xvi. 292. McGraw-Hill Book Co.

  • McKinsey and Company. (1991) L’Industrie du Lux: Un a Tout pour France. McKinsey and Company: Paris, 7 June.

  • Lichtenstein, D. R., Ridgway, N. M. and Netemeyer, R. G. (1993) Price perceptions and consumer shopping behaviour. A field study 30 (2): 234–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renand, F. (1993) In revue Francaise du marketing. Cahiers: 132–133.

  • Dubois, B. and Czellar, S. (2001) Prestige brands of Luxury brands? – An exploratory inquiry on consumer perceptions. Marketing in a Changing World: Scope, Opportunities and Challenges: Proceedings of the 31st EMAC Conference, University of Minho, Portugal, 28–31 May.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fionda, A., Moore, C. The anatomy of the luxury fashion brand. J Brand Manag 16, 347–363 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2008.45

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2008.45

Keywords

Navigation