London – Fashion loves a label, and what initially sounded like a discardable
Americanism, looks like a term that is here to stay. We are talking about
fashion’s new accessible luxury category called advanced contemporary
collections.
Carefully branded to not be mistaken for diffusion lines, although they
very much could be, these are contemporary collections that are less
expensive than mainlines but more upmarket than bridge and ‘normal’
contemporary collections.
Contemporary collections are an American invention and the backbone of its
industry, which sees wide distribution channels and soaring US sales. These
are relatively affordable fashion brands that can be seen on the catwalks
in New York, but that should not be confused with luxury brands. Think of
designers such as Tibi, Rebecca Taylor and Tory Burch.
Advanced Contemporary is a new category starting at price points of
approximately 500 US dollars where mainline designers such as Jason Wu and
Marc Jacobs are pitching collections of affordable luxury. Some have
separate labels, such as Wu’s new Grey collection, whereas others such as
Marc Jacobs, are incorporating advanced contemporary price points into
their mainlines.
To explain, when Jacobs announced he was folding his Marc by Marc Jacobs
label into his mainline, it meant that he would be adding more price
categories to his catwalk collection. Advanced contemporary items can vary
between 500 to 1200 US dollars, so the range can still be expensive enough
to feel luxurious, but there is no question of having to take out a
mortgage to buy a designer handbag.
Image:Grey Jason Wu