Loud luxury VS Quiet luxury – which is best for me?

The logo mania trend has been in and out of fashion since it’s first mainstream emergence in the late 90’s. It’s popularity is always defined by the ensuing debate between loud and quiet luxury - what resonates the most with the rich and wealthy, what’s trashy and what’s classy and most importantly what’s worth buying.

So, what is loud luxury? Think obvious branding and visible logos, you’ll be able to instantly recognize the brand just by looking at the piece. The Dior Oblique Monogram is one of the pillars of logomania along with classics like the Chanel interlocking CC monogram, the Fendi Zucca, Gucci’s GG monogram and the Louis Vuitton LV and quatrefoil print along with the Damier Azur and Damier Ebene motifs which are synonymous with the respective brands’ most popular handbags.

Loud luxury has always been something heavily associated with the young and contemporary nouveau riche; if you have a desire to create your own high-end identity and belong to a more elite social circle, so you buy something popular amongst your peers and in contemporary culture, something flashy and obviously expensive – it let’s everyone around you know that you can afford whatever you want.

On the other hand, you have quiet luxury, seen as the more traditional way to splash your cash. It’s characterized by being more subtle, with no or very little logos or branding, usually only recognizable by other trained eyes as opposed to the mass consumer. Bags usually associated with quiet luxury are the Hermès Birkin, Saint Laurent’s Sac du Jour, the Celine Classic Box bag and Louis Vuitton bags made in the brands more understated Epi leather finish.

But what’s interesting is how the division between the two types of luxury is usually used by brands to capture their target customer, and is a clever way of driving sales, which you should always remember when you’re quick to judge someone for engaging with loud luxury or vice versa.

Some brands even offer both styles in order to boost their appeal across generations and taste levels; think of the Gucci Marmont with it’s central bright gold GG monogram, usually featuring an all-over monogram print with a flashy gold chain strap and compare it to the more classic styles such as the Jackie or the Horse bit bags – with a more subtle brand signatures and usually more popular in plain, single colored leather finishes. They’re created for different people and aesthetics.

So which is best for me? It’s easy to get caught up in the debate and also in trend cycles, and try to choose a side when defining your own style and approach to luxury fashion. But we say think about what appeals to you as an individual. The industry is eager to categorize large groups of people in very general ways, reading into something so simplistic as your fashion choices as an indicator of your class, background and social status. When in reality there are way more factors at play.

We think you should shop based on what excites and appeals to you, and liking the way something looks or makes you feel when you wear it is reason enough to buy it and cherish it forever, think less about the wider social implications and more about how well a style works with your wardrobe, where would you take it out, does the color suit you? Does it make you feel chic? If the answer is yes then everything else doesn’t matter.