In today’s polished world of contemporary luxury, one word unsettles, unexpected, almost intrusive: ‘roughness’. And yet it is this very notion that, tomorrow, will separate the Maisons destined to shine from those doomed to fade. For what is a luxury brand without ‘roughness’, if not a campaign perfectly oiled yet stripped of meaning? A promise too smooth, without sinew, without flesh—a rhetoric leaving no trace. Restoring ‘roughness’ to brands is, in my view, one of the foremost priorities for an industry of boundless potential that now finds itself at a decisive crossroads.
The ‘roughness’ of a brand is that grain which catches, that relief which resists oblivion. A rugged detail, at times unsettling, that gives the brand its depth and its breath. With it, the brand becomes singular, human, alive — speaking with its own voice rather than echoing that of others. It creates emotion and seals distinction. Yet what do we witness today? An accelerating erasure, a deliberate sanding down, which—under the pretext of universality—deadens every vital impulse. The act of sanding, which in craftsmanship perfects a creation by removing irregularities, has become a metaphor of our time. Everything must be smooth, everything neutral, everything meant to speak to everyone. And in doing so, nothing speaks to anyone anymore.
Even the voices of the industry sound the alarm. Eric Briones, director of the French Journal du Luxe, calls for a shift “from a luxury of desirability to a luxury of resonance.” Jean‑Louis Kapferer, a leading global expert on luxury goods, describes an “existential problem” the industry must now confront. But the answer, to me, has long been in plain sight: we must restore ‘roughness’ to the heart of the narrative. A faultless luxury—devoid of humanity—is nothing but a mirage. True luxury has always been that which dares, which disrupts, which touches the soul.
And yet, how many times have I heard in briefs this dispiriting refrain: “We want the same strategy as Hermès.” But Hermès exists only by being Hermès. To transplant its recipe elsewhere is sheer folly. Imitation is sterile; uniqueness alone is fertile. The courage to appear as one truly is—that is the founding act. So, are you afraid of being seen for what you really are? Tomorrow’s winners will not be those who try to appeal to everyone, but those who accept to displease some in order to touch others deeply. The too‑polished brands will vanish into the background noise of disposable trends. The others —those who embrace imperfection, ‘roughness’, even excess (Gucci with model Louise Pedersen pulling down her panties to show her pubic hair shaved into the letter G…) — will carve themselves into memory.
The luxury of tomorrow will be won through a paradox: daring imperfection, ‘roughness’, to achieve the timeless.
Contact Guillaume Jourdan via LinkedIn
