{"id":72614,"date":"2024-05-10T06:54:28","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T10:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/?post_type=insight&p=72614"},"modified":"2025-04-14T06:17:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T10:17:40","slug":"quiet-luxury-or-fast-fashion-consumers-are-buying-both","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/insights\/quiet-luxury-or-fast-fashion-consumers-are-buying-both","title":{"rendered":"Quiet Luxury or Fast Fashion: Consumers Are Buying Both"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Quiet luxury is a timeless style rooted in craftsmanship, elegance, and logo-free staples with lasting value. Though not new, it\u2019s making a comeback, led by brands like Loro Piana, The Row, and Celine.. As InStyle Magazine<\/a> puts it, it’s about \u201cmaking a presence without making a noise.\u201d Quiet luxury buyers invest in simplicity\u2014think premium knitwear, classic trench coats, minimalist accessories, and timeless footwear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In contrast, fast fashion offers low-cost, trend-driven clothing produced quickly and in bulk. Brands like H&M, Zara, Forever 21, and Shein thrive on visibility and instant appeal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Traditionally, quiet luxury and fast fashion served separate markets. Now, consumers blend both, choosing based on need, desire, and occasion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Quiet luxury, once a hallmark of the wealthy, now resonates with a wider audience seeking lasting value and sustainability in their clothing choices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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We were intrigued by this shift and decided to ask consumers about their perspectives on quiet luxury and fast fashion. Here\u2019s what we uncovered.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Quiet luxury is on the fashion shoppers\u2019 radar. <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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57% of respondents were aware of the quiet luxury concept. And their concept of it is spot on:  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What embodies quiet luxury?  <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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78% High-quality materials (fabric, accessories, etc.) 
56% Timeless and classic styles \/ trend-proof  
43% Minimalistic design and branding \/ logo-free 
43% Longevity of item or investment  
31% Ethical and sustainable practices <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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We also wanted to know how this plays into their own buying decisions.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What factors are most important in your clothing purchases?  <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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63% Quality of materials 
45% Timeless, classic, staple item 
37% Brand reputation 
31% Environmental impact 
30% Latest style or trend 
21% Recommended by friends or influencers <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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These combined factors made us wonder about how consumers decide between quiet luxury and fast fashion. We asked respondents what values drive their clothing purchase decisions:  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Values that drive quiet luxury purchases <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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76% quality of materials 
67% timeless and classic styles 
66% brand reputation 
57% sustainability practices  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Values that drive fast fashion purchases <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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62% shopping convenience and accessibility 
59% trendiness and fashion forward 
58% price and affordability 
54% social influence <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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As you can see, different values drive choices between quiet luxury and fast fashion. Shoppers are buying from both categories.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What proportion of your current wardrobe is made of quiet luxury items vs fast fashion?  <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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69% quiet luxury  
31% fast fashion <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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This is important for apparel retailers to note as consumers are leaning more towards staple, timeless pieces but still have a sizeable fast fashion proportion in their closets.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Are they satisfied with one more than the other? <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Turns out, not really. They\u2019re quite satisfied with both.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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69% are highly satisfied with higher-end clothing purchase 
66% are highly satisfied with trendy, less expensive clothing purchase <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Given a fairly high level of satisfaction, we dove into how they determine which brands they can trust.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What sources do you rely on to learn about the quality of clothing brands?  <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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22% online reviews on the retailer\/brand website 
19% in-store experiences and staff recommendations 
17% friends and family 
17% I do not rely on any information 
15% social media 
8% online lifestyle news and blogs 
2% influencers and content creators <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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It’s notable that despite 15% relying on social media, only 2% are relying on influencers who are typically on social media. This may suggest that brand marketing on social media is having a significant effect. It also underscores the importance of reviews, in-store experiences, and word of mouth marketing.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Being a fulfillment provider, we were curious about where consumers are buying quiet luxury: in- store or online?  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Where do you prefer to shop for quiet luxury items?  <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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39% in-store only 
31% equally in-store and online 
15% online only 
15% it depends on the item  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The fact that 31% prefer online and in-store highlights the need for a seamless omniexperience. Retailers can drill down into the factors that influence those choices to better meet shoppers\u2019 preferences and needs \u2013 and to drive traffic to one channel or the other.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What factors influenced whether you shopped in-store or online?  <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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I chose in-store because of\u2026 <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
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85% greater ability to physically examine products 
69% personalized experience <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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I chose online because of\u2026 <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
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61% more convenience 
55% greater availability of exclusive collections 
54% discounts and promotions 
 
Retailers that want to improve traffic can work to improve the areas that shoppers value most when selecting in-store vs online. Again, omniexperience is vital to meeting the needs of consumers. How well are brands doing?  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What experiences have you had in-store and online when buying quiet luxury and fast fashion?  <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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There were multiple channels for browsing and buying.<\/strong>

48% Quiet luxury
52% Fast fashion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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I was able to access personalized recommendations and content across channels.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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52% Quiet luxury
48% Fast fashion  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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It was easy to transition between online and offline shopping modes (aka, click and collect, buy online, return in-store).<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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44% Quiet luxury
56% Fast fashion <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The brand messaging and aesthetics were consistent across channels.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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59% Quiet luxury
41% Fast fashion <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The data shows quiet luxury brands shine in personalized content and consistent messaging, while fast fashion brands lead in omnichannel access and seamless shopping transitions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Apparel retailers can tap into the quiet luxury trend by recognizing that shoppers buy across styles. By aligning with customer values and delivering personalized experiences\u2014from purchase to unboxing\u2014they can boost reviews, word of mouth, and share of sales.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Radial can help you craft a highly personalized eCommerce fulfillment<\/a> and unboxing experience.<\/a>  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Follow Radial on LinkedIn<\/a>, Facebook<\/a><\/strong> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":72620,"template":"","insight_type":[],"solution":[399],"class_list":["post-72614","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight\/72614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/insight"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight\/72614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72937,"href":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight\/72614\/revisions\/72937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"insight_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight_type?post=72614"},{"taxonomy":"solution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radial.com\/eur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/solution?post=72614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}