The New Couture Beauty

Sophie Maxwell, of Pearlfisher, discusses the importance of understanding customer lifestyle and desires.

by Sophie Maxwell

Wanting expert endorsement and the accompanying perceived level of bespoke service and quality is nothing new. Maybe especially now as we look to counter the plethora of marketing – rather than product – led celebrity brands.

The Dr. brands took the beauty market by storm a few years ago and we still look to the expertise in fashion, color and style direction from renowned designers – with, for example, the much-anticipated Tom Ford Beauty Collection now imminent. But there has still been something of the ‘me too’ factor at play here… However, we are now seeing a more subtle and select directive from a very few top echelon professionals looking to offer a more unique and intimate couture beauty experience.

Haircare is probably one of the most evolutionary sectors right now with phenomenal product innovation, more salon treatments for the home and new professional quality tools. But, the most significant development for this sector – and potentially the whole industry – has to be what is happening at the top of the tree. Whilst for the past twenty years or so many ‘celebrity’ (how they and the media perceive them to be) hairdressers have introduced diffusion lines to the mass market, the true experts – even though they also look after the hair of many a celebrity- steadfastly define themselves not by who they do but by what they do.

One such is Josh Wood. Famously low-key whilst at the same time being credited as being the most influential and respected hair colorist and leading trendsetter in the world, this September sees Josh leading the field once again with the launch of the Josh Wood Atelier in London’s Notting Hill.

By establishing a new venue, an Atelier (to date only seen by the most exclusive and revered in the art or fashion worlds) as the chosen place of expertise in which to offer bespoke level craftsmanship, Josh Wood is looking to optimize and marry time – at the correct time – with the individual to foster a new level of intricacy and intimacy. This new move, and subtle shifting of the brand profile, reflects a true understanding of the consumer’s long-term personal requirements and desires.

In the Couture fashion world, Phoebe Philo has studiously designed to this ideal since taking on the rejuvenation of Celine. Creating pieces that are signature, updated through fabric and colorway alone, Celine shows an intention to become part of its customers’ lifestyle – and lives – by stealthily becoming beloved and relied upon rather than creating ‘must haves’ that become quickly outdated.

In a world of mass brand expansion, it’s not about diluting the offer or spreading it too thin, but about looking for select and truly apposite ways – focusing on non-prescriptive development across the person, the brand and the environment – to share expertise and redefine the offer in a controlled way to create a feeling of quintessentially personal choice and true specialness.

Where Josh leads, others follow – what will the next expert, do next? Watch their space…

AUTHOR BIO: Sophie Maxwell is head of insight at Pearlfisher – [email protected] www.pearlfisher.com