CIO CORNER ·
Subscribers

Quiet luxury brands ring in greater returns

Brands which eschew flashy logos and imaging outperform in terms of operating margins, revenue growth and return on equity

IF A tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? In the same vein, if a luxury good is worn by an individual and no one recognises it, does it still have value?

The answer is a resounding yes.

Late 2023, the DBS Chief Investment Office identified “quiet luxury” as a key investment theme. Quiet luxury stands apart from the broader luxury industry in that it does not draw attention to itself. Unlike the flashy branding of some luxury brands – think, for instance, conspicuous monograms and loud logos – quiet luxury prefers subtlety.

Quiet luxury, in short, speaks only to a group of insiders, encapsulating the Gen-Z slang: “If you know, you know.”

A bag...

KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE

READ MORE

BT is now on Telegram!

For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes