Image by Harper Sunday, sourced on Unsplash

The line between rarity and accessibility has been redefined, challenging traditional boundaries and reshaping what it means to be a luxury brand in 2025—for both household names like Chanel and contemporary labels like The Row.

Social media marketing allows luxury brands to control how they present themselves to consumers. Brands like Louis Vuitton maintain a strong presence on social platforms, leveraging celebrity endorsements and product drops to attract Gen Z and Millennial audiences. This strategy enables Louis Vuitton to stay aligned with consumer trends while remaining true to its brand DNA.

Conversely, heritage brands such as Bottega Veneta have opted out of social media entirely, relying on quality and craftsmanship over traditional marketing. This approach enhances the brand’s mystique and sets it apart from competitors like Loewe and Celine, which blend artisanal focus with digital visibility.

Luxury for a New Generation

Luxury now spans multiple tiers—from more affordable brands like Coach to ultra-luxury houses like Hermès—allowing a broader demographic to participate. Brands such as Michael Kors and Tory Burch offer accessible entry points into the luxury market, while the thriving resale and vintage fashion sectors provide designer goods at lower price points.

Platforms like Farfetch offer vintage pieces from Chanel and Louis Vuitton’s 90s and early-2000s collections, adding nostalgia and historical value to purchases. Today’s consumers can own a piece of fashion history without spending thousands on new items.

Online retailers like SSENSE and Revolve blend mass-market and high-end offerings, shifting focus from brand prestige to product appeal. In 2025, it may seem easier than ever to access luxury, but this raises a critical question: if everyone can own a luxury item, is it still luxurious? Is exclusivity essential to luxury? Will access diminish desire?

The Challenges of Mass Marketing

Luxury’s expansion into the mass market risks diluting brand mystique. Some brands introduce more affordable collections to broaden their audience. For example, Ralph Lauren’s Polo line offers a lower price point than its traditional collection.

While these moves increase brand reach, they may also compromise identity, trading luxury appeal for mass awareness. On social media, luxury brands walk a fine line between accessibility and exclusivity.

Many consumers admire luxury for its prestige and rarity. As logos and posts flood digital spaces, the thrill of exclusivity can fade. Brands like Loro Piana are returning to traditional luxury pillars such as craftsmanship, heritage and design storytelling to preserve their distinctiveness.

Reclaiming Traditional Luxury

Respected heritage brands are reintroducing scarcity into their marketing and sales strategies. Hermès, for example, maintains long waitlists for its Birkin and Kelly handbags, reinforcing the connection between craftsmanship and time. These tightly controlled, handmade pieces foster emotional attachment and brand loyalty.

Quiet luxury labels like The Row avoid publicity and logos, instead emphasizing minimalism and exclusivity. Their campaigns and runway shows often restrict photography, enhancing the brand’s mystique and setting it apart in a fast-paced luxury climate.

Striking the Balance

As luxury continues to evolve, brands must carefully balance accessibility with scarcity to ensure growth and cultural relevance while preserving mystique and long-term value.

Both accessibility and exclusivity can spark desire, evoking different emotions in consumers. Successful luxury brands must offer glimpses of both worlds while remaining true to their unique identities and aesthetics.

In today’s market, where mass accessibility is the norm, luxury must represent deeper meaning and intentionality.

Words by Priya Bhamra, MA International Luxury Business

Develop your expertise in luxury business with master’s degrees at Vogue College of Fashion.