Editor's Letter

A Balancing Act

The American culture tends to find balance elusive. Whether it's boom or bust, decadent excess or Puritan primness, consumers swing dramatically one way or another. A couple of years ago, the world was a juicy morsel, ripe for the picking. Today, a new austerity is chic with a hint of excess causing general disdain.

So what's the luxury market to do?

In a chat for this issue of Facets, designer Michael Kors spoke about his own experience with customers as a designer and retailer. For him, the key to success in tough times is providing something fresh and familiar: items that are different enough to spark interest in making a purchase while at the same time practical enough to justify the action's sensibility.

“If something's successful, it has this balance with something that's new and unexpected and something that's familiar and comfortable, both. I've always felt that way, but when the economy is tough and your people are more thoughtful about what they're buying, it becomes even more important that they're turned on and thinking: ‘I don't have that.’ But at the same time you say, “yeah, but I actually think I'm going to hold onto this for a while.' It's this weird kind of yin and yang, and I think that right now people expect it all. I don't think anyone's willing to give up anything. People expect more. I think the consumer is the smartest they've ever been, so designers have to be one step ahead of the game.”

How balanced are you? Survival-and success-can take place in the tough times, but you have to be ready to blend new with your old and build a fresh path to success.

Amy Spiezio