Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/557531
The Changing FaCe oF Luxury in ausTin As the city grows and prospers, it has begun to embrace high fashion, but on its own terms. by jean scheidnes In 2003 an aggressively cool fashion boutique called Factory People opened on South Congress, and its advertisement of Jean-Michel Cazabat pumps for $350 became a lightning rod for indignation about the economic pressures and yuppies/techies/ Yankees eroding Austin's weirdness and bubbadom. At the time, you could easily pay $350 for prissy pumps at local mainstay Fetish or Saks Fifth Avenue, but this was considered way out of bounds on South Congress—the beating heart of the "real" Austin (even though Allens Boots, just across the street, carries footwear priced in the four fgures). The Cazabats raised an alarm about the threat that prosperity posed to Austin's character, and caring too much about fashion was a character faw. By the end of the decade, Factory People, Fetish, and Saks had closed, as had many high-end boutiques from that era, including Therapy, Shiki, Anthony Nak, and St. Thomas. Was it a case of too much too soon? Perhaps. But the city now seems ready to make peace with—and even embrace—upscale fashion. "Austin has been a tough market for luxury retail because there hasn't been enough demand. But over the past 10 years, that's defnitely been changing," says Melinda Snell, store director of Julian Gold, a go-to resource for women's special-occasion fnery that is celebrating its 70th anniver- sary this year. The Austin location opened in 2002. Indeed, Austinites as a whole have more money to spend on fashion than in years past. While the population grew 2.9 percent from 2013–14, Since 2004, Kick Pleat has specialized in women's advanced contemporary fashion. PhotograPhy by Knoxy Knox (KicK Pleat); Seth olenicK (Domain StoreS) Lalique vase PB: Younger generations, particularly the millennials, are interested in sustainable practices and ask a lot of questions about where you're sourcing materials, or how you're producing. All our companies, which have been around for 50 to 100 years, have to be responsible, credible, and follow through on these topics, because they're going to get more important as the customer gets younger and younger. BC: Another aspect of sustainability is an approach we started taking 10 years ago, of buying small artisan [businesses], where the craft itself was in danger of becoming extinct. I think many of you have done the same thing. Mr. [Karl] Lagerfeld creates the Métiers d'art collection once a year—that only uses those fve to six specialist houses. When we think about sustainability long-term, and, for all of us, the story of our brand tied to what is unique and special, giving these people a lifeline, if you will, to continue their craft is what it's about as well. AW "All brands are searching for ways to be relevant to the millennials." —maz zouhair i, ceo and pr esident, lalique north amer ica from left: Barguirdjian, Cirkva, Ottomanelli. 92 AUSTINWAY.com