Business of Fashion recently published a piece titled "Can Luxury Brands Grow in 2024?" in which the luxury market's decade-plus strategy of "casualization" comes into question.
Robert Williams writes:
"After over a decade of rapid growth powered by a few big opportunities like casualisation — which unlocked new categories and ushered in a new generation of luxury shoppers — and a booming Chinese economy, opportunities for pacey growth are likely to be scattered across geographies, product categories and price points.At the top of the market, luxury brands could capitalise on the momentum with big spenders who increasingly seek a 360-degree luxury lifestyle — including yachts, art, furniture, hotel stays and food in addition to fashion and beauty. Brand extensions like Bulgari and Armani hotels, Dior and Gucci’s museums or Louis Vuitton’s restaurants and airport lounges could become more common."
This notion of "causalization" is a Uranus-Pluto phenomenon. The most recent major world transit was from 2007––2020, and it was during this period that streetwear and luxury merged in partnership, and yoga pants were widely adopted as everyday wear.
These mass-scale activities created a ripple effect in the status hierarchy––you could not tell whether a person was rich or poor purely by judging their clothes.
This is because one major theme of Uranus-Pluto is "power to the masses."
We see a similar trend occur in the 1960s during the previous major Uranus-Pluto alignment.
Yves Saint Laurent birthed the concept of ready-to-wear during a time in which French fashion was rooted in the world of haute couture (custom design).
Saint Laurent wanted to create clothing for everyone, not just the wealthy. So he turned the world of fashion upside down and ushered in a new era.
Sound familiar...?
Power to the masses.
So as the most recent major Uranus-Pluto transit came to a close in 2020, the partnership between luxury and casualness began to slowly fade.
It's become less about the masses and more about exclusivity.
I think we'll see the casualization trend re-emerge on a large scale between 2041––2052 during the next major Uranus-Pluto alignment.