By Denice Faye Hough / LUC8K
I’m obsessed with style and fashion. From trying on my mom’s shoes as a little girl in Chicago, to exploring Asia and beyond, and being lucky enough to sample the colours and delights of different places and cultures from Tibet to Turin.
I love meeting interesting people and discovering unique, beautiful clothes, clever design and the small details that bring a big amount of joy. I’m also a big believer that what we wear and carry with us says so much about who we are. Not necessarily the career we have, the money we earn, or what we own. Just who we are as unique individuals.
So, naturally, I was watching this year’s Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks with an open mind, a dash of hope, a healthy dose of excitement, and a very keen eye.
Neither disappointed, and as usual, there was plenty to soak up and admire. Some beautiful collections, some questionable decisions, a fair amount of theatre, and enough A-Z list celebrity appearances to fill a small country.
But I came away with one overriding thought: For an industry obsessed with individuality, fashion can sometimes be remarkably unindividual and self indulgent.
Thousands of people arrive in private jets, dressed in the latest collections, photographed outside the same venues and everyone is told what is going to be fashionable next season. But somewhere in the midst of all that marketing spiel, glitz, glamour and excitement, I think the luxury fashion industry has lost sight of the people the unique individuals who actually buy and wear the clothes.
Fur, Fendi and Milan: Why Transparency Matters in Luxury
Milan was bellissima as usual, and it certainly wasn’t short of controversy this season.
Animal rights protesters made their feelings about fur very clear. Their rally, aimed squarely at holdouts like Fendi, wasn’t subtle, and for obvious reasons, it wasn’t meant to be. It put the question of animal welfare and fashion’s relationship with natural materials firmly back in the spotlight, and I think it’s a conversation that will always be worth having perhaps now more than ever.
Luxury has always been about more than a price tag. Or at least, it should be. If we’re going to talk about exceptional quality, then surely we should also be talking about where things come from, who makes them and what goes into producing them. I’m all for transparency, and I think most people now want and expect the same from the luxury brands they invest in.
We all know that the word sustainability gets thrown around so casually that it’s already lost its true meaning. Every luxury heritage brand seems to have a ‘responsible’ collection, a green initiative or a clever new marketing phrase. But, sadly, most of it is greenwashing.
But what does it actually mean?
For me, it starts with being honest. About materials, craftsmanship, production, and the decisions behind a product. Not making more than you need. Not pretending to be something you’re not.
It’s about being honest about the entire production process, from start to finish. Period.
Paris Fashion Week: Mugler, Saint Laurent and the Weight of Heritage
Then there was Paris Fashion Week. Ooh la la!
One of the more talked about moments involved Alexis Stone appearing at Mugler in an extraordinary transformation into the late Thierry Mugler. It certainly got people talking, and that was most certainly the point.
It also got me thinking about fashion’s relationship with its past. Some of the biggest names in luxury have built their reputations on the vision of one extraordinary individual. Their names become institutions, their archives become priceless, and their heritage becomes a huge part of what they’re selling to millions of people today.
As we at Maison de LUC8K drink a toast to ten years of passion, I wholeheartedly say there’s nothing wrong with celebrating history. But at what point does heritage become a substitute for having something new to say?
Anthony Vaccarello’s final Saint Laurent collection after ten years at the house was another interesting moment. A dramatic farewell, full of the black tailoring and unmistakable attitude that have become his signature. It was actually quite powerful and moving to a certain extent.
Ten years is a long time in fashion. Long enough to build an identity, establish a point of view and leave a genuine mark.
I actually admire that. I’d rather see someone develop an idea properly than change direction every five minutes because the industry demands something new. Which brings me to my next little observation…
Fashion Week Is Big Business. Who Pays for the Hype
The actual fashion shows themselves are extraordinary productions. Amazing venues, perfect staging, incredible guest lists, Hollywood celebrities, and endless crates of the world’s finest oysters and Champagne on an industrial scale. Fashion week, wherever it is hosted, is an enormous, well oiled, and very well funded machine, but sometimes I wonder just how much of the money is being spent on the actual clothes, and how much is being spent convincing us that we need them.
There’s a difference between making something desirable and making something desirable because it’s difficult to get hold of. And I’m not entirely convinced the two are always the same thing.
I’m so proud that LUC8K is made to order, not made to please those who follow the crowd or try to lead the crowd, and I will always think something is more desirable when you know that no one else on earth owns the very same thing.
Give me bespoke and unique any day of the fashion week.
Stella McCartney, Sea Life and a Little Common Sense
One show I particularly enjoyed following and absorbing into my consciousness was Stella McCartney’s in Paris.
I completely admire her ongoing commitment to animal welfare and her passion for alternative materials. Her show brought attention to the environmental impact of commercial fishing, alongside some interesting material innovations that I hope other designers follow.
It’s so refreshing when a designer has a point of view beyond what colour we’re all supposed to be wearing next summer. And, I know for a fact she 100% believes in her cause it’s not just a marketing ploy to gain column inches.
I don’t expect every fashion collection or brand to solve the world’s problems. That would be a lot to ask of any luxury fashion house, but I do think the industry has an opportunity to influence how people think about the things they buy. And with that comes a certain responsibility.
Beautiful and responsible shouldn’t be competing ideas. Surely we can now demand both?
Why Shouldn’t Luxury Be Personal? The Case for Made to Order
Now, you probably know by now that I’m part of the LUC8K story, so I’m not pretending to be an entirely impartial observer. But there’s a reason I believe so strongly in what we’re doing.
It comes down to something quite simple.
I find it fascinating that we can personalise almost every part of our lives, from our homes to our cars and holidays, yet when it comes to buying a luxury handbag, we’re often expected to accept whatever happens to be available.
Karen Olivo, LUC8K’s founder, experienced this first-hand. She fell in love with a particular Hermès bag in a particular colour. After waiting seven months, she was told she couldn’t have the colour she wanted.
Seven months. And still no bag in the colour she actually loved!
It was one of those moments that makes you ask a fairly obvious question. Why can’t exceptional craftsmanship come with the freedom to choose?
That question became part of the thinking behind LUC8K.
Our pieces are handmade to order in our French atelier. Clients can choose from our signature 8 colours, or go fully bespoke with more than 50 shades through Find Your Shade, our new service with Kerry Wilde, The Soul Stylist, whose take on personal style and sustainability has featured in Vogue Business, alongside personal details that make their piece their own. Every piece is created with intention, rather than produced in huge quantities and pushed into the world as the next must-have.
And I love that idea because not everybody wants the same thing. Not everybody should want the same thing.
You, like me, might fall in love with a beautiful shade of yellow. Another might choose something understated. Someone else might want a colour combination that nobody else would ever think of putting together.
And that’s exactly how it should be.
I don’t want somebody else deciding what my taste should look like. That’s why I’m in love with intentional luxury, and I didn’t see enough of this at this year’s Milan and Paris fashion weeks.
Nowhere near enough.
Intentional Luxury: A Handbag Isn’t a Personality. But It Can Say Something About Yours.
I sometimes think we’ve become so caught up in the idea of luxury that we’ve actually forgotten to enjoy it.
The logo. The celebrity endorsement. The waiting list. The exclusivity. The price. The feeling that you’ve finally been allowed into a very expensive club.
But strip all that away and what have you actually got? Is it beautifully made? Do you love it? Will you still love it in five years? Ten years? Does it mean something to you? Does it reflect your unique personality, and does it carry more meaning than any logo ever could?
These are the questions I find much more interesting.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with owning something expensive. I certainly appreciate beautiful things. But I don’t believe the price or the name on the label should be the most interesting thing about it.
For me, the real pleasure is finding something that feels right. Something that reflects a little bit of you. Something that brings you joy, and gets better with age.
And perhaps that’s what I’d like to see more of from the fashion industry. Less telling us what we should want, and more giving us the freedom to decide for ourselves.
I’ll happily keep watching the fashion shows. I’ll always enjoy the drama, the free Champagne, admire the clothes, the designers, and probably raise an eyebrow or two at some of the absolutely hideous outfits on display.
But when it comes to luxury, I’d rather own something made with care, made with purpose and intention, and more importantly, made with me in mind.
Luxury has lost its way.
I might be biased, but I know where its new home is.
After all, why follow the crowd when you can live your own colors?
Big love from me, and always be you.
Denice Faye Hough, Totally Unbiased Luxury Fashion Lover at Maison de LUC8K
(Still wears her mom’s 1969 pale blue stiletto heels)
Grab a coffee and lose yourself in our latest bespoke collections at luc8k.com.