Luxury Renaissance: Why the Industry Isn't in Crisis — It's Changing Eras - Luxe Consumer IQ | Lyssna här

Luxury isn’t in a simple downturn. It’s moving into a new era, and the old growth model is starting to work against the very things luxury is meant to protect: craft, trust, exclusivity, and meaning.

In this episode, host Emilia Simonin speaks with Éric Briones (CEO of Journal du Luxe, co-founder of the Paris School of Luxury, and co-author of Luxe Renaissance) about why the current luxury “crisis” is systemic, not cyclical. We discuss what happened post-COVID, why price-led value has triggered backlash across both affluent and ultra-rich clients, and why the industry needs to shift from desirability to resonance.

If you work in luxury marketing, brand strategy, consumer insights, client experience, CRM, or luxury retail, this conversation offers a clear framework for understanding what’s changing now, and what luxury may need to protect next.

Inside this episode:

Why this luxury crisis is internal and systemic, not an external shock
Post-COVID “XXL demand”, price inflation, and the value-for-money backlash
Why both affluent and ultra-rich clients can end up feeling excluded
Measuring resonance: aesthetics, store experience, value for money, cultural relevance
Transformative luxury: the shift from having to being (and why longevity matters)
Post-Western luxury: how supply and cultural authority are shifting beyond Europe
AI in luxury: where it should stay invisible, and why it’s explosive in creativity
Sustainability as value: why mastering the value chain becomes part of perceived quality

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Introduction

01:33 Why luxury’s crisis is systemic

02:36 Post-COVID demand surge

04:42 Affluent clients priced out

05:19 Ubiquity kills exclusivity

07:59 Defining “resonance” in luxury

09:26 The Bottega spirit in luxury

14:47 Longevity and self-optimisation

18:41 Applying transformation to marketing

20:19 Post-Western luxury power shift

25:11 Cultural appropriation vs collaboration