CHINA FASHION BUSINESS

(This article’s brand data and information all come from official websites or financial reports.)

What Is “Quiet Luxury”?

If you search online, including asking AI, the answers almost all say that “quiet luxury” is a fashion style that began to emerge around the last few years. Perhaps this is the problem of over-reliance on the internet; the reality is not the case.

If you have read Thorstein Veblen’s The Theory of the Leisure Class (first published in 1899), you will find that in the second half of the book, it mentions that nobles and the wealthy used to like wearing clothes with prominent markings to flaunt their wealth. These markings included, but were not limited to, women’s enormous hoop skirts—because the larger the skirt, the bigger the room in the house—and of course, luxurious fabrics, as well as intricate lace and ribbon decorations. However, by the end of the 19th century, the upper class began to favor a subtle luxury—a kind of nobility only recognizable within the circle. In my view, this marks the beginning of the “quiet luxury” style.

How did the upper class shift from ostentatious display to understated luxury? Although I don’t recall The Theory of the Leisure Class mentioning the following movement, I speculate that the event below should be at least one of the contributing factors.

In the early 19th century, a movement initiated by British dandy George Brummell, known as the “Great Male Renunciation,” is also, in my opinion, the starting point of the quiet luxury trend.

Prior to this, upper-class men dressed as elaborately as women—silk, satin, embroidery, bright colors such as pink, purple, and green, high heels, long wigs, and layers of lace and ruffled shirts. The poor simply lacked the money and time to attend to their appearance.

George Brummell, if I’m not mistaken, was a nobleman from a declining family, proposed the idea that men should dress in a simple yet refined manner. Specifically, they should bathe and shave daily; wear minimalist but well-tailored clothing; pair a white shirt with a knotted tie; and abandon all other decorations.

The “Great Male Renunciation” saw men relinquishing their so-called “fashion privileges.” It was around this time that men began to regard “fashion” as a domain for women.

This aligns perfectly with today’s definition of quiet luxury—ordinary in appearance but meticulous in detail. Absent of prominent logos, with a color palette primarily consisting of neutral tones like black, white, and gray, the effort is devoted to tailoring, fabric, and proportional lines.

In fact, for the truly wealthy in today’s society, most prefer a low-key lifestyle and have a fondness for quiet luxury.

In 2003, to complete my master’s thesis, I interviewed the veteran tailors on London’s renowned Savile Row. Almost every one of them looked down upon the clothes worn by “celebrities” and “stars” who frequently appeared in the media.

In their view, the attire of celebrities and stars was overly flamboyant, and truly wealthy individuals did not live in such a way. Savile Row catered primarily to royalty, ultra-millionaires, and global CEOs. Most of these clients did not have a particular fondness for mainstream luxury brands that the average person would typically admire from afar. What the royalty and ultra-millionaires truly cherished were the custom-made garments bearing only their names, crafted on Savile Row.

What are some representative brands of quiet luxury? Personally, I recognize Loro Piana, Jil Sander, The Row, and Brunello Cucinelli as such. To a certain extent, I also consider China’s Giada as a representative of quiet luxury.

The Cultural and Social Background of the Quiet Luxury Trend

Why has quiet luxury become a popular style in recent years?

1. Starting with the “Great Male Renunciation”

Returning to the previously mentioned Great Male Renunciation, I believe it partially explains why quiet luxury has resurged in popularity today.

As previously noted, men’s fashion in the upper class was as intricate as women’s. The French Revolution marked the decline of aristocratic rule and the rise of the bourgeoisie.

These bourgeoisie referred to individuals who, through commercial activities such as finance, law, and medicine—originally part of the middle class—accumulated capital.

To be honest, even from a practical standpoint, the elaborate attire of the past was indeed unsuitable for working individuals. After all, in the aristocratic era, the nobility could live off inherited wealth without labor, whereas the bourgeoisie had to earn their income through work (even if it was through financial means). Thus, minimalist dressing, in my view, also reflected a form of pragmatism.

Another primary reason was a prevailing ideology at the time: a man should be a man. Men should focus on cultivating their inner virtues and professional abilities. For women, it was considered natural to devote time to dressing up to attract a suitable partner, but it was deemed inappropriate for men to do the same. This is why the tailored suits we see today as standard men’s attire began to emerge during this period.

Although over a century has passed, I believe this is also one of the reasons why quiet luxury has regained popularity—many people, like myself, have grown weary of the ostentatious designs of the past decade or so. For instance, the decline of brands like GUCCI and BALENCIAGA in recent years, I suspect, is related to the rise of the quiet luxury trend. After all, these brands had previously gained significant revenue through high-saturation colors, prints, exaggerated silhouettes, and prominent logos.

2. The Popularity of Quiet Luxury Reflects a Desire for Refined Yet Unpretentious Living

Secondly, I believe the rise of quiet luxury also signifies a yearning for stability amidst a fast-paced world.

The fashion industry has always emphasized “keeping up with trends,” but quiet luxury, in my view, represents a counter-culture. At least visually, quiet luxury garments lack obvious elements of passing fads. For instance, products from the aforementioned brands, though new collections are released each season, do not appear outdated even if worn from previous years.

In other words, quiet luxury focuses on creating products that withstand the test of time. This, to a certain extent, reflects people’s fatigue with the rapid changes in contemporary life and their desire for stability.

3. An Extension of the “Old Money” Style

Quiet luxury, in my opinion, is also an extension of the “old money” style that has gained popularity in recent years. (For more on the old money style, please refer to the article: Fashion Case Study | “Old Money Style” Analysis: Taking Ralph Lauren’s 2025 Spring/Summer Collection as an Example.)

Both the old money style and quiet luxury originated from the upper class. The prevalence of these styles represents a backlash against streetwear trends that have dominated for nearly two decades, as well as mainstream media’s focus on trends catering to the post-90s and post-00s generations.

As a member of the Generation X, I have encountered the frustration of not being able to find suitable clothing despite working in the fashion industry. What’s available in malls tends to be either geared towards twenty-somethings—appearing too childish for my age—or designed for the elderly, which I find too dowdy.

In a way, I am delighted by the rise of the quiet luxury trend. This style truly suits individuals like myself who demand quality but dislike ostentatious logos and exaggerated designs.

The Aesthetics of “Quiet Luxury”

What exactly is the aesthetics of “quiet luxury”?

I will first provide a response generated by AI. This will allow everyone to see the difference between AI and human answers.

The AI primarily answered from a visual perspective. Objectively speaking, I think its summary is quite good:

①Neutral colors (cream white, gray beige, camel, dark brown).

②Tailored silhouettes, low saturation, textured and tactile sensibility.

③ Material details surpass design complexity (cashmere, silk, tweed).

However, I believe this is also a common misconception among many peers, who equate “visual” with the entirety of “aesthetics.”

The essence of “beauty” is “kindness.”

Aesthetics begins with values, just as it does with a person. Someone may be good-looking, but if their values are not aligned with goodness, even if you are initially drawn to their beautiful face, you would not wish to associate with such a person.

Here, I would like to share with everyone the CEO of Brunello Cucinelli’s explanation of “beauty” in the company’s 2024 financial report. He mentioned that the essence of “beauty” is “kindness.” If you read any philosophy of aesthetics, you will find that many scholars from ancient and modern times, both Eastern and Western, have referred to the term “beauty and goodness.”

A person who is not kind cannot be a beautiful person. Similarly, a company or brand that does not pursue goodness cannot create a beautiful brand.

Brunello Cucinelli’s financial report also specifically mentioned that they practice “gentle luxury.” I believe this is essentially the same as quiet luxury.

So, what exactly is gentle luxury? The report states:

“As a concept closely related to ‘beauty,’ it is difficult to define uniquely. But in my view, luxury is a symbol. Luxury is symbolic because it connects us with beauty. Gentle luxury, more simply put, is like a sincere friend who greets you with a warm smile, like someone who proactively extends a helping hand. It is creativity and talent that do not seek to be ostentatious, beauty discovered in simplicity. It is a hospitality open to all, existing at an appropriate pace, and always welcome because it respects the values of others. Therefore, gentle luxury possesses universal value, and women are its finest embodiment.”

So, what exactly is this kind of beauty?

For a company, it means treating its employees well.

Brunello Cucinelli’s financial report mentions the concept of a “beautiful factory.” Beauty should not only be present in the store but also in the unseen back office of the company.

Those who have worked in the fashion industry have witnessed the contrast between the splendor of stores and runways and the hardship of garment factory workers. Even in some luxury stores, while the shop space is luxurious, the backstage warehouse may be in disarray.

The phrase “a golden exterior but a cotton interior” aptly describes the state of most fashion companies when comparing their stores to their factories.

So, what is a “beautiful factory”?

① First, the physical environment: Brunello Cucinelli’s factory is located in nature, surrounded by green gardens.

②Second, paying workers wages above market rates, enabling them to live with dignity.

③Lastly, the factory produces “heirloom-quality, durable works” rather than disposable trends.

For office employees, they proposed:

① No punching in or out, yet employees adhere to their schedules voluntarily (with my knowledge of Italians, I am skeptical about the actual implementation of this, haha, but I do believe the no-punching policy is genuine).

② No disturbing colleagues after work hours (I also believe this is more common in Italy. The downside is that, by Chinese standards, everything may seem a bit slow, haha).

③ Slightly higher wages, especially for workers.

④ Lunch breaks should be for resting.

All of this, in my view, constitutes the necessary conditions for achieving quiet luxury.

Can you imagine a stressed, busy, and miserable artisan or assembly line worker creating a piece of clothing that is quiet, beautiful, and high-quality?

Have you ever noticed that every task we undertake reflects our mood at the time? For instance, when I write, if I want to convey something serious, my writing mood must be serious for the text to be solemn. When I want to write about something delightful, my mood must be pleasant so that readers can sense the same joy from my words.

Whether designing or making clothes, creators are involved. “The style is the man,” as the saying goes, and this can also represent the person behind the garment.

A person who is always anxious and rushing to meet deadlines will produce clothing of the same quality as most fast fashion.

Implications of the Quiet Luxury Trend for Chinese Enterprises

While reading Brunello Cucinelli’s financial report, I particularly admired the words written by its CEO. His words, as he put it, represent “capitalism with a humanistic spirit.” Most financial reports focus solely on capital, neglecting the humanistic aspect. Here is an excerpt from his writing (translated into Chinese by ChatGPT):

“Every day, on my way from home to work, the fragrance of the fields and the smell of burning wood in the fireplace drift by me, accompanied by the songs of nightingales and the gentle flow of the Caina River. This tranquility, this leisure, this atmosphere of country life, symbolizes to me the beauty of environmental sustainability. Sometimes I think that what we do today to improve the environment, curb global warming, focus on material composition, eliminate harmful substances, pay attention to landfills, and control pollutant emissions—in a way, we are moving toward an ideal world, regenerating, reusing, repairing, and restoring. In other words, we follow the laws of nature and make the most of Mother Earth’s gifts. This belief may have been influenced by the happy life I spent in the countryside during my early years.”

Brunello Cucinelli’s headquarters is located in Solomeo, a medieval village in Italy, a place where culture, art, tradition, and history are interconnected.

When I read this passage, I couldn’t help but wonder if there is such a village in China, one with cultural and artistic heritage and a link to tradition and history.

In theory, with China’s five thousand years of history, we should have similar places. But I am not sure exactly where they are. Perhaps you can answer in the comments section.

Perhaps, in the future, a single fashion company in China can also bring a beautiful village to the attention of the world.

PS: The translation is done by AI.