Luxury Has a Trust Problem
When I hear people having a discussion about luxury, I expect some words about l'artisanat, the way the product looks or how they dream about owning it. Nowadays, those conversations are replaced by questions about how expensive things are, whether the product is really valuable or whether people are only paying for the brand.
As a young marketer, I am always curious about identifying problems and thinking of ways to solve them. My first impression was that the problem was coming from the pricing but to be honest, luxury has never been affordable. What I have observed is that the price becomes a problem when desire is no longer strong enough to carry it.
In a world where logos and storytelling are no longer enough to justify the value of a product, heritage and the art of crafting may be among the last ways to create the missing desirability and to make people talk about the product itself again rather than its price.
A Generational Shift in How Luxury is Judged
This change does not come from nowhere, it partly comes from the generational aspect. This perception is not only personal. A survey conducted by Vogue Business indicates that people under 35 are the main consumers of luxury products but often through resale or sample sales. Even though 77% of respondents in the Vogue survey indicate that fashion items are more expensive than they were a year ago, this is not the only reason why people buy less.
The new generation is much more driven by authenticity, quality, transparency and a lower impact on the environment when choosing a product. According to Deloitte’s Gen Z and Millennial Survey, these generations are values-driven and increasingly influenced by concerns such as the environment and social impact. They are looking to connect with the brands they wear and to reflect their personalities through their style. McKinsey also notes that Gen Z is 1.5 times more likely than the general population to visit immersive experiences. This shows that glamorous campaigns are no longer enough to fulfill their need for trust. They are looking for much more than that.
How the Luxury Industry is Responding
Luxury houses like LVMH, Hermès and Chanel seem to understand that shift and are responding by bringing back or reinforcing their existing initiatives like "Les journées Particulières" of LVMH and "Hermès in the Making" of Hermès.
Les journées Particulières
LVMH’s Les Journées Particulières is a good example of this movement. The initiative was created in 2011 to open the doors of LVMH Maisons and let the public discover the savoir-faire behind the products. In 2026, the initiative comes back with 46 Maisons opening 65 locations across 11 countries. What is interesting is that the event is not new, but its meaning feels stronger today. At a time when people question the value behind luxury prices, showing the atelier, the artisans and the process becomes a strong form of proof.
Hermès in the Making
Hermès in the Making is another strong example of this movement. The event invites the public to meet the artisans behind Hermès’ sustainable craftsmanship and to discover how the house creates objects designed to last, to be repaired, used and passed down through generations. In 2026, Hermès brought this initiative to Shanghai with live demonstrations, workshops, interactive activities and films. What makes this example interesting is that Hermès does not only show the final product, it shows the real value behind it. This kind of transparency is exactly what transforms craftsmanship into a form of trust.
The importance of these initiatives today is not only in their transparency, but in the desire they can recreate. By opening the doors of craftsmanship, luxury houses move the conversation away from price and bring it back to the product itself. The material, the time and the human hand make the object feel alive again. Craft becomes a way to prove value, but also a way to make people desire the product for what it is, not only for the logo it carries.
This is also why these initiatives matter. Without this kind of openness, craftsmanship can easily become another marketing word. Luxury houses can speak about heritage, savoir-faire and excellence, but if people never see the gestures, the materials, the time and the people behind the product, the story can start to feel distant. These events help avoid that. They bring craftsmanship out of the campaign and closer to reality. Of course, opening the doors does not automatically prove everything, but it gives people something more concrete to believe in.
The Future: Opening the Atelier Beyond Its Walls
Physical events like Les Journées Particulières or Hermès in the Making are powerful, but they are limited by location, time and access. Not everyone can visit an atelier in Paris, Shanghai or Milan. This is where spatial computing could become interesting for luxury houses. Not to replace the real atelier, but to make its world more accessible. It could allow people from different regions to step inside a crafted environment, observe the gestures, understand the materials and experience the process behind a product in a more immersive way.
The future of luxury will not only be about creating more beautiful images. It will be about creating moments where people can understand what they are looking at. Whether through physical events, open ateliers or immersive technologies, the challenge will be the same: making the invisible part of luxury more visible without taking away its mystery.
Maybe this is where the next form of desire will come from. Not only from what is shown, but from what people finally understand.
Dzhaner Tahir
Sources & References
Vogue Business
Deloitte
McKinsey & Company
LVMH
Hermès