This story is part of Glossy’s week-long look at the state of luxury, exploring what consumers and brands are deeming worthy of investment in 2024. To see all the stories in the series, click here.
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Gen Z is currently 14-27 years old, representing a wide range of spending power based on age. After all, someone five years into their career can typically afford much more than an early teen. But as the demo grows up, they are deciding what luxury will mean to them — and that definition is shifting in real-time. At this point, it seems Gen Zers idea of luxury is shifting away from dupe culture, they are embracing the secondhand market and relishing the thrill of securing items that are hard to come by.
During the summer of 2023, New York Magazine’s The Cut published an editorial package centered around product “dupes,” pointing to Gen Z as the demo fueling the trend. But according to Casey Lewis, author of the Gen-Z-focused Substack After School, the tides have begun to turn. Back then, it seemed “young people had little to no respect for luxury because they felt, if they could get the dupe for half the price [why wouldn’t they]?” she said. But during last year’s holiday season, as Lewis poured over hundreds of holiday-season hauls, she noticed Gen Zers experiencing a retail coming of age. While many received their first luxury bags — by the likes of Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci — “you could sense the sentiment changing towards dupes,” she said. “It was like, ‘Wait, I now have this piece of luxury.'”
Though media narratives suggest that Gen Z is embracing dupes over the real thing, Lewis believes this is untrue. What’s more likely is that they are just starting to age into their first luxury goods.
“You can get the E.l.f. lip oil, but you can also get the Dior lip oil, and the Dior is cooler [according to Gen Z],” she said.
But that’s not to say that the generation won’t define luxury for itself, carving out a meaning that is somewhat different than it has been for generations before it. Laurence Milstein, co-founder of the Gen-Z-focused communications agency Przm, credited a confluence of factors. Among them: the new access to celebrity stylists and dermatologists via social media and to luxury products through resale platforms.
“The rise of digital resale marketplaces, education on product quality, customer reviews across social and access to expert opinions online empower Gen Z to go deeper with their research on products and assess what’s worth the splurge,” Milstein said.
Regarding resale, Gen Z is redefining the once stigmatized “used” category. Take 25-year-old Chloe Lee, co-founder of Selleb, which is both a Substack newsletter and an app that tracks what real people (read: not influencers) buy via their receipts (users upload images of their receipts in exchange for access to other members’ honest product reviews) — who said she and her friends pay for The RealReal’s First Look subscription. Access grants users the ability to “shop 10,000+ daily new arrivals 24 hours before everyone else,” as described by the company. It costs $12 per month.
“[Gen Z-ers] will pay for First Look because they want to get the best deals. [The RealReal does two] drops every single day, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. They will, myself included, go on at those hours to see everything that comes in,” Lee said. “I check all 17 pages to make sure: ‘Am I missing anything?’ And I go through my wishlist once a week to see what’s going on sale.”
According to Claire Lee, Chloe’s 23-year-old sister and co-founder, The RealReal is not great for selling clothing for monetary gain, due to poor payouts, but it is worthwhile for finding steals on brands like Christopher Esber, whose dresses typically retail for $700-$1,000. On The RealReal, they can be found in the $300-400 range.
According to Claire, another brand Gen Z likes to splurge on is Oresund Iris, the New York-based designer known for corsetry-inspired tops worn by “it” girls like Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski. “No [Gen Zer] is gonna ball out on a Chanel tweed jacket, right? But if there’s a really nice, really beautiful top that’s $500-$700 and rarely goes on sale and they’re gonna get a lot of use out of it, that would be a very typical Gen-Z luxury purchase,” she said.
The sisters see “thousands” of users’ receipts through their app. On the secondhand market, shoppers are buying from luxury brands including Prada, Chloe, Rick Owens, Pucci and Bottega Veneta. Luxury e-tailers Net-a-Porter and Ssense are two of the most popular retailers Selleb users frequent.
But another way Gen Z is defining luxury has to do with scarcity. Think: getting one’s hands on that coveted, very sold-out LoveShackFancy x Stanley Cup collab, which — at $60 — is not “luxury,” in the traditional sense. For another example, Lewis pointed to a white camo sweatshirt Abercrombie & Fitch can’t seem to keep in stock. There are also the Frye Campus boots that are so popular — and scarce — that even their dupes are popular now.
Of course, urgency is often needed to score a scarce item. “Older Gen Zers are buying things off of niche Instagram accounts where they do product drops, and they’re DMing [the accounts, saying], ‘Can I Venmo you now? I want it now,” Chloe Lee said. Such Instagram accounts include @pissednbrokevintage (12,000 followers) and @shopstressed (16,000 followers), she said. The latter’s bio promotes “vintage drops every Monday at 7 PM central.”
However, Gen Z remains mindful about cost, she said — and they think it’s cool to find a deal. “I fall somewhere in the middle — I value price and quality. There has to be a balance,” she said. “If there’s something amazing, but it’s not a good deal, I won’t get it, even if it’s an amazing luxury piece. It has to feel like I’m getting something out of it — like I’m winning.”
Collab of the week: Set Active x Reebok
For its second collaboration with Reebok, Set Active is introducing its first foray into footwear, a sneaker. The capsule collection also includes the sweats and activewear Set is known for.
Founder Lindsey Carter said the collab offered “the perfect opportunity” to re-imagine Reebok’s BB 4000 II style through a Set lens. The style was brought back from Reebok’s archive last year. “It allows our community to rep Set from head to toe.”
“Since this is a new category for us, there’s a lot of education that needs to happen,” said Kira Jackson, Set’s CBO. “The partnership with Reebok gives us the credibility to enter the space, but Set’s unique brand, positioning and perspective are what differentiate the style. … For each piece of promotional content we’re producing, we’re addressing: Why do I need this shoe? What does it say about me as a consumer? And how should I be styling it?”
Pop-ups of the week
Two jewelry and accessories brands are taking on Soho this weekend.
Jenny bird
For the Canadian brand’s first step into dedicated U.S. retail, it has leased a space from October 1-25 at 21 Spring Street.
“I was ready to take on a new design challenge by building out my dream store,” said Bird. “We’re taking a new approach to in-store jewelry display, partnering with Canadian ceramicist Sara Wood on handmade displays unique to the jewelry. We wanted people to be able to touch, feel, try on and experience the product.”
The store will also feature early access to new designs, like the soon-to-launch Nonstop Earrings plus embroidery on the brand’s popular “puffy pouches.”
Aureum
At 251 Elizabeth Street, this weekend only, creator Cass Dimicco (749,000 followers) will mark the 1-year anniversary of her brand Aureum Collective’s expansion from just jewelry into all things accessories. It’s been successful: Belts now comprise 60% of the brand’s business, and sunglasses are a growing category.
“We’ve had such rapid growth this year, it felt important to connect [with customers] in person. [Doing so allows for] real-time feedback and real-time connection, which go a long way,” Dimicco said.
The pop-up will also allow shoppers to get first dibs on new products including 10 new belts — the brand’s collection now includes over 50. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the first 50 customers to arrive at the pop-up will receive a special gift bag curated by Dimicco with goodies from Olaplex, Summer Fridays and Arrae, among other brands.
Launch of the week
From October 4 to November 2, fans of Benefit’s first product — and one of its most iconic — Benetint — can snag a custom phone charm, designed to hold the liquid lip and cheek tint, with any $50 purchase. It will also be available for $10.
“We wanted to double down on the virality [the product] has been experiencing over the last few years,” said Vivianna Blanch, the brand’s svp of U.S. marketing. “It’s incredible to see that it’s so beloved on TikTok almost 50 years [after its launch].” The product has more than 1 billion views on the platform.
According to Blanch, the brand was already in production on the charm when the personalized accessories trend started picking up steam. The product is suited to the trend, she said, as “it’s multi-purpose and easy to apply whenever, and wherever, you need a little color.”
Accessorizing lip balms is a wide-ranging trend, encompassing adding a charm to one’s lip balm and sticking a lip balm in a phone case, à la Rhode’s lip case. Recently, skin-care brand Bubble designed its first foray into lip care — the Tell All Lip Balm — to come on a key chain. Charms to further accessorize the product are sold separately. Glossier, meanwhile, has set up vending machines in various locations that sell its lip balm, Balm Dotcom, with the option to add charms.
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