In my past life, I worked in the luxury fashion industry from 2007 to 2016 as a creative director. I used to separate that life in luxury fashion from what I do now because then, luxury fashion felt a bit icky to me. It was all about name brands, egos, logos, trends, and being seen as successful. When I started working for WeatherWool, it was such a breath of fresh air. It wasn’t about logos, social status, brand recognition, or even being on trend. It was about making the best all-purpose outerwear possible, period. We didn’t and don’t put logos on the outside of our product, no celebrity endorsements, and no big billboards or advertisements for brand recognition. It was simply about pursuing Ralph's dream of making a product so good it would sell by word of mouth.
So it was slightly amusing to hear that, despite not worrying about trends and what the mainstream was doing, the trend found us.
Quiet Luxury is one of the new big buzz words in fashion. It’s about quality materials, neutral palettes, understated elegance, and minimal visible branding (no visible logos). Back in my fashion days, traveling to cities like Moscow, Shanghai, Athens, and most of Europe and America, the logo was the luxury. The more I got to look behind the curtain, the more I realized that most of these t-shirts and sunglasses, which made up most of the brand's revenue and boasted logos of famous brands, were all being made in the same factories, with different logos printed on them. The joke was really on the consumer, who was blinded by marketing and their own ego.
So it’s very refreshing that consumers have realized that luxury isn’t in the logo. It’s in the quality of the materials, durability, craftsmanship, discreet but thorough fitting and shaping of the garment, and, of course, great customer service.
WeatherWool has found itself in perfect alignment with many current trends. Things like sustainability, ethical fashion, CPW (Cost Per Wear), healthy clothing for our skin, bodies, nervous systems, and even our direct-to-consumer business model. I assure you, Sun Dog (Ralph) wasn’t doing any of this to chase a trend, because we don't do it for the trend. It was and still is just what Sun Dog believed was right. It was what attracted me to want to work for WeatherWool in the first place, and we’re really happy the rest of the world is realizing these same core principles. I think Quiet Luxury will be more than a trend. Once you know, you know, and this is a revolution in the garment industry. Once you feel the quality on your skin and realize how it makes you feel throughout the day, it’s pretty hard to go back to wearing garbage (like recycled polyester!). And if more people buy quiet luxury, the second-hand market will be an even better place for people who can't afford the new stuff. They can enjoy the same great fibers on their skin for a much lower cost because quiet luxury lasts. (See our Lending Library for deals on previously worn items)
When you buy WeatherWool, you are paying for luxury materials, craftsmanship, and a passionate team that takes it from fibres to a finished garment, topped off with customer service that assures you you are not being played like a fool. We are here to serve you and offer clothing that makes every day you wear it better. That’s worth paying for. That’s luxury in my eyes. No logo necessary. It's what we have always done; the industry has just given it a name. Welcome to Quiet Luxury. So I guess in a roundabout way, I work in Luxury Fashion again.
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