Many a fashion, lifestyle, or luxury business presently working alongside an ecommerce marketing agency will have had reason to pay attention to the recent True-Luxury 3.0 Summit in London. 

As reported by Forbes, the event, now in its third edition, saw various participants in the high-end sector come together to discuss climate-positive practices. 

A key focus of the summit, which was founded by London-based designer Laboni Saha, is on exploring how the luxury industry can incentivise consumers to make positive changes for the environment.

In the words of Saha, commenting prior to the summit: “The fashion industry is in a very strong position to influence consumer habits, because similar to food, we all consume fashion, in some form or another. 

“The industry has over the past decades gotten us in the habit of buying based on trends, on seasons, and also based on markdowns.” 

She added, however, that climate-positive changes had to “work in terms of profitability for luxury businesses and for the planet.” 

‍An opportunity for important conversations on the luxury sector and the climate 

Six panel discussions took place at the Summit at The Connaught Hotel in central London, addressing such vital topics as building blocks for a carbon-neutral planet, solutions-oriented innovations, and pro-planet processes. Another panel discussion concentrated squarely on fashion. 

One key observation that was made in the discussions, was in relation to consumers moving away from “fast fashion” in the direction of bespoke and luxury fashion. 

Edwina Ehrman, one-time Senior Curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum, cited “several reasons” for this shift, including that in recent years, fashion houses had become more adept in “showing people the skills, time, and care that goes into making their products.” 

She said that brands had drawn upon various methods in order to do this – including “blockbuster exhibitions with innovative and memorable displays, by establishing their own museums and foundations – and sometimes through film.” 

On a much more saddening note, global atrocities in the fashion industry have also influenced consumers’ move away from fast fashion. For example, back in 2013, over a thousand employees were killed due to the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh. This massively shocked consumers, and was one of the first main factors causing many to reassess their relationship with fast fashion. 

Furthermore, in 2014, Primark factory workers who were imprisoned in China began to hide messages in their clothes about the horrendous working conditions they faced. Events like these have helped to quicken the gradual shift away from fast fashion across the age cohorts.

 Looking to other aspects of how fashion houses now operate and market themselves, the COVID-19 pandemic was a huge factor that caused an acceleration in awareness among brands of what immersive, tech-powered experiences could do for their sales strategies. 

Trends like Web3 and the metaverse have certainly shaped how fashion houses have seen themselves in the 2020s, and we can expect those influences to continue to unfold. 

With True-Luxury 3.0 also set to launch an exhibition in September 2023, co-curated by Ehrman and Saha, described as “first of its kind” and an “experiential display of True-Luxury, a new genre of luxury heralding a ‘Better for the Planet’ movement”, it is fair to say this year has already proved a busy one for the Summit. 

‍Could Skywire London play a key role in powering forward your brand’s growth? 

Whatever your luxury, lifestyle, or fashion brand’s current status may be, if you are seeking to achieve sustained – and sustainable – growth in 2023 and beyond, you could be well-advised to work alongside our own strategic and digital experts. 

We can be more than merely your go-to ecommerce marketing agency; we can be your longer-term growth partners, delivering consistent digital excellence. Simply reach out to our London team today to find out more.