Cristina L.

is 25 years old and has a Saint Laurent bag, one from Louis Vuitton, another from Gucci and a Dior, which she wears with clothes from Zara or other low-cost brands.

For her "investing in these pieces is like doing it in works of art, which over time are revalued".

Now, as a patron who attends the auctions, she has in her sights the models she has seen on the Internet: the latest from Prada, a Dior and a Fendi, never forgetting her "long-term dream: a

Birkin from Hermès "

.

We are talking about some bags that cost several thousand euros and for which many young people sigh, who ask their parents as a Christmas or birthday gift if they have a high purchasing power, or who are content with the imitations they get for 50 euros in online platforms or in any market.

But how have luxury brands reached such a young audience?

Or looking at it from the opposite angle, in what way have millennials and Gen Z approached these firms, previously only targeting people of a certain age and with large incomes?

IN TWO DIRECTIONS

Nuria March,

founder and director of Nuria March Comunicación, speaks of a "democratization of luxury thanks to which brands make young people participate in more affordable and aspirational products" on the one hand, and on the other, remember that "they are teenagers and twenty-somethings who star in the campaigns of these firms and disseminate them through social networks ".

And he cites brands such as

Burberry, Gucci or Balenciaga

as teachers "in marketing and communication campaigns that work, and very well, to retain young people, who become their victims."

A term this of victims to which March removes its negative connotation to focus on the good work of these firms to achieve their goal.

In the memory of many is the video broadcast on TikTok by Nuria Pajares, with two million followers, who gave her daughter her

"first Luisvi"

- in reference to a Louis

Vuitton

bag - for having passed the Selectivity with good marks.

A gesture that was the subject of countless memes and so criticized that in the end that bag was auctioned among its public.

See this post on Instagram

But many undoubtedly wanted to be in the place of the daughter of Nuria Pajares.

And it is that, as

Patricia San Miguel, professor of Digital Marketing at ISEM, says,

"the essence of youth includes aspiring to the highest, wanting what you cannot have and showing it to others, and differentiating yourself".

IN & OUT

To explain it, he gives as an example a Netflix series of great success among young people,

'Elite',

"in which fashion acts as a vehicle for social distinction, and that they wear a uniform. Clothing differentiates social classes and places you within or out of a group. "

San Miguel lists the ways that luxury brands approach young people: "Traditionally," he says, "they did it with affordable products, such as

sunglasses or perfume.

Now they also do it by launching collections made in collaboration with brands. fast fashion ".

At this point the annual H&M capsules with creators such as Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney or Versace are framed.

Also noteworthy, the expert points out, is the proliferation of online platforms such as

Fartetch or Privalia,

in which young people can buy this type of product without having to access the physical store.

IN THE BEGINNING IT WAS THE T-SHIRT

In addition, the big brands have made a strong commitment to street wear in recent years: "You create t-shirts and sneakers, in such a way that you turn that desire for luxury into affordable and hook consumers", and at this point recalls the collaboration of

Supreme with Louis Vuitton,

a milestone in this strategy.

Patricia San Miguel points out to influencers and Instagram: "On one occasion Dior sent the same bag [the Saddle bag, an iconic model of the house created by John Galliano in the late 90s and now relaunched] to a hundred influencers, which they uploaded photos with him to their Instagram accounts on the same day, which sparked a desire to have him among young fashionistas. "

Finally, he cites

"transgressive communication,

which breaks the rules" as a way of attracting the younger consumer. "It's about making a lot of noise, something Gucci is a master at; or about different proposals, like the 10-minute

episode

of The

Simpsons

that Balenciaga showed in his last show in Paris." In this fashion film, Homer Simpson gives Marge a signature dress for her birthday, which she will have to return because they cannot afford the $ 19,000 it costs. Then the team of Demna Gvasalia, creative director of Balenciaga, travels to Springfield and takes its citizens to Paris, turning them into models of the collection.

This is how Balenciaga dressed the Simpsons characters for the fashion film that he presented at his spring-summer 2022 show in Paris.

MILLENNIALS AND GENERATION Z

Once the desire to own these luxury items has been created, it is necessary to analyze how the new generations consume.

Susana Campuzano, director of the Higher Luxury Management Program at IE Business School Luxury Advise,

gives us the clues and in this aspect clearly differentiates millennials - born between 1981 and 1996 - from generation Z - born from 1996 on.

"In the hands of the former," he indicates, "will be 50% of the luxury billing in 2025. Generation Z currently only accounts for 4% of this expense, but they are the future."

The luxury industry, therefore, reaches out to young people because they are its future customers.

And it does so, for example, through

gamification,

that is, "brands like Burberry or Gucci enter online games with avatars, where they also sell their products," says Campuzano.

"Just as millennials are a fairly homogeneous group and they want to possess," the expert continues, "the Z are very tribal and are not concerned about possession, they prefer

experiences that give meaning to their life,

brands that help them live better, which they do, for example, those of sports ".

BRANDS WITH VALUES

Therefore, the youngest want luxury objects but with meaning, handcrafted, that take care of values ​​that they have made their own, such as sustainability, vintage, technology ... "Luxury", says Campuzano, "goes through them but they

do not accumulate , they

resell, they buy second-hand and they rent, they do not save but they bet on permanent change ".

Just what JMN (21) thought when he searched

Grailed.com,

a platform for selling second-hand luxury goods and clothing, for a branded bag to give to his girlfriend.

"It is not for showing off or pretending," he says, "you give them value because you can wear them with both a shirt and a suit and because they never go out of style."

And going back to what Patricia San Miguel said, to FN, 18, it does seem that the difference is in

"having something that not everyone can own"

and he agrees that these products do provide him with a certain status.

Generation Z is that diverse and different from the previous ones, which has been going strong and that, as Susana Campuzano points out, "forces brands

not to stop creating

and to reach those young people who are going to consume in a more rational way "Than your parents and your grandparents.

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