Luxury brands' big challenge: figuring out Gen Z

Fleur Arbel and Christophe Kairouz, both from France, were lured into Louis Vuitton's New York flagship recently by a colorful sculpture of a monogrammed giraffe and ostrich above the store’s entrance.

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But the two 24-year-olds are more likely to spend their shopping dollars elsewhere, as Louis Vuitton's heavy logos and styles strike them as passé.

"I think they failed to keep the luxury image in a way," said Kairouz. "I think they need to create something new, original."

Arbel and Kairouz are a tiny fraction of the Gen Z cohort born between 1998 and 2012: the luxury industry's new frontier. The group made up 4% of global luxury spending before the pandemic; by 2030, they will account for 25%, according to Boston Consulting Group.

Executives, consultants, and analysts say this generation is harder to pin down than their predecessors. They are influenced by a global social media landscape and tend to mix-and-match goods from established names with trendier labels, shopping everywhere from TikTok to thrift stores. Legacy brands trying to attract Gen Z consumers have used influencers, popup shops, and affordable items like bag charms.

"There's a lot of similarity between Gen Z in Shanghai and Los Angeles and London," said Scott Roe, chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Coach-parent Tapestry.

More affordable luxury companies like Coach and Ralph Lauren - whose revenue rose 6.8% in the 12-month period ended in March - are capitalizing on the generational shift. Coach has gained cache with Gen Z due to using influencers, personalization services, and focusing on sustainability, experts said. Coach's total revenue rose 9.9% to about $5.6 billion for the 12-month period ended in June.