Remember the days when men were gentleman and women, ladies. When dreams came custom-made to fit and service was an art – just as important to fashion brands, as design. Those were the days when luxury meant more than just expensive, when it meant getting your share of something unique.

The trend for the bespoke is returning and nowhere is it better showcased than on Sloane Street, with its catwalk of global luxury brands.

The unrelenting pace in the advancement of technology and design has been superseded by an increasing demand for timeless quality and craftsmanship, a trend reflected in the luxury fashion industry embracing the unique and bespoke.

Forerunners in this include luxury brands on Sloane Street, Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Ermenegildo Zegna and Louis Vuitton. Recognising that luxury is not about excess but about essence, Bottega Veneta’s creative director Tomas Maier reflected, earlier this year, upon the shift from an era of big logos and “it bags” to a demand for more eloquent and unique design.

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“Our customers have their own sense of style. They don’t want to wear someone else’s name.”TOMAS MAIER
CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF BOTTEGA VENETA
APRIL 2013

Bottega Veneta offers customers a unique possibility to customise their leather items by adding personalised initials, making the campaign motto “When your initials are enough” more than just an elegant tagline.

Bottega Veneta is a beautiful example of how the 21st century fashion conscious consumer demands it all. Quality through fine craftsmanship, functionality, timeless design and a sensibility, that enables customers to shape luxury items to reflect their personality with a considered sense of style.

Another example of the ‘unique’ trend within the fashion industry is the revival of bespoke clothing. A renaissance of the British tradition for tailored suits is nowhere better showcased than on Sloane Street, steeped in heritage.

The trend highlights a strengthening interest from men on detail and design when investing in luxury fashion.In response to this Prada, Gucci and Giorgio Armani on Sloane Street have launched “made to measure” services for their quality conscious customers.

Gucci launched its “made-to-measure” service in 2011 with James Franco, as the face of their campaign, recognising Franco’s ability to ‘interpret formal wear in an individual way’ (Frida Giannini, creative director of Gucci).