The Rise of Quiet Luxury Isn't Just a TikTok Trend

From “ludicrously capacious” bags to $625 USD Loro Piana baseball caps and $6,490 USD Tom Ford suede bomber jackets, the impact that Succession has had on our appreciation for “quiet luxury” fashion is undeniable. Ever since Kendall Roy and Bridget Randomf*ck landed on our TV screens, “Old Money” and “Stealth Wealth” search terms have been trending on TikTok, accumulating 480,000,000 and 629,500,000 views respectively, and that’s before you count the 1.4 billion views for “Stealth Wealth Meaning” or Google Search statistics noting a 900% increase in these terms.

The numbers do not lie — the people want to know how they too can add a slice of quiet luxury into their life. Per Thomaï Serdari, the director of the fashion and luxury MBA program at NYU’s Stern School of Business, the movement revolves around “clothing of the highest quality, but also clothing that has timelessness, is sophisticated and understated.” Beyond the Succession wardrobe, this includes Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s The Row, the TikTok-viral Toteme scarf jacket, and Bottega Veneta with its trompe-l’œil leather range. The art of quiet luxury is in the sophistication of the product, combined with an IYKYK insider’s eye that doesn’t scream money like the days of logomania. 

This is something the data research company EDITED notes in its investigation: “Just as post-lockdown freedom brought us ‘Dopamine Dressing,’ hard economic times, a recession and less disposable income have instigated a stripped-back aesthetic where consumers are not flaunting their wealth. As shoppers become more aware of the consumption of trends and their wasteful implications, quiet luxury provides investment pieces with a year-round appeal that offers consumers a good cost-per-wear return.”

And its research confirms that the quiet luxury trend is taking over from big branding, as the output of luxury online brands, new apparel, handbags, and footwear that have dropped this year featuring logos have declined 18% YoY. Likewise, patterned garments have only contributed 23% of luxury clothing to date versus 27% last year. Furthering the notion of quiet dressing, and as we have seen with Prada by Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada or the latter’s Miu Miu, our color choices are also becoming subtler. Per EDITED, the production of “black apparel [has] increased by 11%,  brown by 59% and grey by 64% YoY.” 

For Spring/Summer 2023, the use of premium materials in collections has risen by 32%, with fabrics like Pima Cotton growing in 469% YoY, and cashmere has been eschewed for the more practical, yet still luxurious, Merino wool for brands’ elevated basics. 

The rise of quiet luxury has been a long time coming. As Bianca Salonga says for Forbes, “Quiet luxury, as it is now referred to by journalists, editors, and fashion critics, is nothing new. If anything, it’s a style constant that has continuously evolved while louder, more pronounced trends take center stage.” With the world falling into recession after recession and the fashion industry continuing to fail on sustainability promises, the investment factor of quiet luxury is the answer to consumers looking for longevity in their clothing.

However, there is an irony to it all. While the “normcore” trend and “dad dressing” welcomed the fashion crowd with open arms, accessible at all price points with thanks to brands such as Birkenstock, Dickies, and GAP, the ethos of quiet luxury resides in that latter word — the clothes are expensive, and that contradicts how the trend has risen as people look to simpler ways of dressing during hard financial times.

So if you don’t have a Succession budget, how can you tap into the trend? Per Harry Archer for ELLE, “It’s not about breaking the bank in the name of a cashmere jumper, but rather taking a slower, more simplistic, approach to dressing.” Thus, high street labels like COS, Arket, and UNIQLO are perfect alternatives, delivering clean cuts and minimal colors that fall well within the “Stealth Wealth,” “Old Money” aesthetic without making you wince at the price tag.

You can read EDITED’s full report here.