Quiet Luxury: Through Our Eyes
2023: The year the public finally realized spending obscene amounts of money to dress like a walking billboard was an atrocious assault on the intellect of those around you. The amount of controversy around the subject of “quiet-luxury” throughout the past couple of weeks goes to show how brainwashed the public has become. Luxury fashion houses have been capitalizing off of individuals who solely shape their identities around clothing that screams a lack of taste. Brand’s like Balenciaga and Gucci have duped the public into buying uber-expensive goods emblazoned with the horrors of logo mania for far too long. It’s time to wake up from this logo induced haze. 
These brands have conditioned the public to believe that they are buying into “luxury” while the reality is, spending $800 dollars on a logo heavy printed t-shirt is the biggest con one could fall for. Given that these mammoths of companies own their factories and produce said t-shirts for a handful of dollars. Ultimately profiting off of the false sense of luxury consumers believe to be buying into. Let’s be honest, who is really buying unbranded $2,750 cashmere knits from The Row? Yeah, the 1%. The same 1% that has been buying luxury for decades and building a wardrobe of timeless pieces that never go out of style.
Quite frankly, it is deplorable that renowned publications are writing negatively about this newfound “quiet luxury” trend that is set to take over the rest of 2023. It seems as though these publications have an agenda pushed by brands that make a living off of selling useless branded clothing to less knowledgeable consumers. The hot take on this trend is that it is “boring” and a “quiet flex” for those in the know how. Which, to some degree, I understand. Certain garments have established themselves as a subtle flex over the years due to their notoriety in pop culture, such as an Hermes Birkin bag or anything Loro Piana. Yet, where many critics have missed the mark is in grouping timeless and well-constructed classics into the mix.
Many of these critics fail to mention the importance of building a wardrobe that isn’t trend based. Trends are fabricated by industry insiders and trickled down into every design language to ultimately sell more useless things to the public. If you take a moment to look at the bigger picture, this “quiet luxury” trend is just favoring well-constructed garments, made in ethical conditions and utilize superior fabrics. Given the global push towards sustainability and slowing down mindless consumption, these characteristics of “quiet luxury” don’t seem that bad at all. Now, one doesn’t solely need to buy into these brands to participate in this newfound phenomenon that critics have loved to tear apart. I’m not here to tell you to spend thousands of dollars on your wardrobe. Ever heard of thrifting? You can build an accessible, timeless wardrobe through it. 
Now, if you are going to buy something new - buying less and buying better is something that twelvesixtynine stands for. Intentionally buying goods that are built to stand the test of time is much more favorable than dictating one’s purchases based off the latest trend. Educate yourself and conduct research about the objects you’d like to incorporate into your life. Wear these things every day and don’t save them for special occasions. Buy slow and intentionally. Surround yourself with objects that enhance the daily experience of life. And that you see yourself wearing into the ground for the decades to come. Repair old clothes and buy second hand if you can. This is the true “quiet luxury”. Discreetly enhancing your life one garment at a time. Dictated by you, for you. Not appeasing to anyone else’s standards but your own.
The brand’s we carry at twelvesixtynine are painfully selected out of countless eyewear companies to ensure longevity and effortlessness. We pride ourselves in craftsmanship and design, rather than just following the status quo. There is a certain beauty about incorporating beautiful objects into your everyday life that are built to last. Join us on this eyewear journey and allow us to help you find the perfect frames that’ll enhance your daily routine.
Images courtesy of: Louis Vuitton / Balenciaga x Gucci Sean Zanni & Patrick McMullan via Getty Images / Concrete Matter, Amsterdam / Paul Newman Grailed.