Luxury Is Not Getting Younger. It’s Getting More Complex.
I’ve been thinking about this more recently, not because it’s new, but because it’s becoming unavoidable.
Some brands are still operating with a view of luxury that belongs to a different generation. It works, until it doesn’t. And when it stops working, it’s usually not gradual.
If you are a GM, an owner, or a developer, this is no longer a marketing conversation. It’s a structural one.
Because the question is not:
→ how do we attract younger guests
It’s:
→ do we actually understand how they think, behave, and define value
This is not new
We’ve been here before.
During my time at Starwood, a big part of the work was understanding how Millennials were changing expectations:
experience over product
lifestyle over formality
meaning over status
At the time, it felt like a major shift. And it was.
But it was still relatively clear.
Now it’s different
With Gen Z, there is a lot of noise.
TikTok
creators
resale
“dupe culture”
Everyone talks about it. Few really translate it into something actionable.
And Gen Alpha is coming next.
Personally, I think this will be the most challenging shift, especially for people like us who didn’t grow up in that environment.
Not because of technology.
But because their relationship with:
ownership
identity
interaction
is fundamentally different.
The generational lens helps—but it doesn’t explain everything
Each generation brings a different relationship to luxury.
Millennials approach it as:
experience
achievement
something earned
Gen Z sees it as:
identity
expression
something that reflects who they are
Gen Alpha is growing up with:
seamless digital and physical interaction
play, participation, and co-creation
These differences matter.
But they don’t operate in isolation.
The system is overlapping, not segmented
The traditional model assumed:
one audience
one message
one path to purchase
That no longer holds.
Today:
Millennials are still driving spend
Gen Z is shaping perception
Gen Alpha is influencing culture early
And all three coexist.
A parent buys.
A younger audience validates.
Another amplifies.
Luxury is becoming more participatory
One of the clearest shifts is how people relate to luxury.
It used to be simple:
→ you bought it
Now it is layered:
some own
some resell
some rent
some access
some engage digitally
For some, luxury is a product.
For others, it is an experience.
For the next generation, it is something they interact with.
Value is no longer assumed
Across all groups, expectations have changed.
Luxury needs to:
justify itself
be understood
feel relevant
This shows up differently:
Millennials look for meaning and long-term value
Gen Z looks for cultural relevance and authenticity
Gen Alpha expects seamless, intuitive interaction
But the underlying shift is the same:
Value is no longer inherited. It is evaluated.
Channels reflect behavior, not strategy
Yes:
Instagram still matters
TikTok drives discovery
gaming platforms are emerging
But focusing on channels misses the point.
They are just expressions of behavior.
The real question is:
→ what role does the brand play across them?
From control to participation
Luxury used to operate on control:
controlled image
controlled access
controlled narrative
Now it is moving toward:
interpretation
interaction
participation
Not open.
But less static.
What this means in practice
For the type of work we do, this shows up clearly.
The issue is rarely:
lack of ideas
lack of channels
It is:
lack of clarity
lack of structure
lack of alignment
We see:
brands trying to speak to everyone
without defining what they stand for
or how people actually enter the experience
Three areas to focus on
1. Define the entry point
Not everyone engages with luxury in the same way.
Some are ready to buy.
Some are exploring.
Some are shaping perception.
But all need:
a clear way in
a clear reason to engage
2. Build for overlap, not segmentation
Generations are not separate markets.
They:
influence each other
coexist in the same journey
The brand needs to:
hold its value at the top
make sense at entry
stay consistent across contexts
3. Think beyond ownership
Luxury is not only about what people own.
It is about:
how they experience it
how they interact with it
how it fits into their world
A more grounded view
There is a tendency to overstate:
generational disruption
digital environments
speed of change
Some of it will materialize.
Some of it won’t.
What is already happening is simpler:
Luxury is becoming:
more layered
more selective
more demanding
The takeaway
Luxury is not getting younger.
It is getting more complex.
And complexity requires:
clearer thinking
better structure
stronger decisions
Not more channels.
Not more trends.
Sources referenced:
Bain & Company — Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study
McKinsey & Company — State of Fashion / State of Luxury reports
Deloitte — Global Powers of Luxury Goods
Business of Fashion — analysis on generational shifts and consumer behavior
Industry insights on Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumption patterns, digital behavior, and resale trends
And yes, this was probably written faster than it should have been with the help of ChatGPT.
