Brands Dropping Logos as Demand for Low-Key Luxury Is on the Rise

Celebrities may have made designer handbags mainstream, but their creators are now trying to distance themselves from them, as they’re dropping visible logos in favor of the so-called “stealth wealth.”

Recession and the need to offer the kind of luxury that doesn’t come with an expiration date have prompted designers from all major brands to rethink the design of their products.

Bags from Louis Vuitton and Gucci, for instance, once known for the logos they were branded with, are now less recognizable to the untrained eye.

In fact, says the Daily Mail, even the most die-hard fashionista may have some trouble seeing the handbag for a designer item, without touching it and having a really close look at it.

This is explained by designers’ intention of creating products that place quality over name – and durability over everything else.

Handbags heavy with logos are “dated” items that will no longer be in fashion come next year or season.

At the opposite pole are items that are discrete, elegant and stylish in a very timeless manner, because they have nothing visible to date them by.

“Our groups are moving toward fewer logos, more discreet luxury. It’s a question of adapting our ranges very rapidly to this new perception of luxury, a luxury which is more subtle, more sophisticated – which is what we are doing,” PPR Chairman Francois-Henri Pinault says.

Aside from Louis Vuitton and Gucci, other brands that are turning their attention to this new type of presentation for luxury items include Yves Saint Laurent, Celine and Bottega Veneta.

All of them have registered a sharp peak in sales since the change of approach, as a spokesperson for luxury department store Harvey Nichols confirms.

“The recession has meant customers are looking away from the obvious, visible labels towards the more understated,” the spokesperson explains.

Offering seemingly understated items translates into a rise in sales. “We have noticed a move towards more subtle pieces and labels such as Chloe and Alexander Wang,” he adds.

Follow me on Twitter @ElenaGorgan